H5606

Refrigeration seems a common way to prolong life of unopened CA but can you do the same with an open bottle?

JCOKEEFE

My Feedback: (2)

Absolutely. I keep my opened, capped bottles in the refrig. Been doing it for years.

red head

Just be sure the cap is air tight . ENJOY !!! RED

DGrant

My Feedback: (4)

Yep. I keep a few extra "new" uncut caps/lids I swap out for the open/cut caps if I'm not using the CA for a while.. just for good measure..I'll buy half dozen or so.. when they're available at the LHS.. .. I started that years ago. Probably about when a CA tip went south in the middle of building.

If the cap/tip is decently clean, and doesn't have dried CA on it yet, I'll use it for sure.... as the cap should snap on reasonably.. but if the cap is well used, and has residual dried CA on it still even after cleanings... I just rotate in a new cap...new caps are kind of handy to have... and reasonably cheap....I do clean the caps as I use them of course... but after a bit of heavy useage, and a few cleanings.. a new cap just seems to work better, and uses the glue to the fullest.

and I keep my CA in my garage friggie with my beer.

H5606

Once you pull it from the 'fridge', do you take any special precautions before re-opening - like allowing it to achieve room temp and then using - or just use immediately?

Does it then get recapped and put back in the refrigerator (multiple times)?

Wondering if opening while cold allows moisture to be introduced resulting in shortened lifespan. Thanks for the replies.

raptureboy

Straight from the pro's BSI http://www.bsi-inc.com/hobby/ask_glue_pros.html#quest1 Exposure to heat and moisture are the two main factors in decreasing the shelf life of CA. If kept at normal room temperature (74°F) and humidity levels, BSI’s regular CAs will have a shelf life of over two years. Unopened bottles can be stored in a freezer, but this offers little or no advantage over storage in a refrigerator. CA bottles can be stored in a sealed container inside the refrigerator to isolate them from moisture. Adding a desiccant (silica gel) to the container can extend the life of the CA to over four years. Opened bottles that are frequently used should not be put into into the fridge since condensation can occur inside the bottle. Accelerator should never be stored with CA.

DavidAgar

My Feedback: (108)

I store my extra CA in an old Tupperware container in the fridge. I have some CA in it that are 3 years old and just as good as the day I bought them. I have a 1 ounce bottle on my work bench that I use to build with and I have never had any go bad. I use the 8 ounce bottles to refill my bottles on the work bench. I use only Bob Smith CA so that may make a difference..... Good Luck, Dave

H5606

The reason for my question is that I've seen numerous bottles of CA go bad over the years - both the thin and thicker, gap filling varieties. I don't use it a lot but it comes in handy sometimes for certain things like installing CA hinges, repairs using baking soda, glassing, tacking parts together, etc. For that reason and because it doesn't seem to last long, I buy it in small amounts (1/2 oz.).

I've been storing unopened bottles in the refrigerator.
Then, in a dark cabinet in an environmentally stable, basement workshop after opening.
I do recap the bottle after each use.
I do store my accelerator in a completely different cabinet some distance away from the CA.

Lately, I've been using Carl Goldberg Jet but have seen all go bad in months rather than years including Bob Smith Industries, Pacer, CG Jet, Satellite City Hot Stuff... Maybe I don't build enough or fast enough.

Charlee Smith

1/2 oz bottles will have a shorter shelf life since the wall thickness of their plastic is less than the larger 1 & 2 ounce bottles. The thickness has to be reduced so that the smaller bottles can be squeezed. Moisture can works it way through the thinner plastic faster. Many basements have a higher humidity level, which is not conducive to longer CA shelf life.

bhady

I store mine in an air-tight ammo can along with some desiccant that came packaged with a small appliance. This has worked very well for me, a couple of opened bottles over a year old.