# Old canning jars and lids?



## wagvan (Jan 29, 2011)

I hope this is not a debate topic as I know other canning topics are... but I wonder about if I can use old canning jars and lids? Particularly the green glass ones (assuming they are chip and crack free just like new ones). Also what about the old style lids? I know I can use them with modern lids and rings or tattler lids and rings. But are any of the old style lids acceptable for canning? I have some rings that have a band of metal across the middle, the old bail style with the domed glass lid (I have these in clear and green), (I have old unused boxes of rubbers) and flat glass lids (they remind me of the french canning jars, the ones with the clips...) I can probably get pics up in a bit.

Thanks!


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## Osiris (Jun 9, 2010)

Old lids? Meaning USED? No. But if you find a package of, say 15 year old KERR lids which haven't been opened, I'd certainly try them. Old Jars???

Um, I have about 30 BLUE ball quarts and 25 BLUE pints. All of which I have more faith in than a clear jar. The blue jars keep the food fresher longer. You need to check the rim to be sure there are no nicks in the seal lip, but otherwise, if you handle them gently and keep them wrapped in newspaper when not in use, you can pass them down to your grandchildren.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I always can my mustard pickles in the dome and bail jars. A new rubber and good to go. Any other type and they eat right through....James


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

wagvan said:


> I hope this is not a debate topic as I know other canning topics are... but I wonder about if I can use old canning jars and lids? Particularly the green glass ones (assuming they are chip and crack free just like new ones). Also what about the old style lids? I know I can use them with modern lids and rings or tattler lids and rings. But are any of the old style lids acceptable for canning? I have some rings that have a band of metal across the middle, the old bail style with the domed glass lid (I have these in clear and green), (I have old unused boxes of rubbers) and flat glass lids (they remind me of the french canning jars, the ones with the clips...) I can probably get pics up in a bit.
> 
> Thanks!


How about you do a practice run ( can some water) with a few random jars, lids and rings. See how they withstand the heat, and the cooling process. See if they seal properly. If, after a full 24 hours everything looks good, then I might do jams, jellies, fruits or tomatoes in them. 

I would not use them to do meats or any other product that requires pressure canning. Too much expensive stuff to lose if it fails. 

just my 2 cents worth


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## wagvan (Jan 29, 2011)

Osiris said:


> Old lids? Meaning USED? No. But if you find a package of, say 15 year old KERR lids which haven't been opened, I'd certainly try them. Old Jars???
> 
> Um, I have about 30 BLUE ball quarts and 25 BLUE pints. All of which I have more faith in than a clear jar. The blue jars keep the food fresher longer. You need to check the rim to be sure there are no nicks in the seal lip, but otherwise, if you handle them gently and keep them wrapped in newspaper when not in use, you can pass them down to your grandchildren.


I am so glad to hear that the jars are fine to use. They do seem sturdier to me than the clear glass ones. (Although I do have some older clear ones that are also pretty sturdy, particularly the freezer jars) I just LOVE that green color. it is soooooo pretty! I have some older shoulderless ones, too. Although I had a shoulderless 1/2 gallon one that broke when we moved that I am just sick about. With a family of 9, I could use that sized storage! They are a lot harder to come by than the quarts. And I love that I can buy them at garage sales for $1 or less (mostly less, a quarter usually) and I can collect something useful for our family that makes me smile when I look st it. Particularly when I think about all those ladies and families in the past putting up their harvest. It just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling. And I know some of my mom's and grandma's jars are in there, too. So even though they are gone it makes me feel closer to them.

Yes, probably used. But not the metal lids and rings that you are thinking. These are glass flats (I am trying to figure out how they would work... wondering if maybe they work like the metal flats and used a ring to hold them on while boiling, and had a smaller rubber ring similar to the rubber rings that the domed glass with bail jars had.

And I found out on the web that using these old style lids is not recommended for canning. The metal flats and rings are much safer and the current recommendation. I am thinking these might be nice for storage in the fridge and fermenting things like kefir and sourdough, since if there is not a ring holding it down, the air and pressure from fermentaion should be able to escape but the weight of the glass lid setting on there should keep bugs and contaminants out. What do you think?

Here's the pics of what I am talking about:
The Presto Lid on a green quart jar.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KbsHmQhB7uXd4vYD_6E0WxA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink

The Ball lid. The whole center of the lid is indented to go inside the rim of the jar to hold it in place
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GXQhjOVNoChYE4jIzVuCpRA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink

The Ball and Presto flat lids next to a bail lid so you can see the difference.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3R4Uw31WUYz2Xd-sg38JuxA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink

This is the Presto one. It says Presto in the middle and around the edge it says PAT RE. 17562 and then a 10 sideways, to open insert knife at notch and then an arrow pointing at an indent in the groove around the underside that goes inside the lip of the jar to hold the lid in place.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8X2MNLHcSCxcuVUmwgDJXxA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink

Zinc lid, it has porcelain on the inside.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/In58AgA90QeK_9Fb2NamzBA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink

Thin metal lid, very similar to modern rings. It says The Presto Co Jar and closure are approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute and then it has GH logo etc. I have a couple other similar ones that have no writing and are a sort of army green color
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RvPc9xtzC5yvSJNR-jBy5hA3eZs4q2O6WMsLKgFBg0E?feat=directlink


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I just wanted to say your jars and lids are beautiful. I use my old ones for dried goods like sugar, wheat, salt, etc. I don't can in them. But they are so pretty, I love to sit them out on the shelf just to look at.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I also have many of these old jars and lids. Never have tryed to use the ones with the oldtype rubber seals. I read once that they would check to see if they were sealed by takeing off the zinc band or fliping the bale wire. The properly sealed jar-the glass part would stay on with suction from processing. Last time I was in the old tyme hardware store, I noticed they still were selling the rubber rings. I have never tryed to to use the zinc lids with the glass inside. I just use them for storeing spices,herbs,buttons,thread, ect.


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## McDaid36 (Jul 15, 2011)

I use the old cans (glass lids, rubber seals, bale wire) all the time. I love them because it means no plastic touching my food. I found it very hard to find directions on how to use them since everyone has been told not to use them anymore. I'm happy to share if you still think you might want to try them out!


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## wagvan (Jan 29, 2011)

I'd love to hear how you do it. I think I might try it just for fun to see how it works. Then if TSHTF and I have no other options, at least I'd have the knowledge.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

The only thing I would worry about with old glass (clear or colored) is with pressure canning. Glass is actually a liquid, and can get brittle with age, plus the older jars (pre-WWII) weren't designed to handle high pressures in the first place. I'd definitely use them for BWB or steam canning though if they were still in good condition. The old rubbers might be dried out and cracked, so I'd test them first, but replacements are easily found at most old time hardware stores and places like Lehman's.


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## wagvan (Jan 29, 2011)

Thats a good point. So here's another question. How old is old, and how do I tell how old my clear glass jars are? Some of them are obvious like the 1976 ones and some of the older ones you can tell because the lettering or logo is different, but what about the others. Or do you only use brand new ones you have bought for pressure canning?

(And just to be clear, I am not being snarky, I have never pressure canned, but I have 2 old pressure canners I am working on getting working by getting weights and a new gasket or maybe, I might just buy one of the newer Presto canners if it will cost almost as much to get these old ones going. I got the gauges checked and they are bad. I'd love an All American, but we can't really even afford a new Presto, so an AA is out of the question. I want to learn to pressure can, I am just a little nervous about it.)


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

Wagvan, amazon has the largest canner 23 quart on sale for $84 no tax no shipping, just bought another one. I like it much better than my older one.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

I've lost some old jars by boiling them - the crack always happens on the area with raised lettering. The thicker the glass the more likely it is to break. Be gentle with temperature changes even when you wash them. Oh yeah, never freeze them.

The metal bails also get "work hardened" - they are meant to have some flex in them, so if some of them seem hard to fasten they may cause damage too.

The rubber seals can also harden with age, so even though they aren't visably changed, they won't "give" or flatten out as much and that can hurt too. The new rings are easy to find and cheap, Reliable Seal Jar Rubbers made by Allied Plastics Products, Inc., Toronto, Canada M6P 3T1.
I would look for them in a store, not ebay, to be sure they're newly made.

If you can resist the urge to can in them and keep them in the kitchen ready to go I bet you'll find lots of uses - I decant honey, hoisin and plum sauce, even mustards are nicer to use than the junky jars & lids they come in. For the bigger jars, I've never been happier to have my sugar sealed away from moisture and ants, when it's on sale I don't hesitate to load up. You'll have a new relationship with brown sugar too. 

A friend uses them like shadow boxes for her family collections of marbles, junk jewelry, crystals, and the like. In the sewing room for ribbons, rickrack, those old wooden spools of silk thread, and of course, buttons. (She said it's saved her hours of dusting too)

Congrats, you have treasure in your hands!


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

most of the jars that have the modern logo and styling are post-pressure-canning conversion, so they should be fine to use even if they aren't brand new. Any jar that looks a bit thin at the rim and a bit thicker than normal at the bottom is probably getting too old to trust in a pressure canner.

if you aren't sure what the age of your jars are, many of the pre-pressure-canning jars may be slightly colored (as opposed to crystal clear like modern), appear to have tiny bubbles in the glass, appear wavy or rippled, are rather thin at the top but chunky at the bottom, or aren't threaded to accept the modern bands properly.

If you have any jar that appears to have a nick, chip, pitting, or hairline fractures during inspection don't use it for either pressure canning or BWB... keep it for decoration or dry goods storage. Some slight nicks and chips on the rim can be sanded smooth with 400 grit wet sand paper and the jar *may* still be ok for BWB, just be extremely gentle with them when they are hot and be extra careful to avoid thermal shock when loading and unloading the canner.


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