CA STORAGE
 

Once again, I have a 2oz. bottle of thin ca that will be dried up with 3/4 of an ounce left. It has always been in low light and reasonable temp. Can I keep them in the frig? My father kept his "Ambroid glue" in the frig!!! It was along side of his film as he was a photographer. What say???? Buy smaller bottles?

RE: CA STORAGE
 

I am guessing that your CA is thickening up due to absorption of moisture. Even out of the light, with the bottle uncapped, the air inside of the bottle expands when warm and contracts when cool, drawing any humid outside air back inside. Over a period of time, this adds up and your CA is slowly ruined.

I learned this years ago at a seminar on CA glues at the WRAMS show by a chap who was in the trade. He also talked about storing them in the 'fridge. If its a new, unopened bottle you can get away with it but not as much as we used to 'in the old days'. The reason is, as he explained it, the CA container walls are made more thinly now and its easier for air molecules to get through, once again, to add moisture to the glue and ruin it. It happens slowly, but it happens.

I bite the bullet and buy the small bottles. I always notice a difference between when I use up the last of the old CA and then start working with the fresh stuff.

Just my $.02

Bob

RE: CA STORAGE
 

I buy a small bottle and store it in the refrigerator. It last a few years. Eventually it gets too thick and I replace it.

RE: CA STORAGE
 

I do the same thing!

RE: CA STORAGE
 

Depends on the brand also. I use to buy the no name brands and they hardened up in no time. Now I use Bob Smith and it can sit for months and never a problem, also never keep your kicker any where near an opened bottle or it will cause it to get hard. I buy the big bottle and never snip the top but just unscrew it and then pour it into the small bottle as needed. Squeeze the sides of the bottle gently to remove most of the airand then put the lid back on. BSAuses thicker plastic on their bottles so they say it's ok to put unopened bottles inthe fridge but once openeddon't, because of condensation forming in the bottle.

RE: CA STORAGE
 

I hate those small bottles, they always seem to get knocked over. The 2oz bottles suit me best, never had any problem with the glue going bad, usually just stich a push pin into the tip.

I buy Bob Smith (BSI) CA from my LHS when they get in a new shipment. It usually lasts over a year before going hard. Some shops will sell you stuff that has been on their shelf for many months. And I would not trust any discount CA for sale cheap on internet sites - probably old stock they are trying to dump before it goes bad.

I know they recommend storing Gorilla glue upside down to keep air from getting to it. I wonder if anyone has tried the same with CA. I just lost a 1/2 bottle to a screw top that got CA on the threads and I use the eye dropper type of applicators in an effort to keep it neat.