I've got the solution! It's cheap, you can DIY, non-poisonous, and resistant to alcohol to a certain extent. I call it the PWP gasket.
So this is what you need:
- Preserving Jars with the associated lids + clamps
- Some sheets of paper towel
- Some paraffin wax
- A pot where the glass lids of the jars could fit in
- A knife and scissors
This is what you need to do:
- Fold the sheets of paper towel several times (so they form a square)
- Lay them onto the jar and put the lid on top, then fix it with the clamp -> this should already be some kind of gasket (if it is not thick enough, repeat last step)
- Cut the exposed parts of the paper away with the scissors
- Melt the paraffin wax in the pot
- Open the jar again and take out the paper gasket, put it into the pot when the wax is completely melted
- Let the paper soak the wax in for about 30 seconds
- Take the wax paper out and apply it on the jar, then put the lid and the clamp on
- Let it cool down and then open the jar again, cut the exposed parts on the inside (so the wax paper forms a ring) with the knife
- Repeat the entire procedure for more gaskets
The resulting "paraffin wax paper gasket" (the PWP gasket) ring is pretty sturdy, resistant against alcohol (because paraffin is not soluble in ethanol), non poisonous (you could even eat pure paraffin and nothing would happen) and cheap, thus perfect for sealing preserving jars. But be aware, at least for my jars it is not completely sealed, the content drips out (although very slowly).
This is how it should look in the end (it will get a bit messy, so be sure to cover everything with paper towels or sth. else)
Have fun!
