"Cyanoacrylate storage life" Topic

Does anyone know a good way to prolong CA glue so it doesn't dry out. I've tried storing it in the fridge, in a jar with one of those moisture-absorbing things you get with electronics, and just in the bottle at room temperature. No matter what, the stuff seems to dry out long before the bottle is empty. I usually buy the "liquid gap-filling" type with a long tip, FYI.

Any advice?

Thanks.

First, we get ours in the 12 pack from the hardware store, in little tubes not a big bottle like GW sells.

Once opened I store it with the tip upright so glue does not collect in the nozzle. Never ever lay the tube down once you open it. I also keep the tip clean of drips (as much as possible) sometimes scraping with a knife blade to remove glue so the lid fits on tight.

Glue will dry in the nozzle so I keep long quilter's pins on hand to unplug it. Usually what happens is a plug forms and the pin only pushes it down, you get a little glue out and the plug gets pushed back in place. So once in a while I have to take the tip off and push the plug out onto a piece of paper towel to remove it completely.

And I have no problem with using my pin drill to clear it when necessary. A knife will remove the glue from the bit once it has dried.

I can keep open glue for months this way.

it's so cheap that when it gets plugged up so that trimming a little off the end of the nozzle doesn't up it up, it gets tossed

Like Jana said.

Pluging the tip with a pin or toothpick etc is critical. Keep it upright as keeping the spout clear of glue is important.

With a bit of care my zap-a-gap lasts well over a year. But it still dries out before I finish it.

Well, it's not really "drying", it's curing. That means that it is polymerizing.
Since CA polymerizes from ambient moisture in the atmosphere, once you open it and expose it to the atmosphere, it is pretty much DOOMED!
The best you can do is prolong its life.
Do what Jana said, and keep it in the freeezer. Or, buy small tubes and use them up fast.

Industrial CA uses canisters that are never exposed to the atmosphere, in dispensers that are airtight. Buying them in a tube or bottle ain't industrial.

Nobody ever buys the CA that I've recommended since time immemorial, so no-one will realize that it keeps for years in the fridge. In tubes.

Allen

Allen,

Recommend it again?

I'm listening aecurtis…

I use Hafix, which I keep in the back of the fridge and I've always managed to use it all before it dries out. Not cheap stuff though.