My son's teacher had the kids make Christmas tree ornaments out of them. Paint, Glitter, Felt, Paper glued to them and a nail hole with a ribbon through it and....Voila! Their Cub Scout leader had them make punched designs using a hammer, nail and block of wood. Then sprayed the lids silver so they looked like punched tin. Hang it in your window or make several and make a mobile/chime. Cute way to teach a skill (how NOT to hit your fingers with the hammer!) and a little history too! Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with. ~~Mimi~~

I reuse them all the time too, for all sorts of things. I also make yogurt (dairy and non dairy) and use the jars/lids for the yogurt and for the whey when I strain it off. Tastes much better in the glass jar than in a reused plastic container, I think. Since I always label my canned goods on the canning lid with a Sharpie marker (Mom didn't and it drove me nuts), I can always tell a new lid from a reused one.

Some foods from the store come with one-piece lids in a mason size and thread shape. For example, coconut oil and some kinds of spaghetti sauce. I can with those lids, and I use them multiple times. They have much thicker seal than the flat lids sold for canning. Thicker even than the one-piece lids that used to be sold for canning back in the 80s. I wouldn't use them for low acid pressure canned stuff, of course. I don't think I've ever reused a flat lid, but I would consider it if I just needed one or two more lids for a low acid product like applesauce. I would pick through all my old lids and choose the ones with the best looking seals, the shallowest grooves from old canning. I posted a question here a while back, about some new jars with lids that had been stored on a warm porch where they sealed and unsealed themselves many times. When I pried the lids off, they had visible grooves. But I was advised to go ahead and simmer them and use them, and I didn't have any trouble with them. Again, high acid, BWB only. Edit: I mean, the one piece Lids from the 80s were marketed as reusable. Up to four times, if I remember correctly.

Connie, I have used them for a couple of years ,, What I do is can some things for gifts with regular lids,and some of my own with the Tattler lids..I have yet to invest in the hundreds I need for our canning,,LOL But the couple dozen I have been using have been nice.. On the other hand I come from one of those crazee old families who has a mother who used old pickle jars and their lids,, which yes will reseal very well if treated properly,,LOL,,Like David above I also have reused the regular lids for several trips through the canner and gotten proper sealing.. Personally coming from a family that has processed foods and including canning for well over a hundred years I think that the those who write the little guidelines are so afraid of crossing a line they put everything in the too safe category.. Families like mine have never knocked anyone off with botulism or any other canning related deaths ,,,LOL,,, Skybird,, LOL inner tubes I can relate girl,,They make great gasket seals,,of course keep in mind your talking to a lady who's house is wrapped in epdm and teaches recycling in the garden,,amongst other alternatives.. Mary