This is just out of curiosity. I "inherited" a batch of quart and half-gallon blue Ball jars from my mother-in-law. She had evidently used these blue jars with success for many years. But I've had a high rate of sealing failures using them. And it seems to be just the blue jars. I noticed that the lips of the blue jars are thicker (the older jars are thicker) and sometimes a bit rougher. I've finally weeded out all the failed jars from this and previous years; out of a couple dozen blue jars, I've had only about four to remain sealed. Over the years I would mark the failed jars and be careful the next year to either watch that one jar or just not use it. Finally, I just disposed of all the failed jars in the recycling bin; it was too easy for them to end up with my good jars.

Has anyone else had this problem and if so, WHAT is causing the failure? Just curious now!

-- Janie (godsfarmgirl@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001

Answers

I used to use the old canning jars exclusively. Yes, they can fail to seal and it is usually (in my experience) because the bails are bent or the rims are chipped. They can also fail to seal because the jar rubbers are old. I have on occasion used two jar rubbers on a jar, but I do NOT recommend this. If you have someone with the tools and ability, I would think that the bails could be tightened or replaced. I still use a few occasionally and get a good seal most of the time. I hope this helps.

-- nancy (stoneground@catskill.net), October 08, 2001.

Whether or not they fail for canning purposes, I wouldn't be tossing them in the trash or recyclying bin. I think they have some antique value. I see them at rummage sales, flea markets, etc. for anywhere from $5 to $25 apiece. Collectors and crafters seem to be the people buying the ones I've seen for sale. I've still got some of the canning jars my Grandmother got as a wedding gift in 1927! I don't use them in canning anymore, but do use them to store various things in my pantry.

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), October 08, 2001.

I like them for storing dry goods...pastas, rice, and beans...that sort of thing in the cupboard..or even on the counter. They are too pretty for me too recycle. I have some old clear ones that don't seal well either. I got most of them from my grandma years ago.

-- Jenny (auntjenny6@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

Janie, I love the old blue jars! Please don't have thme crushed and recycled, many people, including me, collect those jars, and the 1/2 gallon are my favorite ones. You can get some emory(sp) cloth and sand gently the rim of the jars. This will smoooth the rim and make sealing more successful. If that does not work, use them to store various kitchen items, or sell them to someone.

-- Karen in Kansas (kansasgoats@iwon.com), October 08, 2001.

the old blue jars that fail to seal would be very nice to put a l2 bean soup in and then top with a calico square and tie with a twine to give for christmas presents.

-- j schlicker (schlicker54@aol.com), October 08, 2001.

Old jars tend to have less than perfect glass lips, so using the 'new' dome lids that were introduced in the 1940s tends to be problematic. You can still use these jars for canning, but it's best to use zinc lids and rubber rings. There's some cake/candy supply company (maybe it's called Food Krafters??) that I bought 5 dozen rubber rings from several years ago. They hold up for many years, but are extremely difficult to find nowadays. Maybe you can find some at an auction??? Or maybe your mother-in-law has some lying around somewhere?

Bottom line: just use a zinc lid and jar rubber ring, and you'll be fine.

- Justin

-- Justin Shelton (justinshelton@netscape.net), October 08, 2001.

I also inherited many of the old Ball blue jars of various sizes. These jars were not designed for use with flats and thus there was not a lot of care to make the mouths perfectly smooth. The emphasis was in making the jars safe for rubber rings. You will find many of them with a slightly raised and rough edge around the inside of the mouth. That prevents sealing in many cases when flats are used. I solved it by using 60 grit sanding cloth held at a 45 degree angle to "get its attention". Then used 150 grit cloth to smooth the mouth to the same quality finish as new jars. Never a failure since then that could be blamed on the jar. This method can also be used to take tiny nicks out of the tops as well. In fact, some of those old jars left the factory with such tiny imperfections caused by air bubbles. Most were only a few mm deep and easily buffed out with 150 grit cloth. If you are lucky enough to know someone who has the hobby of polishing stones for jewelry, they possibly would have the equipment to even take out big nicks by taking off an even amount of glass all around the top for an even seal. Regardless, recycle bin is no place for those veterans!

-- Martin W. Longseth (tmofmadison@aol.com), October 09, 2001.