Fear the seals on my square tins no more...

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gandalfpc

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I was sealing up some bulk in mason jars, and going the extra mile by dipping the tops in paraffin wax when I figured why not play it safe with my Penzance tins and dip the edge all the way around - a cautious start ended up working very nicely and I did all my tins. Not really needed for most tins, but a nice bit of insurance and a good fix for those risky rectangles... A really solid, non-reactive seal that will stand the test of time.

Heating the wax a bit allows it to peel off easily - but if you are looking to preserve mint tins for resale you may wish to look elsewhere for a solution. I figure they will actually sell just fine with a wax seal 20 years from now, but my intentions are to smoke them, not sell them...

Heat the wax (be sure it is unscented pure paraffin - comes in white blocks) in a double boiler to 180 degrees for best results (melting point of the wax is 140) - it will go on smooth and translucent enough to easily read through and without bubbles when at the correct temperature - around 160 degrees it will start coating too thick, less transparent, and with large bubbles.

I dip jars 3 times (cap end - about an inch or two deep) and do tins twice around, to be sure of a good seal

A minor pain, but it lets me rest assured it will all be safe - and it lets me keep them stacked on shelves rather than in a coleman cooler (my old safe storage method) - much easier to get at the tins now...
 
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