FloatsLikeARock
Cadet
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2022
- Messages
- 21
I hate to buy a tube of sealant just to seal a couple of fittings and then have to toss the large remainder of the sealant when it hardens days later.
Water, or moisture, even in small amounts, is what causes a lot of sealants and adhesives like 3M 4200 and 5200 to harden. If you can keep moisture away from the sealant, it won't harden. Here's a trick I came up with to keep moisture away from an opened 3 or 6 ounce container of sealant, thus preserving it for at least a while.
You need a few packets of silica gel desiccant like those that come in new electronics, a nail, and a ziplock plastic bag big enough to put the tube of sealer in. Heat the silical gel packets in the oven for a couple of hours at 250 degrees to dry them out good, and after they cool, seal them in the ziplock bag along with the new unopened tube of sealant and the nail. You don't have to try to squeeze all the air out. Leave the bag alone for a day or two to give the desiccant time to absorb all the moisture in the bag. Now, without opening the bag, pierce the seal on the sealant with the nail and squeeze the amount of sealant you need out of the tube into a corner of the bag. Be careful not to puncture the bag. Now, put the cap back on the tube tightly. You can now open the bag and use the sealant you squeezed out.
The tube of remaining sealant should remain usable for at least a few months, depending on how careful you are in resealing the container. Yeah, it's a bit of trouble and maybe some mess, but it does work.
Water, or moisture, even in small amounts, is what causes a lot of sealants and adhesives like 3M 4200 and 5200 to harden. If you can keep moisture away from the sealant, it won't harden. Here's a trick I came up with to keep moisture away from an opened 3 or 6 ounce container of sealant, thus preserving it for at least a while.
You need a few packets of silica gel desiccant like those that come in new electronics, a nail, and a ziplock plastic bag big enough to put the tube of sealer in. Heat the silical gel packets in the oven for a couple of hours at 250 degrees to dry them out good, and after they cool, seal them in the ziplock bag along with the new unopened tube of sealant and the nail. You don't have to try to squeeze all the air out. Leave the bag alone for a day or two to give the desiccant time to absorb all the moisture in the bag. Now, without opening the bag, pierce the seal on the sealant with the nail and squeeze the amount of sealant you need out of the tube into a corner of the bag. Be careful not to puncture the bag. Now, put the cap back on the tube tightly. You can now open the bag and use the sealant you squeezed out.
The tube of remaining sealant should remain usable for at least a few months, depending on how careful you are in resealing the container. Yeah, it's a bit of trouble and maybe some mess, but it does work.
