Thinning CA Glue

Being thrifty (aka cheap) I bought a 4 oz bottle of medium CA. Well, it is now 9 months and 3+ models later and I have 1 oz of that CA left. Unfortunately, it has thickened so as to be unusable. Can I use something to thin this glue (If so, what) or should I chalk it up to being "a learning experience"?

Reply to
Randy
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the glue is curing in the bottle. there is no way to reverse the curing process. you could thin it, but then you just have thinned half cured glue pitch it and save yourself the grief.

FWIW I live in a high humidity area, humidity speeds the cure of CA between building sessions, I store my glue bottle in a quart size glass jar with about an inch of silica gel in the bottom, and use a lid which seals the glass air tight. this practice greatly extends the bottle life of CA (at least it does for me)

Reply to
Bob Cowell

On Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:46:02 -0400 "Randy" remarked:

I don't think you will be able to recover that 1oz. However, the next

4oz bottle of CA you buy, store it in the refrigerator/freezer when you are not using it. It will extend the shelf life of the CA. Just put the bottle of CA in a zip lock bag, seal it so moisture can't get in, and place it in the freezer. A couple of hours before you want to use it, remove it so it will warm up.
Reply to
Vance Howard

I buy it by the PINT..( real $$$ savings)

I only open to put it into sealed pipettes

otherwise it is kept in a separate fridge set to cold

opened only to get out glue, Kicker and beer

( it is kept in the modeling shop )

Reply to
sfrank69

Often even thick CA will still work with accellerator. Bob

Reply to
Bob

Yws, I can get it to set, but it no longer soaks into balsa or the end grain of poplar or plywoods, so I no longer trust it's strength. I was hoping thst thinning it might help.

Often even thick CA will still work with accellerator. Bob

Reply to
Randy

Sounds to me like you have moisture in the glue. Chuck it and get some new CA - with apologies to anyone out there named Chuck.

-- Ray

Reply to
Ray Haddad

Taken from Bob Smith industries FAQ's-

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IMHO- While CA is not cheap it doesn't make much sense to risk the loss of a model due to the use of old/bad glue. I check mine if there is any doubt by gluing a couple of pieces of scrap together and then destroying the joint the next day. If it fails in the glue joint I throw the glue away.

Reply to
Anyolmouse

sfrank,

From you post it sounds like you store your accelerator in the frig with your CA. Accelerator should always be stored separate from CA and it does not need to be kept cool. Just try to keep the accelerator away from prolonged exposure to sunlight, which over time can turn it dark.

Reply to
Charlee

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