[Nhcoll-l] [External] Re: Putty For Sealing Jars

Wed Jan 11 13:57:17 EST 2023

Dear James,

to add to Robs very good advice and Chis recommendation of the 
glassplate. I recommend you to use a float glass plate (at least 4mm 
thick) and pour some carborundum (SiC) in 80 & 180 grit, here is a 
austrian supplier:
http://www.mineraliengrosshandel.com/Siliciumcarbid-Schleifpulver/Siliziumkarbid-Siliziumcarbid-F-80-1-kg::489.html. 

To start to get all flattened you use the 80 grade and then go to the 
180. This has the advantage that you will have full control of the jar, 
since you will be grinding it mechanically with your hands and not with 
a machine. I have had the bad experience in the past, that the lap disc 
literally took the jar out of my hand and crushed into pieces. It's way 
more work and time consuming, but if you have a steady hand, you will 
get at least 1-3 mm grinded down without a problem.
You cant use the float glass for more than 4-5 jars, since it will get 
uneven wile grinding it down.

As a seal I recommend you to use a beeswax/colophony mix (4:1) and to 
head the lid at 120°C in an oven. By this you will get a slight vacuum 
in the jar which seals it perfectly and inhibits oxidation. It was used 
by the old teaching aid manufacturers back in 1890's and its a great 
barrier for ethanol. Silicone will fail since its permeable to ethanol 
with the years.

The only thing is that doing this requires some kind of practice, so 
start with some tiny test jars and the go up the scale, grinding and 
sealing big jars is a hard task. And use new lids of at least 4 mm 
thickness too, these have to be grinded too of course.

If all fails, there is a putty called "Terostat IX":
https://www.henkel-adhesives.com/ch/de/produkt/flexible-sealants/teroson_rb_ix.html 

This can be used with warm lids, so you still get the effect of the 
slight vacuum. Its not tested for longevity, but some colleagues have 
had no issues since the last 20 years. But its no conservation product, 
so just to get this clear ;>)

All the best wishes from Switzerland,

Am 11.01.23 um 16:45 schrieb Tacker, Christopher:
> If you choose to grind them flat, the quickest and most aggressive way 
> to do it is 120 grit on a glass plate. I even got lucky at the glass 
> business - they had unclaimed thick glass that they just gave me. This 
> is also fairly cheap in terms of supplies and time.
>
> You could even get some wet/dry sandpaper at a hardware store.
>
> Chris Tacker, Ph.D., P.G.
> Research Curator of Geology
> North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
> 11 West Jones St. | Raleigh, NC  27601
>
> Emails to and from this address are subject to NC Public Records Law 
> and may be disclosed to third parties.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> on behalf of 
> Robert Waller <rw at protectheritage.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 11, 2023 10:32:06 AM
> *To:* James Maclaine <j.maclaine at nhm.ac.uk>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu 
> <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
> *Subject:* [External] Re: [Nhcoll-l] Putty For Sealing Jars
> CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless 
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> Hi James,
>
> Not a complete answer, but something you might want to check on. Your 
> mineralogy or geology prep labs might have equipment for grinding 
> perfectly flat surfaces (for them, in advance of polishing). If so, 
> they could quickly and easily grind your jar tops flat for you. If 
> they don’t have the equipment then they may be able to point you to 
> someone who does. A vibrating lap 
> (https://kingsleynorth.com/16-inch-covington-vibrating-lap.html 
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://kingsleynorth.com/16-inch-covington-vibrating-lap.html__;!!HYmSToo!cYC3fw02i6vOpwFSOFOihSZnnAskFr7aSQRQFKPe4wTf_bXCK9J9zyEa81-x2ZLzL2MyX_FWil_yAo8GUzjBjquo0p_uSA$>) 
> might be ideal but even a rotating flat lap 
> (https://arrowheadlapidarysupply.com/products/18-rotating-disc-flat-lap-model-18rl/2695/) 
> <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://arrowheadlapidarysupply.com/products/18-rotating-disc-flat-lap-model-18rl/2695/)*20would__;JQ!!HYmSToo!cYC3fw02i6vOpwFSOFOihSZnnAskFr7aSQRQFKPe4wTf_bXCK9J9zyEa81-x2ZLzL2MyX_FWil_yAo8GUzjBjqvgqfe_0w$> 
> would serve.
>
> Whatever you choose to seal with, the a perfectly flat jar top is 
> certain to improve the seal.
>
> Rob
>
> *From:* Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> *On Behalf Of 
> *James Maclaine
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 11, 2023 7:09 AM
> *To:* nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
> *Subject:* [Nhcoll-l] Putty For Sealing Jars
>
> Dear all,
>
> Happy New Year!
>
> Hope someone can help with a large jar sealing question.  In the past 
> we have used a kind of putty (made by Arboseal) to seal flat glass 
> plates to the top of some of our largest jars and containers.  This 
> was especially useful in the case of some of the older jars where the 
> top is not completely flat and the putty could fill in the gaps.  It 
> isn’t an ideal solution (and makes opening the jar a bit of a chore) 
> and in some cases the putty has hardened and cracked but on the whole 
> it has fairly effectively slowed down evaporation over several decades.
>
> However, in the cases where the old putty has to be replaced I can no 
> longer find the same brand for sale online, so can anyone tell me 
> where I can purchase something similar and reliable that I could use 
> for this?  Or ideally, let me know of a better way of sealing a flat 
> lid on an uneven jar top (please don’t suggest stretching parafilm 
> over it!).
>
> As these are large containers for specimens that would be difficult to 
> find alternative storage for (see attached), I’d like to keep using 
> them if possible.  They would also be prohibitively expensive to replace.
>
> Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
>
> Cheers,
>
> James
>
>
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