Making metal jar caps

[Aaron Hicks]

I do a fair bit of tissue culture, and one of the containers we use are baby food jars. The most common closure is a polypropylene one, which has problems with slow-growing crops: they embrittle, and eventually fail when put under 12-hour a day lighting, causing contamination and loss of the crop.

The metal lids that the jars come with are fine, and while opaque and therefore not efficient for growth, the plants are primarily chemosynthetic at this stage and lighting is a secondary concern. However, the lids don't last forever, and as the industry seems to be drifting towards plastic containers, it seems this source will eventually be depleted.

I was hoping someone with metalworking experience might have some insights as to how small quantities of metal closures could be made. It seems a plastisol lining could be applied to a stainless steel lid, but there is the problem of forming the metal lid.

An example of orchids in vitro, in this case Vanilla planifolia:

https://i.imgur.com/qoht94Z.jpeg

Perhaps it is not reasonable to make small quantities of these lids, but I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with thoughts as to how it could be done.

Thanks,

-AJ