News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Butt joint soldering repair of a handset cord broken at the cord retainer - tinsel wire splice

Started by TelePlay, July 07, 2018, 06:05:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

RDPipes

Quote from: FABphones on August 30, 2022, 03:12:34 AMGreat thread, thanks for taking the time to document this.

What is the shelf life of this superglue once opened? No matter which brand I purchase or which container, whenever I go back to it the glue has solidified.
Am always careful to remove excess before replacing the cap, and ensure it is tightly on.
You can keep it in the refrigerator and it'll keep much longer but, it may have to warm a bit (room temp) to use it depending on the thickness you get.I prefer to keep mine in a cabinet in my shop and the shop is climate controlled (never gets above 80 or below 60) so I've had mine last as long as several months plus. I've been using many different super glues for years and I've personally found that the less you pay for it the quicker it seems to go bad. This is just my experience with it YMMV.

TelePlay

Over the years, I have had several 2 oz bottles of water thin go bad, get hard a a rock, in the original container (one at a time).

Only opened bottles would go bad, get hard.

Figured out this was due to my fault of dipping a rod into the bottle for a drop or two and then closing the bottle.

I never use the spout/tip to use the glue. Tipping the bottle over and over "glues" the spout tip to the bottle.

I have since found that removing the cap and carefully pouring a bit more than I need into a disposable plastic medicine cup works best. When pouring, making sure not to get any on the threads and then wiping any excess off of the external threads only before putting the cap back on - and through all that, never tipping the bottle so the glue gets anywhere near the threaded cap.

I have successfully kept an in use bottle on my bench for over a year using those precautions.

Here's what's going on the makes the supply bottle turn hard.

By dipping and application tool into the bottle, the smallest particle contaminant on the tool will stay in the bottle and immediately begin the polymerization process. Super glue does not dry, it cures into a solid polymer.

Wiping the inside of the opening before putting the cap back on does the same thing, any little particle left by the wipe that falls into the bottle will start the polymerization process.

Finally, just opening the bottle allows "room" air into the bottle and and dust particle in that air will start the polymerization process.

Best use is to take the cap off, quickly pour out into a medicine cup what will be needed, immediately wipe clean the outside threads and put the cap back on.

Using the spout tip usually means touching the tip to the object being glued and and dust on that surface will begin the polymerization process within the tip blocking it and getting into the rest of the bottle.

I always have an "in-use" 2 ounce bottle on my bench and and an unopened 2 ounce spare set aside just in case the bench bottle begins to get thick.

Just keep in mind that anything and everything that gets into the bottle will turn the glue hard within a few weeks. Medicine cups are cheap and disposable, a good tool to keep the water thin supply water thin for a long time.

FABphones

Quote...You can keep it in the refrigerator and it'll keep much longer...
Thanks, I'll try that.

Quote...I prefer to keep mine in a cabinet in my shop and the shop is climate controlled...
Very nice. 👍
My workshop climate control is how much the door is opened or closed.  :-[

Quote from: TelePlay on August 30, 2022, 08:14:27 AM...Figured out this was due to...
Excellent info. Enjoyed reading that!
That is the procedure I will follow from now on, thank you. :D
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

RDPipes

#18
Quote from: TelePlay on August 30, 2022, 08:14:27 AM...Just keep in mind that anything and everything that gets into the bottle will turn the glue hard within a few weeks...

Maybe mines lasts longer because I ALWAYS clean the tip and make sure it is clear before putting the cap back on.
I don't know but, somethings definitely in play here because mine has also last up to a year without doing anything really special except not purchasing cheap stuff and keeping the spout and cap as clean as possible along with not letting it get above 78 in my shop.

19and41

I've taken to buying the 3 packs of the super glue tubes.  If the one in use gets hard, I just toss it and open another.  I always lean the tube so the spout is up.  It'll last for 2 or 3 uses.
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
— Arthur C. Clarke

MaximRecoil

Quote from: FABphones on August 30, 2022, 03:12:34 AMGreat thread, thanks for taking the time to document this.

What is the shelf life of this superglue once opened? No matter which brand I purchase or which container, whenever I go back to it the glue has solidified.
Am always careful to remove excess before replacing the cap, and ensure it is tightly on.

I always keep my containers of super glue in a Ziploc bag after opening them, and they last for many years. I squeeze out as much air from the bag as I can, then roll it up tight, and zip it. One of those "food saver" vacuum bag sealer gizmos would no doubt work even better, probably indefinitely, but I don't have one of those. Plus, I've been doing it with Ziploc bags for at least 20 years now and I've yet to have any super glue go bad on me before I used it all.

TelePlay

Quote from: TelePlay on August 30, 2022, 08:14:27 AMOver the years, I have had several 2 oz bottles of water thin go bad, get hard a a rock, in the original container (one at a time).

Only opened bottles would go bad, get hard.

Well, not really. Used about 75% of one 2 ounce bottle over two years. Finally turned rock hard and threw it out.

Opened my spare 2 ounce bottle to find it was no longer water thin. Had the viscosity of thick molasses, or 2 part epoxy.

Bottle was never open and it was kept in a cool place out of sunlight. Totally useless.

Tossed it out and ordered a 2 pack of two ounce water thin super glue. Will put one, the spare, in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator to see if that helps.

Two ounces is a lot of glue to use before it goes bad. Apparently the polymerization from a short chained chemical to a solid block can occur without introducing a catalyst (as mentioned above).

All this assumes someone is still doing serious restoration work and might find this update useful or possibly of some interest.