Old CA Glue?

[micah]

O.K. I have seen the posts from some talking about how fresh their CA glue is, and I want to know what your experiences are with old glue and how to tell if you got it.
The reason I ask is because I have been using the same stuff for probably about a year and would like to know if this may be why I have a hard time getting a good CA finish or not. Does it not dry as fast, or what?
I am about to order some more and also have another question along the same lines...
Can I purchase a larger bottle (16oz) and divide it into several smaller bottles for later use? How long do you think, in your opinion, will the CA be good for in the seperated bottles?

Thanks guy and gals!
Micah

 

[mrcook4570]

The 16oz bottles last only a couple of months before they are empty []

Seriously, I believe CA has a shelf life of about a year, give or take a little based on conditions. Older CA doesn't cure as fast and will thicken. If you have been using the same stuff for about a year, it's probably time to get a new (smaller) bottle.

 

[Gary Max]

Just think about the stuff sitting in a store. How long has that stuff been sitting around. I use a bunch of CA so mine never gets old.
I store my big bottle of CA in the frig---read that somewhere?????????

 

[Ron Mc]

I purchase CA in the 16 oz bottles and throw them in the refrig. They last a long long time that way.

 

[Monty]

I had a 16 oz bottle open in the shop, never replaced the red cap, for over nine months last year before it started to become thicker. And that's here in Houston with our high humidity.
Moisture,(humidity) is the culprit. If you store it in the fridge, it will lengthen the shelf life, but give it plenty of time to warm up to room temp before you open it or you could introduce moisture via condensation inside the bottle.

 

[bjackman]

Yes it cures slower when older, and yes old glue is probably factoring into your difficulty in getting your CA finish right. A new bottle of glue is usually due when I start to have consistent issues with a CA finish for me too.
One way you can tell it's too old is when you start to get little strings from whatever you're putting the glue on to your bottle. If med glue is doing that, for me, it's too old to use as finish. I still keep it around for a while to use for gluing other things like wast blocks to the end of short blanks when drilling, etc.