There was a time that one could use a part of a tube, then store it. When attempting to re-use, one could unscrew the tip, clear it out and use the rest of the tube. Now I can't even find a tube of silicon with a removable tip. Does anybody have any tricks to store those things for re-use?
I put a 3 inch screw in the nozzle, the next time I use the tube it gives something to pull the plug of set up silicone out with.
basilisk
Throw away those stupid tips and and caps plugs and whatever else. Keep a roll of good quality clear packing tape nearby. When it's time to seal the tube, tear off a
2" section of packing tape, wrap it around the nozzle and mate the adhesive surface back together on itself, and snug it all up tight so it makes an airtight seal. Best friggin' method I've ever used for resealing tubes of almost any gooey caulky material.
Wire nuts.
Dip the end in Plastic Dip or equivalent. Once dry, it forms an airtight seal. To reuse, peel away the seal. This even prevents caulk from hardening in the nozzle.
Good Luck.
Lee Valley sells a pack of nozzle caps for this purpose.
I always buy small tubes, 2 at a time. If I can't reuse the first one the second time, I'll always have a spare.
I adore these caulking condoms, and get a real kick showing them to new clients, but they don't work well on 100% sillycone, only on partials and acrylics.
I use surgical gloves for finishing. when i need to preserve sily-cone I cut the tip off one finger of the gloves and use it like a condom. it works short term.
skeez
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh THAT is what those are for. I found some of those in the old shop and I ...well.....I..... nebber mind.
It's catalyzed by moisture, so exposure to air will do it in. What you really need, is a dessicator. With a paint can and CaSO4 dessicator, I've kept an open tube of silicone for months with no accidental curing.
I'm told Gorilla Glue (almost all the polyurethane glues) catallyzes with any OH group (water, alcohol, etc), so it'd probably work on that, too.
These work good for me.
I can tell you from experimentation that Gorilla Glue will not sure under water. At least not in the time I allowed.
Notice the extra space after 'nozzle caps'? Caps wasn't my first choice....
scott
Tritto
RE: Subject
The liquid plastic trick is to----------o much.
Better vliving thru chemistry as DuPont would say.
Lew
Ok, I've read all the other responses, and I've tried pretty much all the other solutions. Mine's the best. I win.
Not so fast........
What-r-ya doing, testing 'em all? :-) The only one I haven't tried is the "condom" product, and while they seem like a pretty good idea I have a hunch they aren't q-u-i-t-e as airtight as packing tape. Plus, packing tape is way cheaper. :-)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.