That too crossed my mind. Silicone does not appeal. I won't be getting into it/ them very often, but I don't want to screw up the lid when doing so. "Breaking into" a silicone seal doesn't sound fun
I silicone seal the lids on mine, but I put a layer of saran wrap on the lip of the drum for easy removal and coat the lid with silicone. I remove "most" of the saran wrap once the silicone has cured.
that is how I made my bigger pressure pots for casting larger rubber parts.
