Storing CA glue

[Stuart Reid]

We travel quite a bit during the summer and when we return home my CA glue is normally all hardened in the container. I always leave the top off after opening a container as I have been told that the lack of air is what makes it harden. What can I do to extend the life of my CA glue? Refrigerator, top on, buy smaller bottles, etc.

Stu

[Fred Belknap]

In the refrigerator with lids on. I have kept it over a year and it is still good. I buy thin CA in 16oz containers and keep it in the fridg, fill up smaller bottle to use in shop.

[Robert Hayward]

Same here as Fred. In the fridge with a cap securely in place. Buy the big economy size and refill the small bottles for daily use. I also get replacement tips at the hobby store for when the applicator tips get too buggered up to clean.

In case you are not aware, acetone cleans up and allows dried CA to be removed. If my small daily use bottles get too gummed up I put the empty bottle in a small glass container with an ounce or two of acetone. Leave it overnight with the lid on and the next morning you have a clean bottle and tip.

[Dwight Rutherford]

Ditto with Fred and Robert.

[Stuart Reid]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give that a try this summer.

Stu

[Roger Chandler]

Lack of air in the bottle is what keeps it in liquid form..........keep the top on the bottle and store in a refrigerator if possible. I have bottles that are just fine and have been with me for 3 or 4 years. I buy in quantity [big refill bottles] from our club.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give that a try this summer.

Stu

If you coat a pen blank with CA it will harden up, so not because of a lack of air.

Moisture is one of the things that do harden the CA, for that reason you have to refill your small bottle and keep it closed till it has warmed up to your shop temp.

Also the larger bottle that you keep in the fridge, do keep the top on and do not get it damp from the warmer air when refilling the small bottle, so make it quick and right back into the fridge.

[John K Jordan]

We travel quite a bit during the summer and when we return home my CA glue is normally all hardened in the container. I always leave the top off after opening a container as I have been told that the lack of air is what makes it harden. What can I do to extend the life of my CA glue? Refrigerator, top on, buy smaller bottles, etc.

Stu
I understand that CA glue is normally formulated to set up with moisture. Mercury Adhesives, a premier supplier of made-in-USA CA even bottles their glue in a special plastic that unlike most will keep out moisture.

Based on that, I remove the moisture. Desiccant beads in a closed container does this nicely. I use the indicator type of desiccant that turns from blue to red when it needs to be heated to redry. (Desiccant purchased from Amazon)

I have since found a much better container at Walmart, larger, wider mouth and a nice latch, but this is what I used before:

348413

Before I started using this method I stored bottles on a door shelf in the shop fridge with the cap on. These stayed liquid for years; the container on some deteriorated before the glue did.

JKJ

[Paul Gilbert]

I keep my big bottles tightly capped in the freezer. They do not freeze there and benefit from the lower temp. The speed of a chemical reaction in general will double for every 10 degree C. temp. rise, so if your fridge is at 40 and the freezer is at 0 F. (25 degree C delta) the rate of change would be about 1/5 that of the fridge.

CA requires water and a source of the OH radical. In a pinch, Windex will work as an accelerator. The commercial ones are a water solution of an organic amine (organic base). The OH in windex is the ammonia content.

[glenn bradley]

As mentioned, moisture is one thing that will make CA setup. You do need to watch the temperature changes if you refrigerate it or you'll get moisture and premature setup. Your satisfaction with your chosen method will vary with your local weather/humidity. I put mine in a mason jar and suck the air out with a "FoodSaver" kitchen appliance. I have had no problems since starting this method but, obviously other methods work as well.