reusable canning lids

[Barryblushes]

Has anyone tried these? After you click on the site, click on distributers.Then type in your area code to see where you can buy them near you.You can get them online also. A bit expensive tho, but maybe worth it. Video shows how they work. Barry http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/

[Doug9345]

I was planning on buying a couple of dozen this year to try but didn't get a garden in. They are about 88¢ as opposed to 22¢ to 24¢ for a regular metal lid. If you get 4 years out of one you are even 5 years and you are ahead. I know the rubber rings that go with the old bail top jars are reuseable, I just don't remember how many times. And yes I've canned in bail top jars when I was a teen.

I just saw that there is a sample of 4 lids for $2.50. I may try that.

[Barryblushes]

Thanks for pointing that out about the samples.I didn't see that. Maybe it would be good to try that,as the shipping is free. Barry

[Rockporter]

I want to try these lids as well, I noticed in his video that he was using a flat top stove so I emailed him asking what stove he had and also what canner he was using on it. I am needing a new stove and thought I would try a flat top. I have had someone recommend the whirlpool gold and think I might go that direction.

[Doug9345]

The canner with the black knobs is an All American Canner, model 921. I personally prefer the model 915

[Rockporter]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

The canner with the lack knobs is an All American Canner, model 921. I personally prefer the model 915

Thanks Doug

[clkeiper]

I own dozens of these, I found them at a flea market and paid a fraction of the regular retail so I bought a dozen or so boxes in both sizes.. the only problem I ran into was that I tightened a few too tight and they bulged instead of sealed. they replaced a whole box for me.

I, too, have an All American canner which I love ( I have 6 canners in my basement and it is my newest canner and it doesn't require a rubber gasket to can with it.)

[loulac]

I’ve been using a very personal way of re-using canning lids which is strictly forbidden by their manufacturers. I punch a tiny hole in the lid with a small nail, I let hot water fall on the jar to loosen the lid (dilatation) then I can easily remove it. I will then solder the hole with a drop of tin and re-use the lid (3 or 4 times by now). Of course I don’t advise anybody to do it but if someone has a soldering iron at home and feels adventurous…

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by loulac

I’ve been using a very personal way of re-using canning lids which is strictly forbidden by their manufacturers. I punch a tiny hole in the lid with a small nail, I let hot water fall on the jar to loosen the lid (dilatation) then I can easily remove it. I will then solder the hole with a drop of tin and re-use the lid (3 or 4 times by now). Of course I don’t advise anybody to do it but if someone has a soldering iron at home and feels adventurous…

You are right...not at all recommended. solder is lead based and the last thing I want is to be exposed to lead in my canned food. I would think the expense of new lids every year a good investment.

[Doug9345]

Originally Posted by loulac

I’ve been using a very personal way of re-using canning lids which is strictly forbidden by their manufacturers. I punch a tiny hole in the lid with a small nail, I let hot water fall on the jar to loosen the lid (dilatation) then I can easily remove it. I will then solder the hole with a drop of tin and re-use the lid (3 or 4 times by now). Of course I don’t advise anybody to do it but if someone has a soldering iron at home and feels adventurous…

Loulac-I'm surprised that the gaskets hold out for that much recycling. They always looked pretty indented to me. I've generally been able to get a lid off without bending it up by gently and slowly prying up with an opener. Experiment a few times to see if you can do it also. It would save you some soldering.

I assume you are using pure tin as a solder? What are you using for a flux, rosin?

Clkeiper - There are many, many different solders in this world and only some of them contain lead. Pure tin is used around food a great deal.


The only problem I personally see with reusing canning lids is the increased occurrence of jars not sealing. It's a trade off of losing some of your prep time and some product to the cost and aggravation of getting new lids. If I had to reuse lids I'd get the rings off as soon as they where cool so you could tell if they unseal themselves or not.

If several don't seal I guess you are going to get real sick of eating whatever you just canned.

There is nothing magical about a canning lid. You don't have to use the right incantations, using the right words after purifying yourself correctly. They are gasketed surfaces like any other. Like another gasketed seal they are more prone to failure with reused gaskets. Whether you reuse a gasket in any other situation depends on how hard it is to replace in the first place. If I have a small engine with eight head bolts and a spark plug, the store is a hour away, and I need to get the engine running to finish what ever I'm doing before it rains, the old gasket is going right back on. On the other hand If I'm pulling the head on an old V8 Detroit Diesel where I've got hours and hours of work pulling turbos, blowers and piping to get at a very heavy head, I'll drive half way across the state to get a new gasket.

[coronabarb]

Lids can sometimes fail even when new and all directions followed. I would not try to save money by reusing lids in this fashion. I do save lids I've taken off canned goods to reuse on a jar for storing dry goods in them.

[loulac]

I always enjoy the kind of exchange of ideas we find in Tomatoville. Everybody is courteous and attentive, even if some ideas (mine) may look far-fetched. I’ll add some details to clarify some points.
First the French system is different from yours. We first place a seal-coated lid on the jar. Then we screw on it a second lid with a central bump that will press on the first lid but let hot air escape during sterilization. Then you remove the second lid to store the jar. If sterilization didn’t work you can take off the first lid easily when the jar is cold.

Of course I use tin without lead. Its composition is written on the wrapping. I think I bought mine in an electronics store.

A flux should be used, either paste or liquid. Personally I use a liquid flux intended for stainless steel, just use the flux you have at home.

Increasing occurrence of jars not sealing : First check the condition of the seal, it must be perfect. Then check the rim of the jar. If a child hits it with a spoon it too often causes tiny dents. Run a finger on the surface, it should be perfectly smooth. This explains the source of most accidents when sterilizing with new seals. Checking these two points makes sterilizing safe.

Safety first : never do it with meat ! Re-using lids is mostly a pastime if you enjoy experimenting, saving money can't be your first aim !.

[clkeiper]

Thanks for explaining loulac, My first and obviously wrong thought was the worry of lead on the solder... sorry for jumping to conclusions, but I still would worry that there could be contamination in the solder just because I would. If you feel comfortable experimenting this way who am I to tell you not to do it. I don't think I would be comfortable doing it myself.

[Doug9345]

Google translates canning jar to French as bocal de conserve. I then put that in into images and almost all I come up with are glass lidded jar with rubber rings. Anything else I see I can't be sure is a canning jar and I'm not even sure that is the right term.

If you could post some pictures of the lid arrangement I'd like to see it and a jar also. I'm curious what you have to pay for a lid there. I assume that you replace just the inner lid. Lids here are some where between $2.40 and $3.00 per dozen. If there is sales tax on them that would add 5% to 10% onto that. I don't think there is in New York State.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by Doug9345

Google translates canning jar to French as bocal de conserve. I then put that in into images and almost all I come up with are glass lidded jar with rubber rings. Anything else I see I can't be sure is a canning jar and I'm not even sure that is the right term.

If you could post some pictures of the lid arrangement I'd like to see it and a jar also. I'm curious what you have to pay for a lid there. I assume that you replace just the inner lid. Lids here are some where between $2.40 and $3.00 per dozen. If there is sales tax on them that would add 5% to 10% onto that. I don't think there is in New York State.

I have seen glass lidded canning jars around here at the Lehman's store. They are very pricey, but I think a worth while investment if one wanted to do the investment cost over a lifetime.