A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

I don't know how common it is but I had the same experience, I bought 3
tubes of the same GE Silicone II , used 2 and saved one of them about a
year. It was hard to get out of the tube, lumpy, and never cured, I finally
gave up after a week, scraped it off the door frame I had caulked, washed it
with solvent, and recaulked with new caulking.

--

Mike S.

"Bart Byers" wrote in message
...
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk gun.
I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

"Bart Byers" wrote in message
...
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Will you be surprised to learn that tubes have "used by date" on them. I
had a similar problem and noticed the 'use by date ' and it was months
beyond it. Returned the tube and got another that had more than a year(s)
left on it--I think I got it at Home Depot.
MLD

MLD wrote:
"Bart Byers" wrote in message
...
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Will you be surprised to learn that tubes have "used by date" on them. I
had a similar problem and noticed the 'use by date ' and it was months
beyond it. Returned the tube and got another that had more than a year(s)
left on it--I think I got it at Home Depot.
MLD

Silicone cures by elimination of acetic acid. Think some moisture is
necessary but if it got wet and acetic did not evaporate, this may be
source of curing problem. I had an old tube of their Silicone I and in
spite of careful sealing (Saran and aluminum foil) tip had hardened but
rest was still good. Part of problem is that sealant is in plastic
tubes and these tubes are not completely impermiable like glass or
metal.
Frank

Frank wrote:
MLD wrote:
"Bart Byers" wrote in message
...
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.
Will you be surprised to learn that tubes have "used by date" on them. I
had a similar problem and noticed the 'use by date ' and it was months
beyond it. Returned the tube and got another that had more than a year(s)
left on it--I think I got it at Home Depot.
MLD

Silicone cures by elimination of acetic acid. Think some moisture is
necessary but if it got wet and acetic did not evaporate, this may be
source of curing problem. I had an old tube of their Silicone I and in
spite of careful sealing (Saran and aluminum foil) tip had hardened but
rest was still good. Part of problem is that sealant is in plastic
tubes and these tubes are not completely impermiable like glass or
metal.
Frank


RTV Silicone released a vinegar odor. My only problem with it was like
yours: when stored after it was opened, it would cure from the tip down.
I could salvage a lot by drilling out the cured caulk.

Silicone II smells like candy and releases ammonia and I think methanol.

MLD wrote:
"Bart Byers" wrote in message
...
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Will you be surprised to learn that tubes have "used by date" on them. I
had a similar problem and noticed the 'use by date ' and it was months
beyond it. Returned the tube and got another that had more than a year(s)
left on it--I think I got it at Home Depot.
MLD


Thanks, I went to the kitchen to check just as my supper was about to
boil over. It says 9/06.

RTV uses a solvent that evaporated out, the tube should have a best
used by date.?

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Bart Byers wrote:
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Hello,

Patience is a virtue. It will probably take years for it to "dry"
under the circumstance in which you are using it.

Bart Byers wrote:
A year ago I bought a tube of Silicone II caulk for use with a caulk
gun. I found I didn't need it. It sat unopened in my house until a few
days ago.

I had a pair of athletic shoes whose heels caved in after three days of
walking. The space under the inner sole was mostly voids. I figured I
could fix the shoes by filling the voids with Silicone.

Apparently the Silicone had gone bad. It took a lot of pressure to pump
it out of the tube, and in three days it hasn't cured.

Is that a common problem? Is there anything I can do to cure it?

The tube says GE will replace the Silicone if I send them the tube and
proof of purchase. That sounds like more trouble than it's worth.

Silicone cures by elimination of acetic acid. Think some moisture is
necessary but if it got wet and acetic did not evaporate, this may be
source of curing problem. I had an old tube of their Silicone I and in
spite of careful sealing (Saran and aluminum foil) tip had hardened but
rest was still good. Part of problem is that sealant is in plastic
tubes and these tubes are not completely impermiable like glass or
metal.
Frank


RTV Silicone released a vinegar odor. My only problem with it was like
yours: when stored after it was opened, it would cure from the tip down.
I could salvage a lot by drilling out the cured caulk.

Silicone II smells like candy and releases ammonia and I think methanol.

Interesting. Must be different curing chemistry involving different
end groups. I cannot readily Google up but op's note would indicate
that if polymerization does not complete, you end up with viscous
silicone oil.

On Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:10:19 GMT, "Mikey S." wrote:

I don't know how common it is but I had the same experience, I bought 3
tubes of the same GE Silicone II , used 2 and saved one of them about a
year. It was hard to get out of the tube, lumpy, and never cured, I finally
gave up after a week, scraped it off the door frame I had caulked, washed it
with solvent

What solvent do you use for that stuff? Nothing seemed right to me.


I too have had old GE silicone that wouldn't harden. When I'm
careful, some glues seem to keep 10 or 20 years before use, but this
doesn't seem to be one of them, except see next paragraph.

Although last week, I opened a 3 oz. or so tube of stuff that looked
the same, a clear RTV Silicone Sealant Addhesive and Gasketing, that
was still good, excellent, after maybe 5 or 10 years in an unheated,
uncooled ministorage locker. This tube still had the metal seal at
the bottom of its metal 'nozzle?'.

Is RTV in general the same thing as GE silicone?

So I wouldn't throw any of this stuff away just because it's old,
without trying it first.

I also acquired 2 more tubes of clear and 5 caulking tubes of white
silicone, and I hope it is still good too^^. This came from the
ministorage my friend runs, and the burglar alarm company owner
retired maybe 5 years ago or even ten years, put this stuff in
storage, then died a few months ago and his children all took what
they wanted, and left a lot of stuff behind.

I sold, for 1 to 3 dollars an item, and otherwise dispersed the
burglar alarm stuff at a hamfest, and

^^I also found black silicone for sale at Advance Auto, by Permatex.
I should have looked there in the first place it seems.

, and recaulked with new caulking.

I cleaned it off with some mineral spirits, it slowly dissolved the gooey
mess left after I scraped off the silicone II, without ruining the vinyl
frame on the brand new $700 Anderson sliding door I had just installed.
Stronger solvents might have damaged the plastic..that was a major concern
in this case.

--

Mike S.

"mm" wrote in message
...

What solvent do you use for that stuff? Nothing seemed right to me.

On Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:41:22 GMT, "Mikey S." wrote:

I cleaned it off with some mineral spirits, it slowly dissolved the gooey
mess left after I scraped off the silicone II, without ruining the vinyl
frame on the brand new $700 Anderson sliding door I had just installed.
Stronger solvents might have damaged the plastic..that was a major concern
in this case.

Glad your new door came out all right!

Thanks. Mineral spirits. I'll bear that in mind. The silicone stuff
is great when it works, but when it won't harden, it's sort of
disgusting. Come to think of it, standard Western Electric phones
used by phone companies for decades had all the small parts in a metal
case surrounded in some sort of clear silicone-like stuff. It kept
the phones break-proof I vaguely thing it was gooey, but maybe not
hard.