Sikaflex storage

[Roach1948]

Fitting the seacocks and it is the second time a whole tube of Sikaflex 291 has gone off on me. I normally store the stuff with a screw turned into the end of the nozzle, but this method does not seem to work. Has anyboady got any better tips for storing Sikaflex, or is it just a case of do as many jobs as you can with one tube as it will not last?

 

[celandine]

Yes, setting off in the tube once opened seems to be a flaw in an otherwise excellent product. I have found sealing the nozzle with a screw and a insulating tape delays hardening a bit, and if it has gone off inside the nozzle, you can sometimes pull the whole'plug' out with the aid of a sharp screw driver and carry on as before. I have at times been reduced to cutting the tube in half to get at the uncured bit that remains in the middle - too expensive to waste.

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[ccscott49]

I keep mine in the fridge, it still sets in the nozzle, but doesnt set in the body, I have stored it for months like that.

 

[Seanick]

Er, one should not really fit skin fittings with sikaflex, They wil be a real Bxxxard to get of again, usually taking some of the planking with them! The correct bedding would be a non-setting product such as Arbomast butyl rubber, or an oil based mastic. ( And not silicon either !)
What do you think Mirelle?

 

[Roach1948]

Well thanks for the tip. Luckily I only installed two above the waterline before the cut-in-half Sika tube ran out. They are new so I hope they last for a while before I need to remove (with some of my planking). I will use Arbomast butyl rubber for the underwater ones - where can I source this stuff from?

 

[gag]

I store mastic by unscrewing the nozzle and covering the opening on the tube with a double layer of carrier bag, then screwing the nozzle back on top. Still sets in the nozzle,best thing to use in the end is a good twig !!