[Nhcoll-l] PTFE tape on jars

[Dirk Neumann]

Dear Paul,

we had bad results with PTFE tape because it didn't seal jars adequately 
even though tied thoroughly around the lids.

Parafilm as Tony suggested works much better. You can easily remove it 
residue-free again, but be careful if wrapping parafilm around jars that 
are closed with ground stoppers / glass planes & grease (e.g. old 
battery jars): the parafilm will dissolve quickly into a rather sticky 
slime, which can hardly be removed.

For twist-off jars with metal lids adding additional Teflon liners to be 
inserted in the lids might be an idea: colleagues in Switzerland use 
those with pretty good results for several years now (the website is in 
German, they don't offer a English version, sorry - But from the 
pictures you may get an idea what those liners look like).
http://www.taxidermy.ch/p078000003.html?article_id=78000164&shop_action=detail 


I am not sure if these are available in the US, but these liners not 
only seal but also protect metal lids against evaporating moisture thus 
preventing them from rusting.

For Le-Parfait jars etc. you can also add some high quality joint grease 
- but be careful and avoid any silicon based vacuum grease as it is 
nearly impossible to bring the silicon oil off the glasses after the 
silicon grease deteriorated (which happens within few years).

Hope this offers some ideas ...

All the best
Dirk

Am 10.01.2014 22:48, schrieb Callomon,Paul:
>
> Folks,
>
> At least 20 years ago (before my time here), white plumbers' tape was 
> wrapped around the edge of the lids and onto the sides of all the 
> bottle and jars in a certain section of our alcohol collections. This 
> is the PTFE tape that plumbers use to seal threads; it is thin, soft 
> and non-adhesive. Presumably the idea was to provide a secondary vapor 
> barrier in addition to the jar lid seal.
>
> We are now doing long-overdue major maintenance on this collection, 
> and are trying to assess the efficacy of this tape. I'd be very 
> interested to hear from anyone who (a) has used it and can show it 
> works (b) has used it and can show it doesn't work, or (c) who 
> considered using it but decided not to, and why.
>
> *Paul Callomon*
> /Collection Manager, Malacology, Invertebrate Paleontology and General 
> Invertebrates/
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, Philadelphia***
>
> 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia PA 19103-1195, USA
> /callomon at ansp.org <mailto:callomon at ansp.org> Tel 215-405-5096 - Fax 
> 215-299-1170/
>
>
>
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-- 
Dirk Neumann

Tel: 089 / 8107-111
Fax: 089 / 8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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Dirk Neumann, Sektion Ichthyologie / DNA-Labor
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81247 München

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---------

Dirk Neumann

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Fax: +49-89-8107-300
email: Dirk.Neumann(a)zsm.mwn.de

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