I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G

On 10/25/2013 10:28 AM, George wrote:
I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G


The storage enemy is air.

To maximize storage life, transfer the remainder of the cement to smaller airtight containers that you can fill within 1/4" of the top.
Seal with an airtight lid.

George writes:
I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Give it a shot of an inert gas, then seal it.

viz. bloxygen.

On 10/25/2013 11:53 AM, Scott Lurndal wrote:
George writes:
I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Give it a shot of an inert gas, then seal it.

viz. bloxygen.

My guess, the solvents are evaporating. Either through
the can, or the can seal.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:48:54 -0400, ralph wrote:

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G


The storage enemy is air.

To maximize storage life, transfer the remainder of the cement to smaller airtight containers that you can fill within 1/4" of the top.
Seal with an airtight lid.

.... and add wax paper/plastic on top of the cement?

I've see buckets of drywall mud sealed like that, in the past.

Oren wrote in
:

On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:48:54 -0400, ralph wrote:

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G


The storage enemy is air.

To maximize storage life, transfer the remainder of the cement to
smaller airtight containers that you can fill within 1/4" of the top.
Seal with an airtight lid.

... and add wax paper/plastic on top of the cement?

I've see buckets of drywall mud sealed like that, in the past.

Yep. Sounds good.


I bet pouring enough water to cover the cement a couple of inches would
work too. Pour off the water when next used.

"Scott Lurndal" wrote in message
...
George writes:
I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Give it a shot of an inert gas, then seal it.

viz. bloxygen.

Right! Fart in the can, and get roof cement all over your ass.

I use Ronson Butane for refilling Ronson butane lighters, which you can buy at any smoke shop. Not only does the butane displace the air in the can, but butane is heavier than air, so it forms a physical barrier between whatever is in the can and any remaining air at the top of the can.

http://images.palcdn.com/hlr-system/...20/6420035.jpg

Just take a 12 inch long piece of stiff tubing, like the 3/32 inch ID tubing that comes with a can of Great Stuff expanding foam caulk (which you can buy at any hardware store), and put that on the rim of the can. Put the lid of the can on top and press the butane dispenser tight against the end of the tubing. The butane in the cannister is a liquid, so if you hold the can at a downward angle, you'll inject liquid butane into the can. Inject quite a bit. Then quickly slip the plastic tubing out from under the lid and let the lid sit loosely on the can. As the butane warms up and evaporates, it will push any remaining air out of the can. Then seal the can. If you seal the can too soon, the evaporating butane will pop the lid off a quart size paint can with sufficient force to make it hit the ceiling.

Or, at least that's what I do to store oil based primers so they don't skin over.

PS: People should remember that it's not actually the air that's trapped in the can that causes oil based paints to skin over when in storage, although that air contributes to the problem too. It's the air the oil based primer absorbs while the can is open. So, when using oil based products, don't paint FROM THE CAN. All the time the can is open, the oil based product in it is absorbing oxygen from the air. Instead, pour out as much as you need, displace the air in the can with another gas like butane and then seal up the can again. The less exposure time the product has to the oxygen in the air, the less oxygen will be absorbed into it, and the less of a skin will form over it in storage.

On 10/25/2013 8:18 PM, tommy wrote:
"Scott Lurndal" wrote in message
Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Give it a shot of an inert gas, then seal it.

viz. bloxygen.

Right! Fart in the can, and get roof cement all over your ass.


Naah, you wait for late night TV, and
buy "Fart in a Can". And we'll throw in
a whoopie cushion, too! But, wait.....

Fart in a can, does that make you a
buttstucker?


--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Red Green wrote:
Oren wrote in
:

On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:48:54 -0400, ralph wrote:

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G


The storage enemy is air.

To maximize storage life, transfer the remainder of the cement to
smaller airtight containers that you can fill within 1/4" of the
top. Seal with an airtight lid.

... and add wax paper/plastic on top of the cement?

I've see buckets of drywall mud sealed like that, in the past.

Yep. Sounds good.


I bet pouring enough water to cover the cement a couple of inches
would work too. Pour off the water when next used.

Except for the rust problem memtioned in the origional post.

On 10/25/2013 07:28 AM, George wrote:
I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

I've been working on the same can of Henry I've had for over 10 years
now and it's still just fine (sometimes I have to give it a stir, though).

Jon

On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:28:20 -0400, George
wrote:

I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be
able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry
out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which
rusted the can. Oops.

Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?

Thanks,
G


I've had gallon cans half empty sitting in my garage for several years
and it was still fine when I next went to use it. Maybe you aren't
putting the cap back on tight?

On Saturday, October 26, 2013 9:16:17 PM UTC-4, Ashton Crusher wrote:
On Fri, 25 Oct 2013 10:28:20 -0400, George

wrote:



I have a fair amount of leftover roofing cement, which I would likely be

able to use in the next year or two. Times past, leftovers always dry

out too much to use. Once, _long_ ago, we put water on top ... which

rusted the can. Oops.



Does anyone know of a way to preserve this stuff?



Thanks,

G





I've had gallon cans half empty sitting in my garage for several years

and it was still fine when I next went to use it. Maybe you aren't

putting the cap back on tight?

Generally for stuff that dries out I use saran wrapped layed on top of the material as well as the move to a container that it fills completely. Both seem to help but everything seems to eventually dry out given enough time. The one I really can't even slow down is opened pure silicon caulk. Even with the tip well sealed it still slowly hardens from the tip in.