Materials
Parafilm
Instant air- and water-proof seal
When researchers in "wet" labs need to seal a flask, bottle or test tube they reach for a small slip of Parafilm. This very flexible sheet -- comprised of 50% paraffin wax -- is moldable, ductile, and stable. You stretch it over an opening, or wrap a strip around a rim, and the sheet molds securely into an air- and watertight seal -- instantly. Regular old cling wrap won't do this. Those in the know (like my wife) bring some home, where its very handy in the kitchen and workshop to seal containers with lost caps. Great for covering jars of paint, cork-less wine bottles, and so on. It's also used in horticulture to create instant seals around grafts on branches. And model makers discovered it is the best fine-grain masking material for detailed paint jobs. There are probably a hundred of other uses if only it was better known. Now you know about it. [Recommended by Charles Wierdsma]
-- KK
Parafilm
4" x 125 feet
$16.50
Available from
Cole Parmer
2" x 25 feet
$9
Available from Micro-Mark
Micro-Mark