Denise, Does the brush penetrate the top? If not, simply turn the jars upside down for a few hours or a day and the solvent in the B-72 should dissolve the hardened resin. If the lids are not "waterproof" to allow them to be turned upside down, then you can put a piece of thin polyethylene sheeting (like from a thin baggie) over the jar opening before you put the lid back on. Next time, the lid should come off. If neither of these are viable options, feel free to contact me off-list for other possibilities. Marc American Conservation Consortium, Ltd. 4 Rockville Road Broad Brook, CT 06016 www.conservator.com 860-386-6058 *Collections Preservation Consultation *Conservation Assessments & Surveys *Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control *Moisture Management Solutions *Collections in Historic Structures *Collections Care Grant Preparation *Conservation Treatment of: Furniture Painted Wood Horse-Drawn Vehicles Architectural Interiors Decorative Objects & Folk Art Marc A. Williams, President MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program Former Chief Wooden Objects Conservator, Smithsonian Institution Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC) ----- Original Message ----- From: Denise Tackett To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2011 12:14 PM Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Paraloid B72 lacquer question I'm using Paraloid B-72 lacquer as a base on which to write the accession number on artifacts. The jars are about 1 1/2" in diameter and have a small brush attached to the top. My problem is that no matter what I do, the tops seem to glue themselves shut to the point that I am unable to remove them without breaking the jars. I've tried wiping the jar tops with acetone before closing them, but it doesn't seem to work. This has to be a common problem. I'm hoping someone with more experience can enlighten me because I'm in the process of accessioning all items in a museum that have not previously been accessioned. Many thanks. Denise Wetzel County Museum New Martinsville, WV [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).