Storing Sealants like 5200

All,

Looking for some good advise on storing sealants on the boat, especially 5200 that hardens so fast.

I buy it in the 11 oz cartridge which will last me a year or two... but the cartridge often hardens up before that. Then I end up drilling thru the end of it or even cutting the top of it off.

I've used their cap with poor results, and used stuff like wax paper or cling wrap to seal it, but it still hardens.

I like the 11 oz tubes cuz I can buy it for $15 a tube, vs the 3 oz tube for $13..... so even it the 11 oz tube hardens I can throw over half out and still come out better.

Ideas?

Once you open a tube of 5200 it will go off, just a matter of time. I put tape over the open end and maybe it slows down the curing process a bit. I can usually get several days of usage by drilling out the cured part in the tip. Just the cost of boating...

Put polyurethane tubes in the FREEZER, and they will last for years. Also put some painters tape or plastic over the tip.

The savings isn't worth it to me to have to deal with storing the tubes and dealing with extracting and using the material from old tubes. The savings comes up to about the cost of a drink at a bar. If I used it daily or even weekly it might be a different story. The infrequent use isn't worth it to me in the long run.

717 in post 3 has the answer... Freezer. Been doing that for years..

sdowney717 said:

Put polyurethane tubes in the FREEZER, and they will last for years. Also put some painters tape or plastic over the tip.

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Never thought of that, will try... thx.

And Shrew<
If everything I bought could be purchased for 25% I could by enough beer to last me a week.

I just use the fridge for polyurethane tubes - seems to last for months/years that way. Ready to use and seems to apply more accurately and neatly. If you store in freezer, do you have to allow it to warm up before application?

sbu22 said:

I just use the fridge for polyurethane tubes - seems to last for months/years that way. Ready to use and seems to apply more accurately and neatly. If you store in freezer, do you have to allow it to warm up before application?

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Only if you want to be able to squeeze it out of the tube!

Seriously...I use this method, too, and it works well. I generally take the stuff out an hour or so before use. If in the fridge rather than the freezer you can use it straight away, though it's rather stiff.

Seevee said:

Never thought of that, will try... thx.

And Shrew<
If everything I bought could be purchased for 25% I could by enough beer to last me a week.

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Yep, "Chase the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves". No doubt. I'll pay the extra $6 - $8 bucks every 6 months to not have to listen to my wife complain about juggling half-used tubes of caulk while she's digging for steak or chicken in the freezer.

In my case, it's not the $, it's the convenience of having it on hand, ready to go. Most of my work involes a bit here and another bit there. I'd like to say my routine maintenance efforts are planned and executed with the precision of a military operation - but they're not. I despise having to stop work to trot off buy a piece, part, tube, whatever.

The tubes and other similar stay in their compact, clearly marked tupperware box. In the fridge - maybe the freezer after reading this.

I put a piece of foil over the end and then screw the cap back on. The smaller tubes go in a ziplock bag and then into the fridge. The big tubes (caulking gun size) go in the freezer because I use them less frequently. Usually have to take a drill to the hard stuff in the nozzle, but the rest is still good.

The stuff will last a couple of years this way.

I store mine in the freezer. No real need to thaw it before use. It's just a little thicker for the first several minutes of handling.

I buy my 5200 in 4 oz tubes. I buy them 50 at a time. This is not the cheapest method but it is very convenient. I have a small tube dispenser that squeezes all the 5200 out. Most jobs use 1 oz. Some jobs use 4 tubes. I always have 5200 on board and I never mess with a dried up left over tube of 5200.

Thanks for the tip about using the freezer. I will try that next time.

Like some of the others, when I buy 5200, sealants, silicone, brushes, I always buy with the expectation that they are getting tossed at the end of the project!

Especially brushes. I have tried buying expensive brushes and cleaning them relentlessly in mineral spirits. But frankly, with how we use brushes on boats (not talking about latex paint here), it is a waste of time. Into the trash they go as well. Now I just buy inexpensive brushes or rubber ones.

Varnish brushes

if you store your varnish brushes in boiled linseed oil in a can or suspended in a can they will last virtually forever. Just squeeze out excess varnish before storage and similarly squeeze out the boiled linseed oil when ready to use again. This would work only with traditional varnish not synthetic.(Two part) If desired you can rinse out the linseed oil with lacquer thinners. Done for years when I had Taiwan trawler with scads of varnish work. Never could come to terms with foam brushes.

Ian

ianonhercules said:

if you store your varnish brushes in boiled linseed oil in a can or suspended in a can they will last virtually forever. Just squeeze out excess varnish before storage and similarly squeeze out the boiled linseed oil when ready to use again. This would work only with traditional varnish not synthetic.(Two part) If desired you can rinse out the linseed oil with lacquer thinners. Done for years when I had Taiwan trawler with scads of varnish work. Never could come to terms with foam brushes.

Ian

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Ian , Rebecca Whitman, in her excellent book The Art Of Finishing Wood, highly recommends foam brushes. (thanks, I called them rubber!). I redid my outside bright work last year and used them, and tossed them. It was a good experience.

I know I can take the effort and preserve the brushes but, given the effort versus cost, decided it is not for me! Wasteful probably, but I can toss them in the trash and open a beer!

tiltrider1 said:

I buy my 5200 in 4 oz tubes. I buy them 50 at a time. This is not the cheapest method but it is very convenient. I have a small tube dispenser that squeezes all the 5200 out. Most jobs use 1 oz. Some jobs use 4 tubes. I always have 5200 on board and I never mess with a dried up left over tube of 5200.

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Tiltrider,

Where the heck do you buy 50 at a time? And I'm sure you get a good price. I've tried to get 4 or 5 at a time. but no discounts... (heck 50 would last me years).

If I but the 4 oz tubes retail, vs shopping online or wholesale for the gun tubes, the price is about the same..... so no reasons to buy the small tubes for me. If U threw away 80% of the big tube it would still be cheaper...and I can lay down a lot with the gun over the smaller tubes for bigger jobs.

I think you can wrap a used brush in a plastic bag and freeze it too.

Water Based paints, wrap it and it is fine for about a week of sitting.

I have also done with small amounts of mixed epoxy, it slows down the hardening, can use again next day, but eventually it does harden even in the freezer.

5200 white is available in 1oz tubes. I keep one in my tool box and toss after use.
The freezer trick makes a lot of sense. 5200 is moisture cured. No humidity in a freezer to set it off.

I wonder if vacuum bagging would work?

I have a wholesale account with the West Coast 3m distributor. I still have to pay $6 a tube. If you can get a pro account with West Marine I think it’s $7.50 a tube.

tiltrider1 said:

I have a wholesale account with the West Coast 3m distributor. I still have to pay $6 a tube. If you can get a pro account with West Marine I think it’s $7.50 a tube.

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If that's the 3 oz tube, that's a bargain... will call my dealers and see what they can do.

Thx.

HopCar said:

5200 white is available in 1oz tubes. I keep one in my tool box and toss after use.
The freezer trick makes a lot of sense. 5200 is moisture cured. No humidity in a freezer to set it off.

I wonder if vacuum bagging would work?

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Yes, it does. Foodsaver makes it like the tube hasn't been opened. Just remember to tightly seal the tube with the cap before vacuum bagging....

Seevee said:

If that's the 3 oz tube, that's a bargain... will call my dealers and see what they can do.

Thx.

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That’s for 1 oz tubes.

Shrew said:

The savings isn't worth it to me to have to deal with storing the tubes and dealing with extracting and using the material from old tubes. The savings comes up to about the cost of a drink at a bar. If I used it daily or even weekly it might be a different story. The infrequent use isn't worth it to me in the long run.

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us$32.00 a tube down here is hardly what I'd call beer money! Or maybe you just drink very expensive beer.

I spoke to a 3M tech rep at their headquarters specifically about this subject. She said that 5200 cures by moisture and heat. Said best advice is to buy in smallest tube size you need for a specific project, seal the remainder in a zip lock bag (or vacuum sealer) and store in the refrigerator. She didn't mention freezing, but from the reports, apparently it works!

foreverunderway said:

us$32.00 a tube down here is hardly what I'd call beer money! Or maybe you just drink very expensive beer.

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3oz tubes aren't nearly that expensive here.

I thread a 1/2" #8 screw down into the tip when done using it. The screw often lasts only once because the 5200 / 4000 hardens at the very tip; but I have no trouble using the tube months later.

Be aware that 5200 / 4000 have expiration dates that are only about a year from manufacture. When they get old, they won't cure. Freezing might suspend the aging process, but I don't know.

BrianSmith said:

Be aware that 5200 / 4000 have expiration dates that are only about a year from manufacture. When they get old, they won't cure. Freezing might suspend the aging process, but I don't know.

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I think it is not that they don't cure, it is that the entire tube solidifies into a cured rubber. I have never seen polyurethane no cure, but regarding silicones, those tubes expire and DO NOT cure if old. I have had it happen, I called GE to complain because some silicone before the expiration time did not cure, and I got free coupons.

However the silicone you buy for engine repair, even if ancient, will cure. Usually old tubes simply harden all the way through. Put everything in the freezer to slow down or stop curing.