Trouble opening Mason jars

[eaglerico]

Okay. I have stored most of my baccy in Mason jars. From time to time I will grab a jar that I have not opened in a while and can not get the lid off. I consider myself pretty strong and just feel ridiculous that I can not open the jar. I end up having to run the lid under hot water for a while and still struggle to open.
Does anyone else experience this?

 

[pstlpkr]

I have never had that difficulty... Of course I use bail top jars.
Just kidding...
I have some difficulty sometimes opening home-made pickles...

Just use one of those rubber grippers, and sprain my wrist.

 

[grouchy]

hot water is definately a help. sometimes you have to give it a twist to tighten up to help break the seal. you can feel it give a little. just use the hot water on the cap, not the jar. can also try putting in freezer for a little while and then repeat all of the above.

hope this helps.

if then you cant get them opened, send to me :wink:

 

[triprolo]

I take the handle of a butter knife and tap around the top a little and with a little grunt they usually pop open.

 

[eaglerico]

lol. Thanks a lot baskerville.
I think it has to do with the differing temperatures in my office. My office has two huge windows and with the outside temperature in Houston being over 100 my office gets over 80 in the middle of the day then cools to under 70 at night when I lower my A/C. Some my Mason jar tops even get vacuumed in. I get a nice "pop" when I open some of them.

 

[bubbadreier]

I usually don't have that problem with mine... But then again I am called Sasquatch often! haha

Yes that really is me! 8)

 

[cortezattic]

eaglerico, I think the temperature cycling from 80° to 70° and back that you described is not good for the tobacco. You might want to ask someone like Pease or Ouellette about that if you're doing some long term aging.

 

[eaglerico]

Thanks for the advice cortez, but I am not trying to do anything but keep the baccy fresh for me to smoke as I get to it. I am still trying to figure out what I really like.
As for the temp. swings, there is not much I can do about it. I have just enough in the budget to buy baccy every couple of months and a I get pipes for cheap from antique stores, so anything special to store the baccy will probably be out of my price range.

 

[romeowood]

I don't think the temperature fluctuation will harm the tobacco, per se; tobacco is a pretty hearty leaf and undergoes a lot of handling, moisture cycles and heat cycles in its processing (as we've been shown in the recent Orlik factory tour videos, for example). What it will do is age it differently than a jar that was aged in a more controlled environment. Today I had a conversation with a chemist about the aerobic and anabolic process cycle with regard to aging, and he maintained that the "headspace", or the free air in a container, was exhausted of its oxygen content rather quickly. Then the slow aging processes begin within the leaf, and time becomes the critical variable in the equation. Depending on what the tobacco is, a variable--but consistently variable--temperature cycle might even yield positive results, with a red Virginia for example. Curious opportunity for study!

 

[mp31guitar]

Some times I'll have a little trouble too. I keep my jars in the bedroom and as the temp goes up and down I will here the jars pop.
I meant HEAR the LIDS pop.

 

[kennerth]

They sell twist-on,one pieceplastic lids for use after you open canned goods. They are just as air tight and much easier to deal with. I am not suggesting buying there, but this website has a good picture.
http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/ball-36010-mason-canning-jar-plastic-storage-lids-set-of-8

 

[puffy]

I hope I can help a bit here..Though Mason jars and their lids can be used to store tobacco their intended use is for canning food.The lid is composed of two parts a lid that seals to the jar and an outer ring thas is only suppose to be hand tight.Some times after sitting for a period of time this outer ring can be hard to get off.There is a tool that is made for this purpose.It looks like over grown pliars.It has large circular jaws that fit on the outside of said ring to remove it.It looks like you could change your oil filter with it.I suppose it could be bought where canning supplies are sold.Also replacement lids can be bought in case one gets damaged.

 

[bittercreek]

Only one have I had difficulty removing a lid. I jarred most of a pound of coconut twist which was pretty

moist and then it sat for two or three years. No trouble removing the ring but I couldn't get the lid off.

I tapped around the lid with no luck. I pried it loose with a screwdriver and that thing shot across the

room, bounced off two walls and took several minutes to find.
Mike

 

[romeowood]

Lucky you didn't shoot your eye out Mike!

 

[juni]

So did I until I switched to these:

Now it is easy.
I have cut through too many jars of this kind with a knife and scissors to get it to open until I wisened up: