Hey, anybody have any tricks for preserving adhesives like PB-300 for drysuit seals? I keep my aquaseal fresh forever by keeping it in the freezer - can you do the same with adhesives? I'm tired of going to do a simple job and finding a half can of adhesive mostly solidified...
Preserving adhesives
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mattjm
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Depends on the adhesive. Solvent based adhesives (like aquaseal) will keep longer in the freezer as the cold makes the solvent evaporate much more slowly.
polyurethanes (I can't think of diving related examples, but 3m 4200 and 5200 are such adhesives) cure in the presence of moisture. Storing them in a dry environment will prolong their life. Not sure if the freezer will slow down the curing reaction if moisture is still present.
If you have a liquid polyurethane (like gorilla glue) turning the bottle upside down is a good trick, since air and moisture are then in the "bottom" of the bottle any hardening will take place there, and you can still get the glue out of the opening. This won't work for adhesives that won't flow under force of gravity.
polyurethanes (I can't think of diving related examples, but 3m 4200 and 5200 are such adhesives) cure in the presence of moisture. Storing them in a dry environment will prolong their life. Not sure if the freezer will slow down the curing reaction if moisture is still present.
If you have a liquid polyurethane (like gorilla glue) turning the bottle upside down is a good trick, since air and moisture are then in the "bottom" of the bottle any hardening will take place there, and you can still get the glue out of the opening. This won't work for adhesives that won't flow under force of gravity.
Thanks. PB-300 is MEK-based and I'll probably just try keeping it in the freezer then to see what happens. I may be able to restore some of it with a little solvent as well. This last can was about 6 mos. old, half full and was stored in a cool basement. I don't mind paying for the new can, just don't want to wait to get it.
mattjm
Registered
Just an update to my original response:
aquaseal is not solvent-*based*--it contains solvents (mostly toluene) but cures in the presence of moisture. I'm not sure if the extended life in the freezer is related to solvent retention or some other aspect of the environment in your freezer.
Also, some product labels say something along the lines of "protect from freezing", so that's something to consider as well...
aquaseal is not solvent-*based*--it contains solvents (mostly toluene) but cures in the presence of moisture. I'm not sure if the extended life in the freezer is related to solvent retention or some other aspect of the environment in your freezer.
Also, some product labels say something along the lines of "protect from freezing", so that's something to consider as well...
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