[Nhcoll-l] [EXTERN] Re: Does anyone sell 120mm 1 gallon jars anymore?

[Dirk Neumann]

Hi all,

knowing that these jars - and lids - are very popular specifically in the US and widely used, I would like to pick up Corinne's comment on "with their metal lids".

Metal lids per se are not bad, and, in fact for wide openings, may perform better then plastic lids. Depending on the stability of the plastic and the inlay, plastic lids with 120 mm diameter tend to flex; screwing them down tightly puts additional tension on the outer rim of the plastic lid. Knowing that this may not be the most important issue in the US, deterioration of plastic may be accelerated by certain chemicals such as denaturing agents, but is also accelerated by oils and lipids and if these lids are exposed to uv-light (e.g., neon light on top shelves in the storage space). There are a couple of examples from various institutions in our book, and there is a long chapter on the quality and quality differences of lids. Also, keep in mind that plastic usually is not a good oxygen barrier, and the larger the diameter of the lid, the larger is the surface that potentially allows the oxygen to diffuse through the plastic.

Which brings me back to the metal lids: we cannot -  and should not - compare the bad metal lid quality from the 1950ies and 1960ies (and probably 1970ies) with today's quality and just disregard metal lids, just because they are metal.

We recently ordered metal lids that have a three-layer inner varnishing which makes them durable against brine and acids (salt <3,5%, SO2 max. 80ppm, acetic acid > 3,5%). The inner liner is PVC-free (link<https://pano.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/Pano_Blueseal_Datenblatt_DE_5.0.pdf> to the website - English version currently seems to be down, but the information in the tables on the last page should be easy to digest). Nearly 60,000 lids did costs about 4,500 EUR and helps to maintain the corresponding jars for the next decades with a better closure that is an effective oxygen barrier.

Regarding the availability of specific sizes of jars, it might be worth considering that several institutions team up for their ordering to bring these jars back into production to cover the costs for the renewing the molds as Andy indicated. Over her in Europe, we do this with high-quality borosilicate stoppered jars from Stölzle, because one single institution usually has not the financial means to cover the production costs for a specific jar size or type.

Perhaps these are some useful additional thoughts ....

With best wishes
Dirk


Am 31.01.2024 um 16:16 schrieb Fuchs, Corinne:
Hi Caroline,

I work with Paul at the FBC (FWRI collection) and do our purchasing. I went on an online goose chase trying to find tall, wide-mouth (120mm) gallon jars, and failed. If anyone has found a supplier, please let us both know! On the same topic, please let me know if anyone has a source for 64oz wide-mouth(120mm) jars—the closest I’ve found is 110mm.

However, I did find some shorter “square” wide-mouth(120mm) gallon jars: Anchor-Hocking cracker jars. We’ve bought them from Fillmore Container (https://www.fillmorecontainer.com/h85725-case4anchor.html). I can confirm that the 120-400 lids (BerlinPackaging, https://www.berlinpackaging.com/lp120-120-400-pp-white-ribbed-caps-unlined/) do fit and thread on these. They are only sold with their metal lids, unfortunately, but we replace those with the linked lids.

They don’t fit so well if you’re using any additional caps in the jars. We have some red caplugs that we’re using until we run out, and sometime the lids fit with the caplugs in, but sometimes not. However, they do fit without the caplugs.

Unfortunately we’ve only been using these glass jars for about a year, so I can’t speak to their longevity yet. But so far they seem solid. Do check your shipment when it arrives, however. Our one shipment had 3 slumped/disfigured jars that I wouldn’t trust specimens in.

Apologies if I’ve goofed on the formatting for replying to the listserv, I’m receiving the digest and am a little unfamiliar.

Cheers,
Corinne Fuchs
Collection Manager
Marine Invertebrate Collection<https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/specimen-collections/invertebrates/>
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
100 8th Ave SE
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Office: (727) 892-4138
corinne.fuchs at myFWC.com<mailto:corinne.fuchs at myFWC.com>




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Dirk Neumann
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--
Stiftung Leibniz-Institut zur Analyse des Biodiversitätswandels
Postanschrift: Adenauerallee 127, 53113 Bonn, Germany

Stiftung des öffentlichen Rechts;
Generaldirektion: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Misof (Generaldirektor), Adrian Grüter (Kaufm. Geschäftsführer)
Sitz der Stiftung: Adenauerallee 160 in Bonn
Vorsitzender des Stiftungsrates: Dr. Michael Wappelhorst
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