[Nhcoll-l] Large specimen jars need opening - help!

[Callomon,Paul]

Hi Vanessa,

Stubborn tapered ground-glass lids like those you show often loosen if you simply pour hot water over them, as the jar neck expands further than the lid. Don't make the water too hot, though, as the glass could crack - I find hot water from the tap is usually enough to do the trick.

Paul Callomon
Collection Manager, Malacology and General Invertebrates
________________________________
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA
prc44 at drexel.edu<mailto:prc44 at drexel.edu> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 215-299-1170

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Vanessa Pitusi
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2023 2:42 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Large specimen jars need opening - help!


External.
Hi!

I posted the following on a Facebook page for Museum collection managers and was advised to ask here for help. So, any answer would be greatly appreciated!

I work at the Tromsø Museum (Norway), and we have numerous large and tall glasses containing specimen. The ethanol level on some of them is starting to be low, but we do not know how all of them were sealed.
Some were sealed with linseed oil putty, which I was advised to open by warming. However, some have no putty but are firmly stuck. Any advice on a good solvent to use to open those? The Internet tells me something like Xylene could do the job, but just wanted to get some more opinions.

Secondly, does anyone based in Europe know of any suppliers that make such glasses and lids?

Photos for reference of size and lids (that I am after).

Kind regards,
Vanessa Pitusi

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