small apothecary jar gaskets
June 10, 2020 8:06 PM Subscribe
We have a whole set of small locking glass apothecary jars like this that we use for spices. For some of them (garlic, mustard powder, paprika, etc), the gaskets have been degraded by corrosive volatile compounds in the spice. We'd love to replace the gaskets, but can't seem to find any place that sells them on their own. I know there's a factory somewhere that makes a gajillion of these an hour - I just want a dozen!
Response by poster: Inner diameter: 1 & 3/16"
Outer diameter: 1 & 3/4"
Thickness: 3/32" (a little smaller now, but I think that's what it was before extended compression)
Measurements taken with a simple measuring tape, not a caliper
posted by profanon at 8:32 PM on June 10, 2020
Outer diameter: 1 & 3/4"
Thickness: 3/32" (a little smaller now, but I think that's what it was before extended compression)
Measurements taken with a simple measuring tape, not a caliper
posted by profanon at 8:32 PM on June 10, 2020
Response by poster: I think those are a little big, especially if the diameter given is ID. The thickness looks perfect.
posted by profanon at 8:35 PM on June 10, 2020
posted by profanon at 8:35 PM on June 10, 2020
If you can't find a place that sells them, you could see how much it costs to have some custom made. Henning Gasket has a form to ask for a quote and they say they can reverse engineer if needed. At least they could give you an idea of the volume that would make it worth the set up costs.
posted by soelo at 8:54 PM on June 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 8:54 PM on June 10, 2020 [2 favorites]
Best answer: The 42 mm size is actually probably right. I misled you by mentioning inner gasket diameter - that's not how the bail-top jars are sized.
posted by Glomar response at 9:07 PM on June 10, 2020
posted by Glomar response at 9:07 PM on June 10, 2020
Response by poster: Thanks for the follow-up, Glomar. Looking at the other images on the listing, that does look like the right size. Worth trying!
posted by profanon at 9:11 PM on June 10, 2020
posted by profanon at 9:11 PM on June 10, 2020
If you have trouble getting the gaskets, or are just in the mood to try something different, there's a trick you can do which I've done mainly with glass-lidded Mason jars of this style, though I have done several larger jars like yours.
And that is to remove the wire harness and gasket and simply grind the jar and lid against each other until you've produced matching flat surfaces on jar and lid which will make a ground glass seal. I stop when the ground surfaces are at least 1/8" wide all around both base and lid.
Surprisingly to me, no abrasive is required and the process is relatively quick; you can do it wet or dry, though I usually do it wet to avoid breathing glass dust. It takes me less than 10 minutes, including rest periods if my forearms and hands get tired, to do a regular or wide mouth Mason jar, and the seal is water tight, though I imagine air will diffuse through it very slowly — yet I've never been able to smell contents through the seal, and I've tested them with things like lavender and cloves.
You probably would need to bend the wire harness slightly so that it will continue to press jar and lid together in the absence of a gasket, though ground glass seals require very little pressure, and too much is undesirable.
posted by jamjam at 10:19 PM on June 10, 2020 [5 favorites]
And that is to remove the wire harness and gasket and simply grind the jar and lid against each other until you've produced matching flat surfaces on jar and lid which will make a ground glass seal. I stop when the ground surfaces are at least 1/8" wide all around both base and lid.
Surprisingly to me, no abrasive is required and the process is relatively quick; you can do it wet or dry, though I usually do it wet to avoid breathing glass dust. It takes me less than 10 minutes, including rest periods if my forearms and hands get tired, to do a regular or wide mouth Mason jar, and the seal is water tight, though I imagine air will diffuse through it very slowly — yet I've never been able to smell contents through the seal, and I've tested them with things like lavender and cloves.
You probably would need to bend the wire harness slightly so that it will continue to press jar and lid together in the absence of a gasket, though ground glass seals require very little pressure, and too much is undesirable.
posted by jamjam at 10:19 PM on June 10, 2020 [5 favorites]
They sell gasket material in sheets for you to cut out precisely the shape you want. Not sure if it's food safe, though. You could just trace them and cut new ones.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:01 AM on June 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by wenestvedt at 4:01 AM on June 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
If the gasket-finding effort runs aground, or you just get tired of the pursuit, a workaround is to just put a bit of doubled-over waxed paper over the top of the jar. Lock the lid down over the paper. Replace the paper when it gets too beat-up. This also works for jars with screw-top lids. Cheap and effective.
posted by Weftage at 7:51 AM on June 11, 2020
posted by Weftage at 7:51 AM on June 11, 2020
I have used the soft-ish plastic from a clean milk jug and cut a gasket; not ideal, but works in a pinch.
posted by theora55 at 8:42 AM on June 11, 2020
posted by theora55 at 8:42 AM on June 11, 2020
Best answer: I just did a google search for 'canning jar gaskets rubber rings 42mm' and I'm seeing availability (usually in sets of 3 or 6) at Ace Hardware, Crate & Barrel, Sur la Table, Lehman's, eBay, Amazon, and some restaurant supply companies.
posted by ananci at 9:07 AM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by ananci at 9:07 AM on June 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Glomar response at 8:23 PM on June 10, 2020