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Saving a tube of silicone

lkelly

Members
So you've probably run into this situation: you use up part of a tube of silicone for a project and you want to cap the tube to use later. You put some plastic tip on the end and blissfully run off to enjoy your tanks. Two months later you have another swell project involving silicone and you pull out the tube and load it in your caulking gun. You remove the cap, squeeze down on the trigger and nothing. Fast forward through 5 minutes of of Herculean effort leaning on the trigger, lots of Tony Horos language, and maybe a few angry attempts at jamming a nail or screw in the dried silicone jamming up the end. Next thing you are at Lowes forking over another $5 for a new tube and thinking, "what a waste!"

So I have found that one of the cheapest and easiest ways to save a partially used tube is to simply get a cheap packet of water balloons. They are small, cost next to nothing, and if you have kids there's a decent chance that there might be some around the house anyway. Take one and slide it all the way over the tip, being careful to leave no air trapped at the end (no condom jokes you meat heads). Presto! You've likely protected your $5 investment and more importantly saved time and a trip to the store. I've found that I get a little bit that dries at the end but not enough to keep you from squeezing it out during the next use.

Of course I didn't think up this idea on my own, but I did look up ways to save caulk and found some ridiculously expensive rubber things that basically work like balloons. I did the DIY thing with the water balloons and it seems to work just fine.
 

mchambers

Former CCA member
If you don't have extra water balloons laying around, shame on you, but you can use plastic wrap and a rubber band over the tip of the silicone tube.
 

chriscoli

Administrator
have any of you ever gotten a bad tube of silicone? I bought some of the larger tubes of it (the ones that go in the caulk gun) only to find out after much unsuccessful squeezing and cursing that the whole thing had hardened. I would have taken it back, but had bought it a month or so previously and didn't have the receipt.

What's the shelf life of this stuff unopened?
 

lkelly

Members
If you don't have extra water balloons laying around, shame on you, but you can use plastic wrap and a rubber band over the tip of the silicone tube.

I have used that method in the past with pretty mixed results. I have definitely found the balloon method better. Plus I can use the extras to make, you know, water balloons.
 

mchambers

Former CCA member
Just to be clear, I'm definitely in favor of having a supply of water balloons, because they can come in handy in all sorts of situations. I'm only suggesting plastic wrap in case of an emergency where you've used up all your water balloons.
 

JLW

CCA Members
have any of you ever gotten a bad tube of silicone? I bought some of the larger tubes of it (the ones that go in the caulk gun) only to find out after much unsuccessful squeezing and cursing that the whole thing had hardened. I would have taken it back, but had bought it a month or so previously and didn't have the receipt.

What's the shelf life of this stuff unopened?

Yea, if there's a little leak in the tube, it'll harden. You can squeeze it and feel if it flows or not, but it happens so rarely....
 
The key is to keep air out of the sealant which hardens by reaction with oxygen. When I work with silicone, I always use disposable vinyl gloves, and when the job is done, I just cut off one finger, not mine but the vinyl, and insert into the head like condom before screwing in the cap. Make sure all air is squeezed out the tube and the condom before tightening the cap. Leaving any air in the tube will harden the sealant from inside out, making the entire tube useless even the head is protected.

The same principal applied to left over paint or any chemicals that react with oxygen. You can prolong the shelf life of your left over paint by pouring it into a smaller jar so there is no head space air above the paint.
 

JasonC

Members
I usually just twist a screw down into the tip. The surrounding silicone dries, creating a plug that comes out when the screw is pulled out.
 
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