help me protect my glass jars!

December 31, 2012 6:16 AM

help me find a subsitute to a rubber gasket for these jars.

I love the jars but they don't come with gaskets! I'm not so worried about how well sealed they are, but i read reviews that they chip or can shatter and since I'm using them for food I don't really want slivers of glass in my flour. I have not been able to find gaskets that would fit the mouth of the jar, and even if i could, the jar is not even gasket compatible. there is an inch wide rim on the lid that I'm hoping to work with.

So here's the question:
do you know a product (either in a tube, paint on, or comes on a roll) that I could apply to the lid of the jar to create a soft or bouncy surface? Some sort of foam or rubber that I can adhere to the lid that will not stick to the mouth of the jar? extra points if the product has adhesive or adheres when applied but doesn't dry sticky.

Thanks in advance!

posted by CookieNose to home & garden (11 answers total)

Sugru?
posted by jvilter at 6:20 AM on December 31, 2012

I'd buy a silicon baking sheet and cut out a ring that fits.
posted by Namlit at 6:21 AM on December 31, 2012

I've never used it for something like this myself, but the first thing I thought of was Plasti-Dip.
posted by Rock Steady at 6:24 AM on December 31, 2012

there is an inch wide rim on the lid that I'm hoping to work with.

Clean silicone sealant. comes in a tube, is easy to apply.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:42 AM on December 31, 2012

If you use anything, I'd make sure it's food-grade before putting it near food. There are many silicone sealants, for example, that are food-grade: DAP, EMI, Titebond. It looks like '21 CFR 177.2600' is the part of the CFR you want to see somewhere (for the DAP, it's in the documentation).
posted by Fortran at 7:29 AM on December 31, 2012

Vaseline.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:08 AM on December 31, 2012

The issue with silicone sealants is that they are meant to be used to fill and seal gaps by bonding between two surfaces. Even if you apply a bead of silicone sealant to the lid and let it cure, it will still have a tendency to bond (or stick heavily) to the jar when you put the lid on and leave it.

Plasti-Dip isn't food-safe, so that wouldn't work, either.

You can buy food-safe sheets and cut your own. It's a bit pricey, though.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:11 AM on December 31, 2012

I'd buy a silicon baking sheet and cut out a ring that fits and then I'd glue that to the lid with clear silicone sealant.
posted by Too-Ticky at 8:48 AM on December 31, 2012 [2 favorites]

My local rural Ace Hardware store sells gaskets in the canning supply area. Also try searching Google for "rubber gasket." Look at this. In a pinch, when I cannot find one that sill fit, you can get a thickish rubber sheet and cut a ring to fit.
posted by fifilaru at 1:50 PM on December 31, 2012

Denture adhesive would definitely be "food grade."
posted by R2WeTwo at 2:09 PM on December 31, 2012

(Outing myself as a partial-wearer) Dental adhesive is not what you want. It glues things together when it's in your mouth and becomes rock-hard and crumbly when exposed to air. And while it may be food-safe it's not something you want to swallow.
posted by caryatid at 2:28 PM on December 31, 2012