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

Wed Nov 15 15:06:31 EST 2023

Dear Vanessa,

Here's the link to the webpage showing the Universal Stopper Jar Opener:
https://alcomon.com/about/

If you want to know more about these instruments you can send an email to: info at alcomon.com

The Natural History Museum Londen are using these openers for many years and might want to share their experience.

Kind regards,

Dries

________________________________
Van: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> namens Fabian Neisskenwirth <info at naturhistorische-konservierung.de>
Verzonden: woensdag 15 november 2023 18:18
Aan: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu <nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>
Onderwerp: Re: [Nhcoll-l] Large specimen jars need opening - help!

Dear Vanessa,

regardless however you get to open the stopper jars, don't use the same lid again, since you will be facing the same problem in the future. It seems like your lids do not really fit to the jar and was just pressed inside to somehow fit, then the lids get clammed and are a pain to open. Historical grounded stopper jar usually were made with unique lid, so that it only fits on the jar it was made for even if they seem to be fitting, its not. Sometimes you actually find some numbers engraved in the jars and lid, marking the right fit.

If I understand right, your goal is to replace lids? or the whole jar?

If you are wanting to replace grounded lids, you will face the upper mentioned problem that they wont fit. Besides that no supplier sells only lids.

The flat round lids, you can cut yourself with this<https://www.glasinsel-shop.de/de/glas-und-zubehoer/Tiffany-Glaskunst-Zubehoer/rundschneider/rundschneider-bohle-silberschnitt-mit-6-stahlraedchen-fuer-72-mm-600-mm.html>. You will have to grind them on one side using some carborundum (silicon carbide) of about 180 grit. The same for the jar you will be using (flat top). Then you can choose a variety of sealing methods, the ones making a slight under pressure in the jar (through heating up the lid), make a fantastic seal.

If you need new jars, you might seek at Dirk's proposed suppliers. There is a third company making very affordable grounded stopper borosilicate jars, called Simax/Kavalier<https://www.kavalier.cz/en/jars-specimen-with-ground-in-cover-with-knob-sp63.html>. I just ordered a large number of those for a project in Switzerland and I'm very happy with them. Even though DWK sells better ones, but this cost the half or 1/3 of the German ones (not that i want to promote price dumping, but DWK is definitely to expensive, I've told that the people in charge there already).

You might be able to grind down the large grounded stopper jars you already have, but give this to someone that has experience in grinding glass (maybe a local glazier). Then you can use the flat lids for this jars then aswell.

Be careful with making to much pressure in the jar, the jumping lids is one possible accident, but the worst scenario is a full explosion of the jar, that's a real mess and a big loss of fantastic and irreplaceable glassware.

All the best from the Ruhrarea,

Am 15.11.23 um 16:19 schrieb Dirk Neumann:
Hi Vanessa,
Stölzle Oberglas (but they no longer have jars on stock, only occasionally), or you can contact Gassner Glastechnik in Munich (link<https://gassner-glastechnik.de/kontakt/>); they can customise flanged borosilicate jars which you can easily (and hermitically) seal with a good, silicone-free ground-stopper grease like Alsirol (link<https://www.fishersci.de/shop/products/joint-grease-1/10130201>)

Neubert (link<https://www.neubert-glas.de/laborglas/onlineshop/katalog.php?KATfrom=suche&SearchText=pr%E4parat&struc=1_995727484085_1030342896125_1005301727684_1515949502601&kat=1023362157218&PHPSESSID=1effb50f3b77f3e7035b5480d4f6ce4b>) sells DWK Schott jars, but they are usually not too large, and we need a re-seller as museums cannot order directly at DWK (link<https://www.dwk.com/duran-museum-jar-with-ground-glass-plate>)

It might also help if you place the jars into warmer working space rooms for a while, or, as Paul mentioned, put the jar into a shower and try with warm water. Watch any external labels and protect them against soaking.

 Hope this helps
Dirk

Am 15.11.2023 um 15:02 schrieb 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><mailto: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<mailto: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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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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NHCOLL-L is brought to you by the Society for the Preservation of
Natural History Collections (SPNHC), an international society whose
mission is to improve the preservation, conservation and management of
natural history collections to ensure their continuing value to
society. See http://www.spnhc.org<http://www.spnhc.org/> for membership information.
Advertising on NH-COLL-L is inappropriate.

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