Other uses for Silicone Glue Brush Tray?

[Don Morris]

I have a little experiment going on. I was in the local Woodcraft store and noticed a new item. A Silicone Glue Tray (photo) for $1.99. I'm not a good enough chemist to know if wipe-on poly will react with silicone, but if it doesn't, the little flexible tray would solve a problem of coming up with a supply of little rubber disposable containers at the right time. I don't like dipping into wipe-on poly cans so I use a small rubber container like those in which soft butter comes. I put in just enough wipe-on poly for the days application. Because the surface of this silicone tray looks to be relatively impervious, hopefully, you could re-use the tray over and over. Those little butter containers I had been using deteriorate in time.

I put a small amount of well stirred wipe-on poly from a new can in the tray and covered it with foil. I have it sitting in an out of the way place. I'll let it set there for a few days and then see what the poly looks like compared to fresh poly. The only drawback is you can't put a sealing top on it. But let's see how well the foil works. I usually don't need to keep the wipe-on around long at this stage anyway. Sound reasonable, or any chemists out there?

If it's a "no go" at least I have a nice glue tray that's: "Inexpensive, Easy to clean and Durable".


271633

[Steve Peterson]

I don't see much use for the silicone glue trays as glue trays. The glue beads up so much that it is nearly impossible to remove unless you leave a really big blob of glue.

For $1.99 they might be worth experimenting with as a poly tray. I grabbed a few small stainless steel bowls from a thrift shop that I use for that purpose. They wipe clean easy enough and are a larger size. I think they were either 25c or 50c each.

Steve

[Prashun Patel]

Chobani yogurt containers. They wipe clean of almost anything, are disposable whenever you get the itch, and they encourage me to eat more yogurt.

[Patrick McCarthy]

Chobani yogurt containers. They wipe clean of almost anything, are disposable whenever you get the itch, and they encourage me to eat more yogurt.

Ditto for Fage yogurt (QUART SIZE) containers from Costco . . . . my wife thinks I am a hoarder, but they are sturdy, cheap, good for a variety of uses - especially for painting trim with oil-based enamel- and disposable.

[Don Morris]

Well, if the tray doesn't work, I hadn't thought of using my wife's supply of Yoplait yogurt containers. Yoplait comes with a foil top. Are there any small hard seal top yogurts out there? I'll have to look. So far, I peeked at the poly and it looks OK. Will pour the test material and some new poly out in separate clear glass containers in a couple days.

[Prashun Patel]

Don, Yoplait is no good. You can't dip a rag into it or get a brush into it. Also, the lip on Yoplait containers turns inward, making it hard to pour out of.

Also, no foil top or plastic lid available on a yogurt container is airtight enough to keep the finish fresh. You're better off using a glass jar that can be sealed. Or, just decant less into the container so that you don't have to store any in it between uses; just wipe out the excess, and the container will be fresh for the next time. If you wait months, varnish residue will chip and rinse out easily. If there's any oil in the finish, it just becomes too gummy to be worth cleaning out.

[Adam Diethrich]

Wow, very complicated...

How about just some of those cheapy disposable plastic food containers you can get anywhere by the box full?
They work fine for lot's of stuff, and come with good sealing lids.

A.W.D.