Adhesive Storage?

I heard some years ago that it was a good idea to store super glue in the fridge to make it last longer. I’ve done this and it does seem to work. Are there any other adhesives that would benefit from this? I’m thinking of Polyurethane glue in particular as I had to bin the last lot when it set in the bottle. TIA.

I had some very expensive glue that had to stored (once opened) in the freezer.

All ok, until the wife sorted the freezer and chucked it!!

Jim

I have some that is used for repairing fishing waders that is recommended to be stored in the freezer

As a broad generalisation:

Most things that undergo a chemical reaction will do it more slowly at lower temperatures.

MichaelG.

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The theory is too hard for me 

But the relationship is exponential [on the Kelvin scale]

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 17/05/2019 16:24:16

Hi Vic

I use all kinds of adhesives every day and so this topic is one I think about regularly. Superglue does well in the freezer and can stay there for years. The freezer is probably the driest place in most people’s homes. Any of the adhesives that go off when moisture creeps in would probably do well in the fridge. Two-part polyurethane casting resin is one of them and I would think polyurethane glues would also fall into that category.

Most paints and adhesives in their unmixed state (Part A to part B. Resin and hardener) aren’t so much temperature sensitive, but instead are moisture sensitive and so the fridge being a dry place (normally, as long as the kids haven’t gone feral with other liquids and there is space) can be a good place to store not all, but for the most part many of the non-volatile stuff from your workshop as long as it’s really really well sealed! I have superglue as well as a two-part acrylic glue used for joining Solid Surface bench tops stored in our fridge.

Usability is another topic. Once out of the fridge they need to come back up to a usable temperature. I once saw a guy in a lab microwave the superglue bottle for about 4 or 5 seconds to quickly get it back to room temperature. Too much may cause some issues I imagine. Epoxy hardener can crystallise when stored for extended periods in the cold, but comes back to life without any detrimental effects once warmed up.

Agreed Michael. I stored some aeromodelling competition rubber in my freezer from the best batch tested by reputable aeromodellers (TAN II May 1999) and after 20 years it has aged well and is still superior to the latest offerings from the same company who were required to change the formulation after a secret (magic) ingredient became unavailable at the turn of the millenium.

Rumours of the demise ranged from California H&S regs to competing golf ball technologies.

As I am a bit competitive, here is a linky to what the modern equivalent costs Aeromodelling Rubber

* Danny M *

And don't put PVA glue in there as it is damaged by frost.

Virtually all non water based adhesives will last longer if stored in a fridge or freezer. Locktite and PVA should not be frozen. datasheets available online often give advice or at least a minimum temperature. Aero space sealents that are normally two part are also supplied pre-mixed and frozen. Annealed 2017 and 2024 alloy rivets stay soft longer if stored in a fridge too.

I seem to remember from school chemistry that reaction time is halved for every 10 degrees rise in temperature so superglue should last about four times as long in the fridge than in my workshop in winter and eight times as long in summer.

Russell

Exothermic reactions can run away dangerously - ever mixed up too much epoxy resin in one go?

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 18/05/2019 11:21:46

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 18/05/2019 11:25:42

I have only every stored CA glue in the fridge well labeled. All other glues I use I don't have any problems with which include PVA Polyester type glues and resins. The other Glue I use is not a problem a it is a powdered for which needs mixing with water but still needs to be in an airtight container.

Eberhardt I know what you mean as when I mixed to much resin activator when casting some blanks to be turned.

I got the mix wrong and put too much in and the amount of heat was unbelievable luckily I let it set undercover outside and not in the house, and this is done not only for this but also polyester resin does smell quite a bit unlike Aluminite two part resin

A most important discovery was that all silicone rubber sealants will keep for years in the freezer and are usable immediately they are removed from the freezer as they do not freeze. One of my freezer drawers is full of silicone!

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Me too ... but the wider view is rather impressive: **LINK**

https://socratic.org/questions/in-general-what-is-the-relationship-between-temperature-and-the-reaction-rate-ch

MichaelG.

When I was in the Air Force, and on a unit carrying out major servicing of large transport aircraft, it was sometimes necessary to carry out repairs to the fibreglass air conditioning ducting in the aircraft, this meant visiting one of the servicing bays in the hangar which did fibreglass repairs for some resin to carry out the necessary repair. The personnel in the fibreglass bay would mix enough resin for your repair in a small cardboard box so that you could carry it to where you needed it. A favourite trick played on newbies was to mix the resin with twice the amount of hardener than was required, this considerably sped up the reaction the result was that by the time you got back to where you needed it, the box was literally smoking and so hot it was about to burst into flames, you only had one shot with this trick as newbies caught on that they had been set up. It is incredible how much heat can be generated with the reaction.

Dave W