So I have this old thermometer adapter which I've used for many a distillation, but now I want to do a vacuum distillation (drum roll) ... and I've realized that this thermometer adapter is NOT air tight. It is a 24/40 jointed TA that has the black plastic threaded piece, but the thermometer doesn't fit the bottom hole of the plastic "air tight". Is there any ingenius way to make this thermometer piece work for a reduced pressure system (a la making a makeshift gasket or plumber's putty) without compromising the actual system contents. (i.e. I don't want plumber's putty falling down into the distillation flask).
Now... before anyone says anything, the adapter I have isn't the threaded adapter that sits on an O-ring, it actually threads INTO instead of around the glass.
Or do I cave and get a new adapter?