Caulk isn't drying?!

[BobK207]

What was the consistency of thge product when you applied it?

Nice & smooth or a litle stiff?

Did it have the strong "vinegar" smell characteristic of fresh product?

If not it might have been too old, I'm pretty sure the unopened shelf life is way less than 2 years.

If you have some left squirt a little out onto a piece of paper or wood & see if it cures. If this test squirt cures your installation will enventually cure.

Silicones are moisture cures, they get the moisture from the air. If they are already paritally cured (old) when applied the cure process really slows down.

If you're not in a hurry I'd give it at least a week., maybe two

cheers Bob

[Pop]

Just a thought.

PopS

[Bob]

My experience is that silicon caulk will not cure if it is too old. It just stays gooey.

Bob

[Toller]

I used some GE Silicon II Bathroom Tub & Tile Sealant yesterday. It is still very soft. I have had it for about 2 years, though it is unopened. Will it ever cure? I am in no hurry, but if it won't cure, I will dig it out and start over. Thanks.

[dadiOH]

Does it still smell like acetic acid (pungent)?

[User Example]

That stuff does dry slow. Give it a little more time. It's good stuff. It is holding up great in my bathtub area.

[Fred]

Very soft is good and will cure in time when you keep it dry. The problem with the GE Silicon II is it has a very short shelf life, as indicated in another post, and will cure inside an unopened tube even before the due date listed on the bottom of the tube. The one that cured in the tube is good for cleaning out belt sanders, grinding wheels, etc. - or you could use it as a very big eraser for equally big mistakes.

[John/Charleston]

I've also had the experience of "too old" silicone caulk not curing. In my case I had just bought it from a hardware store but it was still past it's shelf life. Look on the tube and see if GE has a help number listed.

[Tim Fischer]

Silicone doesn't turn hard. It might take more than a day to get to its final consistency, but will never turn hard or brittle (that's a good thing, generally).

-Tim

[Toller]

Maybe a little stiff; not seriously though.

Faint vinegar smell

I'll give it 2 weeks, but I am not optimistic. Thanks all.

[oren]

What can I say?

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[Nick Hull]

Check the date on the tube. I had that happen to me with a tune bought from Walmart with no date on the tube. Don't buy unless there is a reasonable date in the tube!

[Jim]

Early spring I use an old tube of GE silicon for my external windows. It remained sticky for more than a month. I cleaned up and replaced it a new silicon. When reading the fine prints......the tube expired one year ago. I suggest Toller test it before using it and save the agony of removing the sticky expired silicon.

In the late sixties when I was working for an airline, I have kept an old tube (green color) GE silicon more than 6 years and they are still usable.

[Jim]

In the sixties the old GE silicon take a few hours to cure. To speed up the curing during nightly aircraft maintenance we often spray the silicon with mouth full of water.

[Dacore]

A soft caulk is pretty much useless. It's better to have a hard caulk. Since you're in no hurry, you could wait around until you have a nice hard caulk.

[Amun]

Not much,... that post stands out on it's own.

AMUN

[Pop]

[barbarow]

[Puddin' Man]

I had the same problem with GE caulk a few years ago. Didn't wait for weeks. Cleaned it out, helluva mess, applied some DAP caulk, swore off GE sealants fo'ever.

Since then I've sworn off nearly everything GE.

Cheers, Pudd>I used some GE Silicon II Bathroom Tub & Tile Sealant yesterday.