Glues and Their Proper Storage

[prfesser]

Hello TMT:

I have had very little success storing the cyanoacrylate adhesives (Krazy glue or Super Glue) that come in the tiny tubes. It hardens after the first or second use.

The larger half-ounce or 1 oz bottles from hobby stores seem to last much better, even at room temperature. They do have a tendency to polymerize at the tip and the lid fills up with crud, but cutting off the tip and using the fine tips that the hobby store has, seems to help. I used a 1/2 oz bottle of thin CA for about six months.....it ran out before it went bad.

Best -- Terry

[The OTHER Kevin in San Diego]

I stuff a 16d nail down the nozzle and wrap the end with duct tape. Still doesn't seem to work. Even the cap that comes with some of the tubes doesn't work. I'm caulk cursed I guess. :)

[The OTHER Kevin in San Diego]

Good point. Remember, cold air is much less moisture laden than warm air so the fridge may actually be drying the stuff out.

[Rod Speed]

The OTHER Kevin in San Diego"

[Enoch Root]

Rod is right. There's may be less moisture in the air at that temperature, as you say, but it'll still be absorbed.

Even more so, perhaps, if you place the glue next to the cooling fin it'll be often cooler than the surrounding refrigerated air, and you'll be in the same situation as when you just take it out into the ambient air. Good to keep it in airtight plastic.

er

[Too_Many_Tools]

"I think this whenever I see the "refrigeration" storage method, as it applies to glue, coffee beans, whatever. Most think this is all there is to it, but you have to consider that, whenever you take that item out of the refrigerator, it is a magnet for

water in the air and will absorb it until its temperature reaches equilibrium with the surrounding environment. Water in your superglue,

water in your beans, its all bad and it all accelerates the degradation

process possibly even more than letting it sit on the shelf. Plus if you use as many beans as I do per cuppa joe, there just aint no sense in it unless you're buying the 50lb. econopak direct from colombia. So if you are going to use this method remember that and don't take it out of its (airtight) bag until it has set for awhile at the working temperature. er"

Good point about the potential of condensation that might cause a problem with the super glue.

I do know that I store the super glue in a closed container with dessicant. The glue is removed from the jar, used, and replaced in the jar again in a very short time so it is exposed to any moisture for a very short time.

The contact cement I have seems to solidify even when there is solvent still in the can...very curious since I thought contact cement was a solvent evaporation process.

TMT

[Phisherman]

Most of these glues will keep up to 2 years if kept tightly closed and at room temperatures. Elmer's glue will thicken if it freezes. Personally, I try not to buy much more glue than I can use within 12 months. Some glues have a shorter shelf life.

[Enoch Root]

[Tove Momerathsson]

Lee Valley Tools sells some caps for tubes that look like tiny red condoms. They're cheap -- a few bucks for 20-25, IIRC. Squeeze a tiny ball of caulk or whatever out of the tip (supposedly to be sure the air is out of the tip) then put one of these jobbies on the tip and unroll it (they're about 1.5" long). When you need the caulk again, just roll up the cap and it's ready to go. Afterwards, the cap can be reused.

I've had open tubes of silicone caulk, latex caulk and Liquid Nails that have been fine when opened after being stored for a year in the basement.

Tove

[David]

the blue tape trick is cheaper...

dave

[Rod Speed]

Enoch Root wrote

[Enoch Root]

[Rod Speed]

Enoch Root wrote

[Oleg Lego]

The Pete C. entity posted thusly:

I have always kept my Titebond in the house, as I wondered about the cold. What do you call 'cold winters'?

[Max Mahanke]

Must be sorry you asked the question by now - who said anything about caulk? Anyway, CA glue ( like urethane glue, i.e Gorilla glue) cues in the presences of moister. Air contains moister so its important to get as much air out of the container as possible before you store it. Since it chemically cures rather than drying by evaporation, the fridge is a good idea since most chemical reactions are directly proportionally to temp. Also, store the container upside down so the air in the container is 'at the bottom' and not the top where you're trying to get the glue out.

Yellow glue is a similar problem for a different reason. It cures through evaporation which air in the container will facilitate. Again, squeeze the air out. It will thicken if frozen and Titebond says you can remedy this by stirring. If it thickens without freezing I'd say its started curing and there's little hope of reviving it. Having said this, Titebond claims its shelf life in years. So I think air is the problem if you glue is thickening.

I have to admit ignorance on contact cement, but I assume it could be revived with the relevant solvent (lacquer thinner?) since you have to worry about releasing contact cement glued veneer by spraying lacquer on it.

My glues are all store on their heads with the air (well most of it) squeezed out it.

[SoCalMike]

i remember when superglue was expensive. now it can be bought at the 99 cent store.

FWIW, there are 3 different packaging methods for it.

the "original" is in a plastic tube-thingie with a pin/cap to pierce it.that works ok.

then theres the mini-bottle, which is hit and miss.

mini foil tubes are the worst, they always dry up.

[Too_Many_Tools]

"the "original" is in a plastic tube-thingie with a pin/cap to pierce it.that works ok. then theres the mini-bottle, which is hit and miss. mini foil tubes are the worst, they always dry up. "

I used to buy the mini-bottle...and quit when I only got one use from it.

I now buy the mini foil tubes...and they seldom last two applications.

Anyone know how they prevent the factory equipment from plugging up with super glue gone bad?

TMT

[Enoch Root]

Well I don't know anything about the inside of a refrigerator that would indicate it was governed by any other laws of physics than those present in the outside world. It all still applies.

And he might be right that the freezer is drying it out.

If the object is embedded or surrounded by ice its temperature will oscillilate with a much lower amplitude than that of the refrigerator air. And it'll probably, on average, be higher than the average temperature of the air in the freezer. Therefore its vapor pressure will be marginally higher and there *will* be a net flow of water vapor out.

It happens to meat that's ruined by "freezer burn", which is just partially freeze dried meat.

er

[Rod Speed]

Enoch Root wrote

[JGS]