Buy new rubber seals for old Kilner jars from Adams traditional ironmongers.
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Kitchen equipment | 19 comments
Photo: Kilner Jars pre 1948
Years ago there used to be two ironmongers shops in Newmarket. I used to love browsing in them. Then one closed and the last one struggled on and finally closed last year. These were the sort of shops where you could find everything that you needed from dustbins with chimneys for burning garden waste safely to heatproof rope to mend the wood burning stove.
Now we go to Homebase to buy exorbitantly overpriced packs of nails and screws. We often can’t find exactly what we want as the stock is designed to appeal to the majority of shoppers not the ones who have the need for something very rare like a replacement rubber seals for old Kilner jars.
My friend Margaret in Ashley heard about my bottling frenzy.
“Would you like a box of old Kilner jars. They haven’t got seals I’m afraid.”
This was fine as in the past I’d spotted two places where I could buy these on the internet.
The new Kilner jar metal seals (manufactured by Ravenhead and available from Lakeland) do not fit the old jars. The old jars need rubber rings. After an hour of dredging through forums I hit gold on the ACL forum. I found the name and address of Chris Adams – a traditional ironmonger who sells rubber rings for all types of old Kilner jars.
I dialled his number and discovered that Chris has been manufacturing replacement rubber seals for every type of old Kilner jar for 10-15 years. He identified my jars as being the original pre 1948 ones. And his prices were great – £10.90 for 20 rings.
“It’s crazy to be tossing fruit in the freezer and using electricity to store them. When they could be sitting on a shelf in a Kilner jar.”
This means that I can now safely recycle jars that are over 60 years old.
I hadn’t realised that he had a website so we swapped website addresses and within seconds I was touring his shop. Suddenly I had access to a traditional ironmonger’s shop 24/7. Fantastic. This is not a website where you can order on line and it doesn’t list everything that is stocked.
We chatted between customers for a good half an hour. They have started growing their own vegetables and invested in an Eglu and two hens this year. His business ethic is green too – no heating until November. A bike shed for employees. If you are lucky enough to live in Sutton Coldfield he repairs machinery and electrical goods – so rare to find in these days of the throw away culture.
If you want to pop into his shop and find that certain something that seems impossible to get these days push open the door of his virtual shop and give him a buzz on 0121 3544822.
You can also by old style Kilner jars, metal rings and new rubber seals (a bit more expensive) on this website. There are also a lot of useful bits of information for those who have been given jars and are not sure how to use them. As there are instruction leaflets for methods and processing times for the complete range of vintage jars.
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Thanks for the link to my site www.kilnerjarsuk.co.uk I usualy have most parts for the proper old screw top jars in stock plus complete old jars and new jars by Kilner and Leifheit. If I can help give me a ring on 01372 372611
Peter
Hi KateUK
Oh lucky you! I do hope that your ironmonger is noticing a pick up in sales with the recession and a return to more DIY values.
Hi Wendy
Thanks for that. I’ve updated the post.
Hi LiZZie
Thanks very much for the link. Great!
Hi Joanna
We can learn a lot from the Latvians. I think that Lakeland sell new jar lids which is handy as the metal ones do wear out over time.
Hi John
Thanks so much for giving us the link to the High Wycombe ironmongers shop. I’d much prefer to buy from smaller businesses than multi nationals.
Now I know that I can get the seals I’m going to look out for second hand Kilner/Ravenshead jars. The other link in the post above is to a site that sells lids and reconditioned metal screw rings as well.
Hello Pamela
I’m very envious.
Whenever we go abroad we make a beeline for the local ironmongers. The lock and handle on our bathroom door came from Lisbon.
Hi Andy
Yes it’s a very small world – especially with the internet.
Hi Babs
Delighted that you have found your answer! Thanks for dropping by.
How timely ! I have been looking for rubber rings for ages and couldnt find ones for the original jars and Sutton Coldfield is only about 20 minutes from where I live ! Thanks so much for posting this info – greatly appreciated.
Hey small world! I was at college with Chris’s brother and had forgotten all about the shop. Thanks for reminding me.
I love an old-fashioned ironmonger’s. There is a great one just a few doors down from where I live, run by good old-fashioned people who can tell you where everything is and will offer to carry larger items out to your car for you – or home in my case! They will even tell you what you need if you explain what you are trying to do. French ironmonger’s are just as fascinating and have the added benefit of being called Quincaillerie, which has to be one of my favourite words.
Hi Fi,
Another old fashioned Ironmonger, still in business, is Issac Lord in High Wycombe (also on the net). You can still buy 6 woodscrews, leather strap handles, naptha moth balls..(last time I was there I came away loaded), although you have to visit to get the items like 6 woodscrews rather than a pack. Not the kilner jar seals, and I knew of Adams. They also do a vast range of tools, especially woodworking (due to their heritage).
Waitrose Food Illustrated this month show an old Kilner jar filled with jam, a lid, screw ring (fashionably rusty), and NO SEAL. I’m writing in… I only have one example of that identical jar, but mine has the rubber seal – not that I would use that particular seal, looking decidedly perished.
Mostly I use the Ravenshead Kilner jars, for which I have a residual stock of seals (white!), and partly due to lack of lids of the older jars, plus the seal problem.
Here in Latvia they sell new jar lids every year as well as the bottles. Perfect!
here’s a link to the shop in Warwick and the other two in the business http://www.periodhouseshops.com/frameset.htm
Sorry to be picky, but it’s Sutton Coldfield (I live there!)
Brilliant! We are very lucky, we may not have a butcher, fishmonger or greengrocer in the town any more, but we do have a proper ironmonger. We also have several places where you can be botoxed or have a boob job. Guess which is more useful?