I’ve got a bottle of Locktite CA glue I’ve had for about 2 years. Though it still bonds fine, I’ve noticed lately that it seems to be taking longer and longer for it to set up. Does this stuff go “bad” after a while? Has anyone else noticed CA glues changing over time, or is it just my imagination?
I happened to ask the manufacturer about this a little while ago. Most Loctite CAs have an opened shelf life of 1-1/2 to 2 years.
Yeah, over time air starts to play wicked games with CA. I can only keep a small bottle for about a year, then it gums up pretty good. When it starts to get stringy, say good bye. I’ve found that buying smaller bottles of CA is good because that way you can (hopefully) use the whole bottle before it goes to yuck.
jeff - when I lived in Hotter then He** Las Vegas everyone that I knew that Built Plastic models or R/C Airplanes kept their CA in the freezer when not in use. They claimed it prolonged the shelf life. I never questioned them or argued their method. But I never tried it as I modeled everyday or repaired flight damage and used mine up quick.
From personal experience in RC building, unopened CA will keep almost forever in the freezer. I have also had good luck with opened bottles as well. As an aside, I heartily recommend opened bottles be stored vertically AND in a plastic bag. It does take a while to clean up if it does spill. You have to let the CA come to room temp to use and, eventually, condensation will set up the CA in the bottle. Moisture is a catalyst to CA; in a pinch, if you want to speed setting a joint, just breathe on it.
Thanks for the replies, guys. As I suspected. I hate to throw away over half a bottle, but its quickly getting unusable. Guess I’ll have to splurge $2 for a new one.
Cheers!
In recent months, I’ve had a couple of nearly new tubes of super glue just simply dry up and become unusable. GRRR![:(!]
Must be the Moon, cause mine just exhibited the same behavior last night! Out it goes…
I quit buying the “hobby” CA bottles years ago… I only buy the CA that comes like five tubes to a pack in the grocery store for a 1.99 or so… It’s better to run out than throw out, I always says… And they’re so cheap that way that if you forget to cap it, no big deal… Hobby shop prices for super glues are way too high, IMHO…
I agree. Regular old cheapo Super Glue off the shelf almost everywhere is fine for what I do. Air and humidity will affect it eventually, but I toss the bad and open a tube of good.
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