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8 Posts
Hello all.
I've been a lurker on the forum for a few months, thought it was time to give back. I do realize that a lot of people will think this is a waste of time considering FF containers can be bought very cheap, but I had some extra stuff sitting around and thought I would just make my own and reuse them. So here's what I did...
Supplies -
Mason jars - I suppose the size doesnt really matter, just use whatever works for you. Mine already has my media in it.
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Mason jar metal lids - really just the rim of the lid
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Plastic cross stitching canvas - bought at hobby lobby in the sewing/knitting section. Use common sense here, it comes in a couple different types. Obviously don't get the type that the holes are big enough for FFs to get through. (~$3 for 2 sheets)
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Hot glue gun - everyone should own one
Stove
Heat resistant working surface - I used a spare ceramic tile
Ok lets get to it
Step 1: I hate cutting circles free hand, they always come out wrong, and a good fit is crucial when dealing with FFs, so what I did was put a spare mason jar lid rim on the stove burner and got it nice and hot.
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Yes this can be dangerous, use your head here. Have a fire extinguisher nearby, use a vented hood, and use tongs to handle anything hot.
Step 2: Using tongs I picked up the hot lid rim, and placed it on the plastic canvas which was on the ceramic tile. Be careful of fumes, remember be smart. Also note that when you put the rim back on the stove to reheat, the plastic that melted to the rim will smoke and probably flame up a bit. Don't panic, just be safe.
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Step 3: I held down the hot lid rim with tongs and pulled the plastic up so it melted through the canvas. Kinda like cutting cookie dough, just doesn't smell as good. The melted canvas can get kind of stringy here, but we will trim that up shortly.
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I was able to get 5 of these from one sheet, and the package came with 2, so this is plenty for me.
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Step 4: At this point I used some kitchen sheers to cut some of the stringy mess on the edges of the plastic canvas disks. I just cut a very thin section off all the way around. This made for a better fit anyway.
Step 5: Make sure it fits snug inside the metal rim.
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Step 6: Fire up the hot glue gun. Take the canvas back out of the rim. Squirt some inside the rim and put the canvas disk back in. I used a screw driver to push it into the glue all the way around.
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Step 7: Ok now that the canvas disk is glued inside the rim, I went back and did another layer of glue on top of that just in case. Be careful not to use too much or the lid wont shut completely.
![]()
Now we have vented screw on lids
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Into the freezer they go for when its time to make new cultures
![]()
Once again its probably cheaper to buy the disposable FF containers from places like Josh's frogs, but I just happened to have mason jars and lids to spare, so in the end all I had to buy was the plastic canvas. Hope this helps someone! Friendly criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading.
I've been a lurker on the forum for a few months, thought it was time to give back. I do realize that a lot of people will think this is a waste of time considering FF containers can be bought very cheap, but I had some extra stuff sitting around and thought I would just make my own and reuse them. So here's what I did...
Supplies -
Mason jars - I suppose the size doesnt really matter, just use whatever works for you. Mine already has my media in it.
Mason jar metal lids - really just the rim of the lid
Plastic cross stitching canvas - bought at hobby lobby in the sewing/knitting section. Use common sense here, it comes in a couple different types. Obviously don't get the type that the holes are big enough for FFs to get through. (~$3 for 2 sheets)
Hot glue gun - everyone should own one
Stove
Heat resistant working surface - I used a spare ceramic tile
Ok lets get to it
Step 1: I hate cutting circles free hand, they always come out wrong, and a good fit is crucial when dealing with FFs, so what I did was put a spare mason jar lid rim on the stove burner and got it nice and hot.
Yes this can be dangerous, use your head here. Have a fire extinguisher nearby, use a vented hood, and use tongs to handle anything hot.
Step 2: Using tongs I picked up the hot lid rim, and placed it on the plastic canvas which was on the ceramic tile. Be careful of fumes, remember be smart. Also note that when you put the rim back on the stove to reheat, the plastic that melted to the rim will smoke and probably flame up a bit. Don't panic, just be safe.
Step 3: I held down the hot lid rim with tongs and pulled the plastic up so it melted through the canvas. Kinda like cutting cookie dough, just doesn't smell as good. The melted canvas can get kind of stringy here, but we will trim that up shortly.
I was able to get 5 of these from one sheet, and the package came with 2, so this is plenty for me.
Step 4: At this point I used some kitchen sheers to cut some of the stringy mess on the edges of the plastic canvas disks. I just cut a very thin section off all the way around. This made for a better fit anyway.
Step 5: Make sure it fits snug inside the metal rim.
Step 6: Fire up the hot glue gun. Take the canvas back out of the rim. Squirt some inside the rim and put the canvas disk back in. I used a screw driver to push it into the glue all the way around.
Step 7: Ok now that the canvas disk is glued inside the rim, I went back and did another layer of glue on top of that just in case. Be careful not to use too much or the lid wont shut completely.
Now we have vented screw on lids
Into the freezer they go for when its time to make new cultures
Once again its probably cheaper to buy the disposable FF containers from places like Josh's frogs, but I just happened to have mason jars and lids to spare, so in the end all I had to buy was the plastic canvas. Hope this helps someone! Friendly criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading.
