CA glue storage

[John K Jordan]

Since CA glue is reported to set up with moisture and moisture will slowly travel through many of the plastics used for bottles, this is what I do:




The glass jar has a very wide mouth and a press-on lid so I don't have to fumble with unscrewing, found it in Walmart near the canning supplies. The desiccant is the indicator type that changes color when it loses the ability to absorb moisture.

In case you don't know, Mercury Adhesives CA glue is guaranteed not to set up in the bottle or they will replace it free, no time limit. Made in USA too.


I also displace the air with nitrogen gas as I do with finishes but that's probably overkill...

JKJ

[Doug Ladendorf]

Really John I think you are slacking there. Shouldn't that be a vacuum jar?

[Len Mullin]

Good idea John, if you have problems with the glue setting up or going hard. I don't, I just store my glue in a refrigerator and have never had any go bad/hard. I've got some that is well over a year old, and it works the same today as it did the day I bought it.
Len

[John K Jordan]

Good idea John, if you have problems with the glue setting up or going hard. I don't, I just store my glue in a refrigerator and have never had any go bad/hard. I've got some that is well over a year old, and it works the same today as it did the day I bought it.
Len

I also generally store it in the fridge and have had some for over 13 years without it going bad. (The bottle finally fell apart and I transferred the glue to another bottle.)

But I have had some other, mostly medium or thick, go bad even in the fridge. I think some brands are worse than others. Another reason I started doing this is because I have been experimenting with more brands and types of CA glue lately so I have more bottles around. But since my usage hasn't increased, each bottle will likely be around a lot longer. Since I already have the indicator desiccant in bulk all I needed was a jar for this.

Another reason to go to this method is my little shop/farm fridge has been filling up with animal care things, sugru, water bottles in this summer heat, etc.

I suggested this idea to a friend several years ago who had a lot of trouble with the CA setting up. He put his in a bottle with desiccant and it has been fine since.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

Really John I think you are slacking there. Shouldn't that be a vacuum jar?

Duh, why didn't you mention that before. With the vacuum the gas won't be needed. Now I need to build a vaccum chamber with a temperature-controlled environment with integrated air dryer, cosmic ray shielding, ion generator, and a retina scan security system. I'll put my duct tape in there too.

Wait, for vacuum I need to calculate at what pressure CA boils... Oh I know, use double chamber with the inner chamber pressurized with nitrogen then evacuate the outer chamber. Everybody will want one.

But seriously, a tank of nitrogen is handy to have around to keep oxygen away from stuff. Besides finishes I use it to keep my extra vanilla beans fresh (I always have a batch of vanilla extract going), and dispatch small varmints.

JKJ

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I think you should use Argon for an inert gas, since nitrogen does react with things. AND argon is heavier than air. You would only need to have a purge, not pressure.
I buy Starbond by the pint and keep it in the fridge. I did manage to get a leak and glue my door shut and that fridge doubles as my beer fridge..... PANIC!!!!! Can't get the door open!

[Geoff Whaling]

and dispatch small varmints.

JKJ

CO2 might be cheaper, not good for the glue though.

[John K Jordan]

I think you should use Argon for an inert gas, since nitrogen does react with things. AND argon is heavier than air. You would only need to have a purge, not pressure.
I buy Starbond by the pint and keep it in the fridge. I did manage to get a leak and glue my door shut and that fridge doubles as my beer fridge..... PANIC!!!!! Can't get the door open!

I had several 1/2 pint bottles of E-Z Bond go bad in the fridge. One leaked through the bottom of the plastic bottle. Fortunately I had put all four bottles into a small cardboard box which contained the spill. The other three bottles are permanently embedded in an inch of solid CA. Four bottles of unopened StickFast in the same fridge are fine. I don't buy E-Z Bond any more.

The commercial product Bloxygen is argon. A few years ago it was a mix of argon/nitrogen/CO2.

bloxygen_contents.jpg

One reason I use nitrogen is I have an extra tank on hand. At the rate I'm using it my tank will probably last for 10 years.

Since it is not heavier than air I make sure to snake the tube at the bottom of a tall container, set the lid loosely on top, using a fair amount of nitrogen flow to drive out the air. Since air is largely nitrogen, pure nitrogen is only 3% lighter than air which does not create the displacement problem as with a gas like helium. Purging is easy and pressure is not needed. Based on my experience dispatching varmints caught in live traps pure nitrogen mixes and displaces a significant amount of air very quickly even in a large container.

I also use nitrogen with food products. Perhaps argon would work here as well but I haven't heard of it. Maybe argon costs too much.

Nitrogen is used in the food industry inside bags of chips and other things to both inflate the bag for protection and to retain freshness. For example, from Mother Earth News: Free oxygen is a major culprit in food spoilage. When food browns, its components join with oxygen, or "oxidize," much as iron does when it rusts. Oxygen is also necessary for molds, yeast and aerobic bacteria to survive and wreak their damage.... The most effective way to prevent oxygen damage is to remove and replace the oxygen with an inert gas.... To store grain and dry goods for years, keep them in plastic bags filled with nitrogen and sealed inside plastic tubs or metal cans.

Saving snacks in the shop: a ziploc bag filled with nitrogen works very well.

JKJ

[glenn bradley]

Really John I think you are slacking there. Shouldn't that be a vacuum jar?

That's funny. I do use a 'food sealer' and the vacuum adapter for a mason jar to store mine. Haven't had CA glue cure in the bottle on me since.