Jennifer,
My mother learned to make the Armenian Dill Pickles from her MIL, my grandmother over 50 years ago. Sadly Mom passed in January 2006, so last year I got to carry on the tradition of coordination of the pickling marathon. The reason I mention the time frame is that Mom rarely had more than 5 to 10% of the jars seal on their own with the hot pack method. Those that didn't seal she put in the "beer fridge" until they were ready and they were eaten first. However, after I showed her how to process the jars, we were able to have closer to 98-99% success rate in sealing the jars. Not bad when you consider how many we actually do.
The trick is to pack the jars with the "pickles" - whatever you happen to be pickling - cukes or other veggies, then pour the boiling brine solution straight into the jar to the top. Wipe the top edge of the jar. Then put a lid on it, and holding the lid down with a finger or two, screw the ring into place snuggly. You want it tight enough so that the lid will seal.....but you don't have to put it on so tight it would take Ahhhhhhnold to open it. Anything that doesn't go pop and self-seal within about 25 minutes....usually about the time that it takes the jar to cool, you will have to process in a hot water bath.
You can always keep an eye on your stock of pickle jars. If any "unseal" over time, don't hesitate to pitch them. No use risking getting sick.
If you find that your pickles (cukes) aren't crunchy, then you've used ones that are overly ripe - past their prime. If they're crunchy to eat (test a few), then they should remain that way. If they seem to be "hollow", then they won't be crunchy as pickles.
Hope that helps.
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