Add A Knob to A Jar Lid Tutorial

Well hello, dearies, and Happy Monday. If TGIF means "Thank God It's Friday," what does OSIM mean, I wonder.

Oh, I love every day! I like getting up early and getting to work. 

I've been placing drawer knobs or drawer pulls on canning jar lids for ages, well before "Mason Jar Fever" set in with the hipster bunch. And I thought I'd put up a little tutorial, so people could see how easy it is. And wouldn't you know - the day I decide to do so, I stopped by Michael's Arts & Crafts store only to see an entire BIN full of jar lids with knobs, for less than the price of a knob. Well!

But - with knowing how to do it, you're not limited to their selection, and when canning jars fade out of favor, you'll still know how to do it. When choosing a jar lid, be sure to use a one-piece lid. The two-piece lids don't lend themselves to it very well, but you could use a two-piece if you like, and certainly you can if the jar is decorative and you won't be using it alot. 

The tutorial is simple, and here's what you need:

• Jar lid
• Drawer Pull
• Hacksaw for metal or side-cutters
• Hammer and nail that is slightly wider than the width of the knob's bolt
• Piece of wood, like a 2x2, or other small piece to fit under the lid, so that when you hammer the nail in, the lid does not dent down (if using a hammer and nail)

If you have a hacksaw for metal, use it. Otherwise, use some side-cutters.

• Take your lid and mark the center. I just eyeball it. My husband tried his fancy geometry stuff and put the hole off-center. 

• Tap a hole into the lid, at the center mark. I used a nail and hammer. Husband used a drill, to avoid flaring out the lid, but mine worked fine, too. Put the little piece of wood underneath the lid, and tap in the nail from the top of the lid (the good side) down. Pull the piece of wood off the nail and remove the nail.

• Get the knob ready. Snug up the nut on the drawer pull to near the bottom of the knob. BUT don't screw it up all the way, because you need to leave some room for the thickness of the lid, and you need to have a bit of bolt sticking out from the nut. Please see the photo of where the side-cutters are going to cut. Note there is at least an extra thread showing between the side-cutters and the nut and washer.

• Use a hacksaw to cut, or if using the side cutters, you will have to squeeze, rotate a small turn, squeeze, rotate, etc. Then when you are back where you started (might have to go around a few times if you cannot squeeze hard), you turn your wrist towards the floor (still squeezing with the side-cutters) and pop the end of the bolt off. It will shear off. Discard the bit of bolt you removed.

Note: Cutting the bolt shorter messes up the threading. You must leave a bit of the bolt sticking out of the nut. That way, you can use the nut to "rethread" the messed-up part of the bolt where you cut it shorter. It straightens the threads and allows you to take the knob apart, place into the hole, and replace the nut on the underside of the lid, along with the washer, to hold the knob in place.

• Take your knob and remove the bolt. Place the knob's bolt through the hole in the lid, then turn lid upside down, place the washer onto the bolt first, then the nut, and snug the nut.

As always, thank'ee for stopping by. I used to confuse which was the "nut" and which was the "bolt." I finally managed to keep them straight by thinking of the bolt like a lightning bolt - the piece longer than the nut.