What can be used for resealing partially used contents: glue, paint...

[CW]

Unless you have a leak.

[whit3rd]

Two kinds of glue, silicone RTV and polyurethane (Gorilla Glue etc.), are water-catalyzed. So they keep fine in a DRY environment. A paint can with some dessicant (I used lab dessicant, CaSO4 type) can make a storage environment for long periods. That paint-can seal is rather good (buy a new paint can, though; my used paintcans never look particularly reusable).

Once I took a knife to the side of an RTV tube (after the tip cured solid), and scooped out what I needed. Popped the remnant, gashed side and all, into the paint can. It was stil gooey and fresh months later.

[root]

I do a lot of glue-ups with PL Premium now, and have decided it's easier to store it in a metal can vs. big-ass tube. The can works better than the little tube-tip condoms you can get at Lee Valley.

The dessicant is a great idea, to you tape it onto the lid or something?

[e-mail] wrote:

[lwasserm]

I have found that by far the most important thing for extending shelf life of opened paint cans is to never trust SWMBO to close one properly.

[daniel peterman]

I do the holes around the rim trick plus i usually strore the cans upside down once I am sure they won't leak. Alkyd enamel gets that skin which is always a pain in the ass. The gas you want is nitrogen. Usually sold at auto body supply stores because the catalysts for urethanes will go bad very fast without a shot of nitrogen once they have been opened.

[B A R R Y]

Not a problem for some of us.

My dear wife would typically leave it open and the next morning say something like: "I forgot to tell you last night that I'm done with the varnish..."

[Ron Magen]

CW - Never had a leak from the lid. Use a layer or two of the plastic between the lid & can, and tap it down with a rubber hammer {or use a block of wood}.

The ONLY time I had a leak was in the bottom of a fresh can of shellac. An almost invisible pin-hole, it 'weeped' and was contained between the bench & can by the rolled edge of the can. It oozed out and caused a solidified puddle. And 'glued' itself to the bench.

Regards, Ron Magen Backyard Boatshop

[J T]

Sat, Dec 16, 2006, 10:14pm (EST-1) [e-mail] (Art=A0Ransom) doth claieth: I use plastic soft drink bottles. Just squeeze them to get the air out and seal. When using , open let bottle expand to original shape, seal and shake. I have 5 year old latex paint that is still usable. KISS =A0 keep it simple stupid!

Yep, tried that. Found out the cap'll seal so tight it won't come off with pliers even. Had to cut the bottles open to use the paint.

So, now I get packs of snap-on-lid plastic containers from the grocery store. If the top seals on, no prob, run a popsicle stick under the lip of the edge, and comes loose no prob.

I don't use huge quantities at a time, so I buy the smallest cans of paint. Some colors I use very little of, so they tend to get thick, even tho sealed. Add water, stir, good again. I get just the basic colors - black, white, red, blue, yellow, green. I get the green becuse I've never been able to mix a dark green. Then I custom mix any other colors I need from those. I've found out I could have done without the black. K.I.S.S.

JOAT Where does Batman buy gas for the Batmobile?

[EXT]

For gallon cans, I always cut a circle of aluminum foil, using the bottom of the can as a cutting guide. Then I slide the foil disk on top of the paint to form an artificial skin. The paint will dry a little at the edges but that seals the rest of the paint in the can. Don't tip or tilt the can and the paint will last for years without any deterioration. This will work with quart cans, but getting the foil disk in place is much trickier, but can be done with care.

[Puckdropper]

"Ron Magen" wrote in news:xIRhh.210$Iy5.99@trnddc01:

*snip*

That's one of the things I like about glue bottles. If they get a leak, they're self sealing! :-)

Puckdropper

[Puckdropper]

"EXT" wrote in news:45883aac$0$28833$ [e-mail]:

I might have to try that. I attempted to open a container of urethane earlier and the urethane had sealed the lid tight. (All I needed was about an ounce!)

Right now, it's got a layer of plastic wrap between the bent and deformed lid and the container. I hope it holds up, there's almost a gallon in that container.

Puckdropper

[whit3rd]

Actually, I had small quantities, and the whole glue bottle fit inside the dessicator (paint can had a half pint of dessicant like sand on the bottom).

Our lab also used big heavy glass dessicators, with vacuum fittings on top and greased-ground-glass flange seals. That was for the expensive samples; for the glue, I cheaped out and bought paint cans.

If you want something big, a (dead) chest freezer might do, with a few dri-z-air packs to keep humidity down.

[C & E]

I don't recall if it was Rockler or Woodcraft who carried an accordian bottle in different sizes. I don't think they were particularly cheap, though.

Poor seal at the lid/ rim junction. You would have to craft a gasket of something thicker and with better resilience than waxed paper.

And don't ya just love the crap that forms in those partial cans of $20/gal latex? You have two quarts left and a bunch of rust dandruff from the metal rim. It's almost enough for you to change brands just to get the plastic can.

[Doug Brown]

All of these comments are great, and no doubt reflect real-world useage.

The best luck I have had is using propane gas to seal containers. As others have said, it is heavier than air and won't "leak away". I have even used it to seal a container of "Liquid Rubber" for over 2 years and the stuff still worked!"