Whats your dye of choice?

[Jeff Roltgen]

Prevention: Get a cheap zip-lock vacuum bag sealer. I've used this to extend life of Mohawk markers, polyurethane glues, and other time/evaporation sensitive materials in the shop. I may need to date my TransTint bottles and do the same for the more incidental colors (green, lemon yellow, orange). Had a bottle of honey amber I used last month that was pretty old (4-6 years?), but still liquid. First time I had experienced this issue, but it had stubborn, crusty debris in the bottom of the jar (I prepare it in mason jars) that just would not dissolve any longer, so apparently there is a shelf life. It filtered out and performed fine.
Didn't realize it could dry up completely, but I guess a congratulations is in order: you found the limit!

[Prashun Patel]

My transitint bottles are older than that. Still fine. No special storage. But 8 years is a good run, no? If you need them to last longer, ziplock them.

[Jeff Monson]

But 8 years is a good run, no? If you need them to last longer, ziplock them.

LOL I would agree Prashun 8 years is nothing to whine about. Guess I had my tight pants on when I found my dried up bottle!! Heck 8 years from now there will probably be a new and improved method.

[Malcolm McLeod]

Thanks for the help, I have a few bottles of transtint that just showed up yesterday. I do have another question. My original bottle is probably 8 years old and has completely dried up, is there a way to prevent this or is 8 years a good life expectancy?

Not sure how to prevent it, but I had a Transtint cap come off - unnoticed, and it also dried completely. I had used maybe 5% of it. Being cheap, I added what I thought was suitable amount of DNA to the original bottle. It reconstituted just fine; I've used it and can see no detrimental impact to color, application, or durability.

Presumably the dye does not 'cure', it was just no longer dissolved ...?

[mark mcfarlane]

Prevention: Get a cheap zip-lock vacuum bag sealer. I've used this to extend life of Mohawk markers, polyurethane glues, and other time/evaporation sensitive materials in the shop...

Thanks for the tip of vacuum sealing markers. I need to go do that.