DS> It is important to break the seal in a manner that does not warp the
 DS> lid.  Using a church key bottle opener to pry it up would probably bend
 DS> it if you use it like you would to open a soda bottle.  But if you take
 DS> the flat end (or the flat part of a table knife) and twist it between
 DS> the bottom edge of the lid and the end of the screw on the jar -- then
 DS> you will probably break the seal with no damage to the jar top.

When I first started considering this, you and Dave(?) had been discussing that
problem.  What I did, I don't seem to have a church key here, was take a small
(6") pair of channel lock pliers, open them fully, hooked a lip with the rigid
leg and very slowly pried.  Worked, but I'll be looking for a better way.  I
have a "JarKey" that I found in the back of a seldom used drawer in Anchorage.
Plus I may have something else that will work, it's really old and looks to be
for opening jars since it has a sharpened spike at one end to handle worst case
scenarios where prying to break the vacuum doesn't work.

---