It worked decently well even if it was a bit janky. A little bit of stuff would sneak out around the edges, but way less than with glass weights. I didn't like that I had to basically stick my whole hand down in the jar to smush everything into the right place.

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I ordered some of these and poked a few holes in to let gas out: https://www.amazon.com/Divider-Wide-Mouth-Mason-Jars/dp/B01CZCFP1E -- I think this would work better if I used something like a leather hole punch instead of just mangling it with scissors (think my holes were too big, let some food through).

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Finally got on alibaba and contacted a few people who make cold brew/tea filters and ordered a really short mesh insert. Kind of like this (https://www.amazon.com/TUBE-Infuser-Stainless-Designed-Included/dp/B071WXSCSC) but only a few inches tall -- just enough to keep stuff out of the jar's headroom. I've stuck with that one for awhile now, but I haven't been fermenting as much since starting a heatonist subscription.