I'm new to this forum. I need rubber seals/gaskets for bail-type glass jars. The jars are "Wheaton 20", the outside diameter of the opening is slightly less than 1 7/8 inches (approximately 45 mm). The jars will be used for spices, not food preservation.

The Container Store, Weck, Lehman's, Amazon, and other Google and GW searches have not turned up anything. The smallest ring I've found so far has an interior diameter of about 2 1/4 inches.

Does anyone know of another source of these seals or alternative methods of sealing? My last resort is to modify black rubber/silicon gaskets from the hardware store.

Thanks in advance for any help!

They kind of sound similar in size to what are called GEM jars - antique canning jars that were made in Canada. I think they were 45 mm but I think they were screw on caps.

You might want to search for GEM jar lids. I'd also check out the Bernardin website and some of the Canadian canning suppliers. You also see them sometimes on eBay in the antiques and collectible jars category.

I'd also be tempted to call Lehman's and ask because it seems that can find just about anything along that line.

Dave

I'm sorely tempted just to get flat gaskets from the hardware store and cut them to the correct size. They shouldn't be toxic if washed, should they?

Thanks again.

That would all depend on the gasket material used. There are lots of different choices. Any thing that was labeled "food-grade" would be fine. You'd have to think outside the box a bit but the big box stores like Lowe's sell all sorts of flexible food-grade plastic things. Even food storage containers (those Tupperware type things) could work.

Or I'd just buy the ones made for jars - like the small ones from Lehman's - even tho they are a bit too big, sip out the 1/8-1/4" needed to make them the right size and glue the cut end back together. It would give you a good seal and no concerns for safety since you are using them for dry storage only.

JMO

Dave