<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Paul is right, don't try to pry the lid off silicon. Once the lid has been removed, you can scrape the silicon off with a blade, then use a silicon release agent (which you can buy at a hardware store) to get the remaining silicon off of the glass before you apply a new gasket.<br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">John E. Simmons<br>Museologica<br>128 E. Burnside Street<br>Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010<br><a href="mailto:simmons.johne@gmail.com" target="_blank">simmons.johne@gmail.com</a><br>303-681-5708<br><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.museologica.com&d=AwMFaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=pnfUNLx30myc5F1W5mI5hNF4KBWi0yVFTYb9mjhSmMk&s=KKq8TGPl8V4azC1cJ14TRpPmosXGeDJQ7MA1PCFgBNQ&e=" target="_blank">www.museologica.com</a><br>and<br>Adjunct Curator of Collections<br>Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery<br>Penn State University<br>University Park, Pennsylvania<br>and<br>Instructor, Museum Studies<br>School of Library and Information Science<br>Kent State University<br>and<br>Lecturer in Art<br>Juniata College<br>Huntingdon, Pennsylvania<br></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Mar 20, 2015 at 6:36 PM, Callomon,Paul <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:prc44@drexel.edu" target="_blank">prc44@drexel.edu</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<div style="direction:ltr;font-family:Tahoma;color:#000000;font-size:10pt">It looks as though your lids have been glued on with clear silicone caulk. This can stick to old glass like crazy and makes getting the lid off tricky. Rather than trying to dissolve
it or pull the lid off, my recommendation would be to cut through the silicone all round with a fine model-makers's saw or an X-acto knife with a long blade.
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<div style="direction:ltr"><font color="#000000" face="Tahoma"><b>From:</b> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a> [<a href="mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l-bounces@mailman.yale.edu</a>] on behalf of Nancy Glover McCartney [<a href="mailto:nmccartn@uark.edu" target="_blank">nmccartn@uark.edu</a>]<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, March 20, 2015 2:54 PM<span class=""><br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu" target="_blank">nhcoll-l@mailman.yale.edu</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Nhcoll-l] old glass containers<br>
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">I have several old glass containers housing fish, herps, inverts, etc. that are getting very low on fluid. I expect the containers are pretty brittle, as a gar with a giant lobster broke with almost no provocation
and spewed formalin all over: not a process I want to repeat. I don't have any idea what these specimens are stored in.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px"> </div>
<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">I have attached a few pix of fish and the screw down tops that appear to have parafilm or an ancient rubber around the lid; some of the smaller containers have what may be beeswax holding in a stopper.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">Should I attempt to open and replace fluid? If so, how? What precautions?
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">An earlier query 10 years or so ago said just to leave them alone, but maybe there is different advice now.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">I'd appreciate some doable suggestion.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">My thanks in advance, as always.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom:0px;margin-top:0px">Nancy Glover McCartney, PhD<br>
Curator of Zoology<br>
UA Collections Facility<br>
120 BIOMASS<br>
University of Arkansas<br>
2435 Hatch<br>
Fayetteville AR 72701<br>
<br>
Phone: <a href="tel:479-575-4370" value="+14795754370" target="_blank">479-575-4370</a><br>
Fax: <a href="tel:479-575-7464" value="+14795757464" target="_blank">479-575-7464</a><br>
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<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__museum.uark.edu_index.php&d=AwMFAw&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=x9k-TlzFJTAsCvPqLBttnPE62-CZDhXIe_QpULlzVAY&s=rMQz_Pq_fBnJQlAvHjK9usJ_CkBwU0Svrpt8DG40zRo&e=" target="_blank">http://museum.uark.edu/index.php</a></div>
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