Hello all,
Although I am a bit late in asking this because I just got back from
holidays but as I have been reading through the past months mail,
over 1000, I found the question about rusting tools just what I
needed. I live 20 feet from a river in a constantly hot and humid
climate and down river from some cement factory which is always
pushing out some sort of black smoke all day and night. It takes
about 7 days for a newly polished silver item to go black. So when I
read that the pickle in the room was the cause of the rusting tools I
thought, " how to cover the pot easily and quickly between dips ?"
Right now I have put saran/stretchy plastic wrap and elastic bands on
it but don’t think that is a good solution. And all this after my
new rubber coated warming pickle pot purchase last Spring!!! Not
fair I say!
Any wonderful ideas??
Sharron in Saigon, relieved to be back home and at my work bench
watching the rust causing river flow by.
You can probably find a glass or plastic lid at a local Salvation
Army or other location where household goods are recycled.
Pam
I thought, " how to cover the pot easily and quickly between dips ?"
G’day Sharron; My pickle pot and neutralizing pot consist of 1/2
gallon ex beer bottles from which I have cut bottoms, so I have a
couple of glass bowls with straight sides 6" (15cms) high. I cut
circles in transparent perspex (Lucite) to overlap the tops, and also
cut strips 3/4" (2cms) wide. these were heated in a moderate domestic
oven until flexible and were wrapped around the bottle whilst hot and
held until cool with stout rubber bands. They were then shown to the
inside of the bowls and cut to the right diameter. Finally they were
stuck to the covers with perspex (Lucite) cement, and the cover had a
piece of the strip stuck on top as a handle similarly. One is
conspicuously marked “10% sulphuric acid pickle” and the other marked.
“Sodium Carbonate Neutralizer”
How did I cut the bottles? Bent a piece of No 8 steel fencing wire
into a semi circle to roughly fit the bottle leaving a long handle.
Made a deep 3cm long file mark at the right height, heated the wire
to red heat, and applied it to the mark, slowly turning the bottle in
the wire ‘cradle’. The glass cracked at the mark, and the crack was
led round the bottle after reheating the wire and applying to the end
of the crack. This method works every time. Cleaned and flattened
the sharp glass edges with 180 grit paper - and ‘Bob’s yer uncle!’ (
New Zealanders are notorious for fixing just about everything with No
8 fencing wire!) But if you aren’t El Cheepo Burgess, why not try
those large squat glass topped and spring lidded glass airtight jars
sold for storing home made produce? cheers, John Burgess;
@John_Burgess2 of Mapua Nelson NZ
Answering to Sharron in Saigon I have to tell you that for my pickle,
I bought a second hand electric food warming plate approx. 6 inches
square, and a small ( also second hand) pyrex individual casserole
dish with lid, and this works beautifully.The even better thing was
the cost, $6 ( Australian) all up. However, from what you’ve said
about your workshop situation I think that your surroundings are a
larger part of the problem than your not having a pickle lid.
Cheers, Christine