I often find myself with half a cartridge of expensive caulking material in a cartridge. I am talking about the cartridge that has a movable bottom and a spout and fits in a ratcheting dispenser.
I have tried sticking nails in the spout but, invariably, the darned things dry out or congeal anyway.
Anyone have a workable solution to this problem? - Thanks
I don't know if there is a permanent solution, but I use a rubber tip from door stops that screw into the baseboard. You can buy them at any hardware store. It seems to seal the tip from air and is easy to remove when you are ready to use the gun again.
I bought some caulk condoms when I saw them at the local real lumber yard, not really expecting them to work. These are small red condoms just made for sealing the tubes. I don't remember the name/brand About 10-20 in a package for cheap.
They have worked great on the few things I've used them on.
I take an old Phillips-head screw driver and stick them in mine. The only problem is silicone caulk still gets old and can't be stored too long.
Olddog
Opportunity for obvious tasteless joke avoided here.
Olddog
I fold a strip of painter's tape over the tip and seal it well. Works fine with latex caulk. I've seen tubes with caps, or was it caps sold separately? :o)
Size matters. For personal use, they musta been too loose?
I fold a piece of duct tape over the end of the tube. Helps for a short while. Not a real answer, though.
Wire nuts. Hopefully you didn't cut the opening too big. Use a larger size wire nut to cap it off.
I stick a 2-3" nail or deck screw into the end, then wrap it with plastic and rubberband or wire it around the nozzle. Depending on the time to next use, it either works easily, or I pull out the nail or screw, hopefully getting a plug of dried cault with it. Occasionally, the nail just pulls out, leaving the plug. Stick a nail in, between the plug and the nozzle wall. Turn the nail, so that it walks around between the wall and theplug, loosening the plug from the wall. Then, I pump the thing to apply pressure enough to get a little of the plug out the end. Grab it with pliers and pull. If it hasn't hardened too much, the plug will pull out, and it's ready to use.
Caulk condom!
If you can seal a caulk tube tip with your condom you're probably a women.
Sealing the whole tube is another story.
"Walter R." wrote in news:gg7f58$jfh$ snipped-for-privacy@news.motzarella.org:
electrical wire nuts.
I knew I'd seen them before, Caulk Savers:
Not a solution, but a story...
My buddy found a old tube of clear caulk in his garage. It was almost a full tube and it had cured in the tube. He peeled the cardboard back to reveal a solid log of caulk.
What was interesting was that you couldn't smell it at all until you put your nose right up to it. At that point the smell was so overpowering that it stung our noses. 3" away - nothing but 1" away - a dizzying, burning odor. Weird.
I have tried the caps at Lowes, but do not care for them. They fall off and do not seal very well. I found one of these "chalk condoms" somewhere and it works great! I wish I could remember where I found it! It is like the old colorful vacuum plugs for autos from the performance stores, but much longer and larger diameter.
Mike D.
The best thing I have found is aluminum gutter nail.
Keep in mind that many caulk materials have a finite shelf life. This is especially true on the silicone caulks.
Put a dab of vaseline in the open tip.
Charlie
A wire nut will screw right on the end and comes off easily. The dab of vaseline before applying the wire nut sounds good.
Harry K
cartridge of expensive caulking material in
try an electric wire connectors that electricians use to join wires together, it works henry
Hello,
Dip the tip in some Plastic-Dip or the equivalent and let it dry. It makes an air-tight seal. I've used it only on acrylic caulks to date. Peel off the coating from the tip and the caulk will come out like it was a new tube.
Good Luck.
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