I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable containers,
or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid of the extra air
in mostly used containers. It could be anything from 2/3 gallon, down to an
ounce. Although glass is breakable, if I had them I'd go do all my paints
right now. Not only would it be done, but you have a very high likelihood
that you could clean it out after and re-use it for something else later.
Is there special glass for this type of application? I am mainly concerned
about the locking potential of the top. Peanut butter jars: are they any
good? What about adding something to the seal to get it hermetically sealed
(air tight), like wax paper in the thread: this doesn't sound particularly
appealing though. preferable these containers would come right from the
grocery store, after I have eaten the contents. I don't want to spend a
lot, but a little, if specific.

I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out. With a
gallon can of paint, when you get down to 2 inches you can't even be sure if
you have enough to paint a pencil if you had already done a couple in the
past. I am thinking about things like glue, paint, stains, somewhat
thinners, etc.



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I do not like glass,but how are food preserve jars? I know you can pick
those up, and aren't the tops sold seperately. are they just metal to
metal, or can you get a rubber seal in there? aren't they supposed to seal
good? Is the glass breakable?



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bent wrote:

I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable
containers,
or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid of the
extra air
in mostly used containers.

snip
Oldest trick in the book.

Propane is heavier than air.

Just before resealing a can, point an unlit propane torch down into the
can for a couple of seconds, driving out the air.

Lew

also I want to stay away from sggestions that can't be reused, unless they
are cheap or like from the grocery store

All data welcomed



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sounds a little dangerous, eh, what is this



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"how are food preserve jars"

Great, jars, lids (with integral rubber seal) are readily available at many
grocery stores. Also look to thrift stores for the old fashioned food
preservation jars with the wire closure and separate washer and to a source
for a "spray can" of a gas (forget which) intended to replace the air above
the liquid in such a container) before setting the lid.

No personal experience with the latter, just with the old fashioned glass
and separate rubber gasket containers.

They do not seem to do much better than a jelly jar with integral rubber
seal in the lid as the captured air seems enough to "skin paint" or any glue
stored therein.


"bent" wrote in message
...
I do not like glass,but how are food preserve jars? I know you can pick
those up, and aren't the tops sold seperately. are they just metal to
metal, or can you get a rubber seal in there? aren't they supposed to seal
good? Is the glass breakable?


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I wonder what the standards are for food jars, since the lids are changed.
Can get these at 2nd hand stores, garage sales, in cases. Whats that
company.... googling. Then how to store them safely



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just exploring options. Are there any plastics that could withstand a good
cleaning with solvents? Oh ya, and come with a resealable (tightly hermetic)
lids. Haven't figurd out whether "band" refer to any type of rubber or o/
sealing mechanism, possibly in the 2 part lid kits sold, or if flat steel
top, and metal ring = the 2 parts. I know these are supposed to be heat
sealed, and pop, but they must be pretty good anyhow.

As far as sizes go, glass at least comes in 4oz., 8oz (1\2 pint)., 12oz,
16oz.(pint), 32oz.(quart), & 64oz. (1/2 gallon)..



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actually what I'm hoping to hear is that you can use peanut butter jars when
eatened and go ahead and use the plastic ones. Then you can have your glue
and eat it too. I wonder bout sealing those suckers up.



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I use plastic soft drink bottles. Just squeeze them to get the air out and
seal. When using , open let bottle expand to original shape, seal and
shake. I have 5 year old latex paint that is still usable.

KISS keep it simple stupid!

--
Art Ransom
Lancaster , Texas

www.turningaround.org

Photo store has been suggested for collapsing containers. Solutions
react quickly with air.

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 20:41:54 -0500, "C & E"
wrote:


"bent" wrote in message
...
I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable containers,

I don't recall if it was Rockler or Woodcraft who carried an accordian
bottle in different sizes. I don't think they were particularly cheap,
though.

On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 07:48:33 -0500, nospambob wrote:

Photo store has been suggested for collapsing containers. Solutions
react quickly with air.

And Adorama has the aforementioned accordion bottle for 6 bucks.
http://www.adorama.com/DKBAEQ.html

On Thu, 21 Dec 2006 20:41:54 -0500, "C & E"
wrote:


"bent" wrote in message
...
I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable
containers,

I don't recall if it was Rockler or Woodcraft who carried an accordian
bottle in different sizes. I don't think they were particularly cheap,
though.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 19:59:45 -0500, "bent" wrote:


I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out. With a
gallon can of paint, when you get down to 2 inches you can't even be sure if
you have enough to paint a pencil if you had already done a couple in the
past. I am thinking about things like glue, paint, stains, somewhat
thinners, etc.

Here's the obvious suggestion, though I've been guilty of not doing it
myself. When you get doing painting, staining, etc., take a damp rag
and wipe all the excess drips and splashes off the rim. If you do
that, you'll get something very close to a factory seal on a can, and
it should last almost indefinately.

If there is already a little junk on the inside channel of the rim,
scrape out as much as you can without dropping any dry chunks of
whatever into your paint, and then lay a piece of plastic wrap over
the top of the can before putting the top on.

If you're careful about cleaning up and resealing properly, a metal
can should last for a really long time- without any need to find some
different container.

"bent" wrote in
:

I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable
containers, or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid
of the extra air in mostly used containers.

*snip*

One Surge Cola fan (http://www.savesurge.org) suggested a long time ago
moving pop immediately into smaller containers if you weren't going to
drink it all. That would help keep the carbonation in. Simply
compressing the container would not.


Just putting my 1/50ths of a dollar in.
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

'Pro',
Got the 'plastic wrap' trick from my wife, the chemist. When she worked in
the lab they used something called PlySeal {?? not sure of the name}. It was
a soft, pliable plastic they would wrap around a stopper, or lid, to get an
air-tight seal. She used to 'liberate' the stuff for me.

Since then I've used a lot of different plastic materials. For short time
storage, a plastic bag {from HD, Lowes, the supermarket} will do. For
anything 'long term' it's worth the trouble to get something a bit more
substantial. If you can't get the industrial 'Visqueen', a roll of the stuff
sold for sealing exterior windows, air conditioners, etc. is a good
substitute.

Another trick I typically use in conjunction is . . . storing the partially
filled cans upside down. That way if any 'skin' does form, it will be on the
bottom of the contents and the usable portion can be easily decanted.

For containers I've used everything from babyfood jars, to gallon paint
cans. The handiest, for me, tend to be the instant coffee, spaghetti sauce,
and mayonnaise sized jars - with SCREW-ON lids.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 19:59:45 -0500, "bent" wrote:


I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out.
SNIP

Here's the obvious suggestion, though I've been guilty of not doing it
myself. When you get doing painting, staining, etc., take a damp rag
and wipe all the excess drips and splashes off the rim. If you do
that, you'll get something very close to a factory seal on a can, and
it should last almost indefinately.

If there is already a little junk on the inside channel of the rim,
scrape out as much as you can without dropping any dry chunks of
whatever into your paint, and then lay a piece of plastic wrap over
the top of the can before putting the top on.

SNIP

bent wrote:
I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out. With a
gallon can of paint, when you get down to 2 inches you can't even be sure if
you have enough to paint a pencil if you had already done a couple in the
past. I am thinking about things like glue, paint, stains, somewhat
thinners, etc.



Lee Valley or Rockler carry a spray can of inert gas that you spray
into your half used container and then put the top on. The inert gas is
heavy and will displace any air in the container.

Mike

Prometheus wrote:
On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 19:59:45 -0500, "bent" wrote:


I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out. With a
gallon can of paint, when you get down to 2 inches you can't even be sure if
you have enough to paint a pencil if you had already done a couple in the
past. I am thinking about things like glue, paint, stains, somewhat
thinners, etc.

Here's the obvious suggestion, though I've been guilty of not doing it
myself. When you get doing painting, staining, etc., take a damp rag
and wipe all the excess drips and splashes off the rim. If you do
that, you'll get something very close to a factory seal on a can, and
it should last almost indefinately.

If there is already a little junk on the inside channel of the rim,
scrape out as much as you can without dropping any dry chunks of
whatever into your paint, and then lay a piece of plastic wrap over
the top of the can before putting the top on.

If you're careful about cleaning up and resealing properly, a metal
can should last for a really long time- without any need to find some
different container.

Also, whenever I open a new can I take a nail and drive 6 to 8 holes
around the rim so the paint can drip back in.

-Jim

Mike wrote:

Lee Valley or Rockler carry a spray can of inert gas that you spray
into your half used container and then put the top on. The inert gas is
heavy and will displace any air in the container.

The same stuff is sold by wine shops.

Puckdropper wrote:
"bent" wrote in
:

I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable
containers, or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid
of the extra air in mostly used containers.

*snip*

One Surge Cola fan (http://www.savesurge.org) suggested a long time ago
moving pop immediately into smaller containers if you weren't going to
drink it all. That would help keep the carbonation in. Simply
compressing the container would not.


Just putting my 1/50ths of a dollar in.
Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

You don't want to squeeze the air out of plastic carbonated beverage
bottles, because it's the pressure that builds up in the container that
keeps the carbonation in. If you squeeze all the air out of the bottle,
you're giving the CO2 a lot more room to fall out of solution and make
your drink go flat. There are products for carbonated beverages that
actually inject CO2 into the bottle and repressurise it, thus helping
keep your drinks fizzy.

This should be under not what to do if you want to keep a good seal for the
next time


Also, whenever I open a new can I take a nail and drive 6 to 8 holes
around the rim so the paint can drip back in.

-Jim





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"bent" wrote in message
...
This should be under not what to do if you want to keep a good seal for
the next time


Also, whenever I open a new can I take a nail and drive 6 to 8 holes
around the rim so the paint can drip back in.

-Jim


I always thought you should leave a little bit of whatever is in the can
around the rim so that it does create a good seal when the lid is on
securely.

Almost all my cans are upside down now, and it helps, b/c I think it
dedfinitely limits corruption to the air contents of the container.
Latex/oil, o/, who knows: this may be something that could be a solution, if
only I could remember which, anyways. But there is still corruption inside.
The liquid contents stops more air from geting in. When right side up, no
matter how clean your can is, air gets in and out. But a can near empty of
air helps. Doing both is prob best, and only need lose a fraction of the
total, and little scraping. I just need best containers with seals that can
be cleaned, or maybe just lots of them. And how to seal them best. Then if
its unlimited maybe it would be worthwhile



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make sense don't know



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bent wrote:
This should be under not what to do if you want to keep a good seal for the
next time

The holes are inside the lid ring and sealed by a properly attached lid.

bent wrote:
total, and little scraping. I just need best containers with seals that can
be cleaned, or maybe just lots of them. And how to seal them best. Then if
its unlimited maybe it would be worthwhile




Brent, the important issue here is not air that is seeping in/out of
the container, but the air that is trapped in a half full can. Try to
use a smaller container, or displace the air.

On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:28:11 GMT, "Ron Magen"
wrote:

Another trick I typically use in conjunction is . . . storing the partially
filled cans upside down. That way if any 'skin' does form, it will be on the
bottom of the contents and the usable portion can be easily decanted.

That's a good one- I never thought of it, but it sure makes sense.

Before I found Bloxygen / Wine Saver, I used to fill empty space in
expensive varnish (Waterlox Original & Gymseal) cans with marbles or
clean, large metal nuts and bolts.

It worked great and was cheap and reusable.

Unless you have a leak.

"Prometheus" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:28:11 GMT, "Ron Magen"
wrote:

Another trick I typically use in conjunction is . . . storing the
partially
filled cans upside down. That way if any 'skin' does form, it will be on
the
bottom of the contents and the usable portion can be easily decanted.

That's a good one- I never thought of it, but it sure makes sense.

bent wrote:
I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable containers,
or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid of the extra air
in mostly used containers.

Two kinds of glue, silicone RTV and polyurethane (Gorilla Glue etc.),
are
water-catalyzed. So they keep fine in a DRY environment. A paint can
with
some dessicant (I used lab dessicant, CaSO4 type) can make a storage
environment for long periods. That paint-can seal is rather good (buy
a new paint can, though; my used paintcans never look particularly
reusable).

Once I took a knife to the side of an RTV tube (after the tip cured
solid),
and scooped out what I needed. Popped the remnant, gashed side
and all, into the paint can. It was stil gooey and fresh months later.

I do a lot of glue-ups with PL Premium now, and have decided it's
easier to store it in a metal can vs. big-ass tube. The can works
better than the little tube-tip condoms you can get at Lee Valley.

The dessicant is a great idea, to you tape it onto the lid or something?


wrote:

bent wrote:
I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable containers,
or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid of the extra air
in mostly used containers.

Two kinds of glue, silicone RTV and polyurethane (Gorilla Glue etc.),
are
water-catalyzed. So they keep fine in a DRY environment. A paint can
with
some dessicant (I used lab dessicant, CaSO4 type) can make a storage
environment for long periods. That paint-can seal is rather good (buy
a new paint can, though; my used paintcans never look particularly
reusable).

Once I took a knife to the side of an RTV tube (after the tip cured
solid),
and scooped out what I needed. Popped the remnant, gashed side
and all, into the paint can. It was stil gooey and fresh months later.

In article ,
B A R R Y wrote:
bent wrote:
This should be under not what to do if you want to keep a good seal for the
next time

The holes are inside the lid ring and sealed by a properly attached lid.


I have found that by far the most important thing for extending shelf
life of opened paint cans is to never trust SWMBO to close one
properly.
--
For every complicated, difficult problem, there is a simple, easy
solution that does not work.

Larry Wasserman - Baltimore Maryland -

I do the holes around the rim trick plus i usually strore the cans
upside down once I am sure they won't leak. Alkyd enamel gets that skin
which is always a pain in the ass.
The gas you want is nitrogen. Usually sold at auto body supply stores
because the catalysts for urethanes will go bad very fast without a shot
of nitrogen once they have been opened.

wrote:

I have found that by far the most important thing for extending shelf
life of opened paint cans is to never trust SWMBO to close one
properly.

Not a problem for some of us.

My dear wife would typically leave it open and the next morning say
something like: "I forgot to tell you last night that I'm done with the
varnish..." G

CW -
Never had a leak from the lid. Use a layer or two of the plastic between the
lid & can, and tap it down with a rubber hammer {or use a block of wood}.

The ONLY time I had a leak was in the bottom of a fresh can of shellac. An
almost invisible pin-hole, it 'weeped' and was contained between the bench &
can by the rolled edge of the can. It oozed out and caused a solidified
puddle. And 'glued' itself to the bench.

Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

"CW" wrote in message
.net...
Unless you have a leak.

Sat, Dec 16, 2006, 10:14pm (EST-1) (Art*Ransom)
doth claieth:
I use plastic soft drink bottles. Just squeeze them to get the air out
and seal. When using , open let bottle expand to original shape, seal
and shake. I have 5 year old latex paint that is still usable.
KISS * keep it simple stupid!

Yep, tried that. Found out the cap'll seal so tight it won't come
off with pliers even. Had to cut the bottles open to use the paint.

So, now I get packs of snap-on-lid plastic containers from the
grocery store. If the top seals on, no prob, run a popsicle stick under
the lip of the edge, and comes loose no prob.

I don't use huge quantities at a time, so I buy the smallest cans
of paint. Some colors I use very little of, so they tend to get thick,
even tho sealed. Add water, stir, good again. I get just the basic
colors - black, white, red, blue, yellow, green. I get the green becuse
I've never been able to mix a dark green. Then I custom mix any other
colors I need from those. I've found out I could have done without the
black. K.I.S.S.



JOAT
Where does Batman buy gas for the Batmobile?

For gallon cans, I always cut a circle of aluminum foil, using the bottom of
the can as a cutting guide. Then I slide the foil disk on top of the paint
to form an artificial skin. The paint will dry a little at the edges but
that seals the rest of the paint in the can. Don't tip or tilt the can and
the paint will last for years without any deterioration. This will work with
quart cans, but getting the foil disk in place is much trickier, but can be
done with care.

"B A R R Y" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 01:53:48 GMT, Lew Hodgett
wrote:

Oldest trick in the book.

Propane is heavier than air.

I do the same with varnishes and oil based paints, using Wine Saver or
Bloxygen, a canned inert gas. On latex paint, I cover the top of the
liquid with a piece of Saran Wrap. With lacquer and shellac, I do
nothing, as it will redissolve in it's solvent.

Folks with bottled argon often use it to blanket finishes.

I don't bother with glues, as I use it fast enough.

"Ron Magen" wrote in
news:xIRhh.210$Iy5.99@trnddc01:

*snip*


The ONLY time I had a leak was in the bottom of a fresh can of
shellac. An almost invisible pin-hole, it 'weeped' and was contained
between the bench & can by the rolled edge of the can. It oozed out
and caused a solidified puddle. And 'glued' itself to the bench.

Regards,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop

That's one of the things I like about glue bottles. If they get a leak,
they're self sealing! :-)

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

"EXT" wrote in
anews.com:

For gallon cans, I always cut a circle of aluminum foil, using the
bottom of the can as a cutting guide. Then I slide the foil disk on
top of the paint to form an artificial skin. The paint will dry a
little at the edges but that seals the rest of the paint in the can.
Don't tip or tilt the can and the paint will last for years without
any deterioration. This will work with quart cans, but getting the
foil disk in place is much trickier, but can be done with care.


I might have to try that. I attempted to open a container of urethane
earlier and the urethane had sealed the lid tight. (All I needed was
about an ounce!)

Right now, it's got a layer of plastic wrap between the bent and deformed
lid and the container. I hope it holds up, there's almost a gallon in
that container.

Puckdropper
--
Wise is the man who attempts to answer his question before asking it.

To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm

wrote:
I do a lot of glue-ups with PL Premium now, and have decided it's
easier to store it in a metal can vs. big-ass tube.

The dessicant is a great idea, to you tape it onto the lid or something?

Actually, I had small quantities, and the whole glue bottle fit inside
the
dessicator (paint can had a half pint of dessicant like sand on the
bottom).

Our lab also used big heavy glass dessicators, with vacuum fittings on
top
and greased-ground-glass flange seals. That was for the expensive
samples; for the glue, I cheaped out and bought paint cans.

If you want something big, a (dead) chest freezer might do, with a few
dri-z-air
packs to keep humidity down.

"bent" wrote in message
...
I am just wondering if I anyone has suggestions for a re-usable containers,

I don't recall if it was Rockler or Woodcraft who carried an accordian
bottle in different sizes. I don't think they were particularly cheap,
though.

or cheap enough, or commonly available so you can get rid of the extra air
in mostly used containers. It could be anything from 2/3 gallon, down to
an ounce. Although glass is breakable, if I had them I'd go do all my
paints right now. Not only would it be done, but you have a very high
likelihood that you could clean it out after and re-use it for something
else later. Is there special glass for this type of application? I am
mainly concerned about the locking potential of the top. Peanut butter
jars: are they any good?

Poor seal at the lid/ rim junction. You would have to craft a gasket of
something thicker and with better resilience than waxed paper.

What about adding something to the seal to get it hermetically sealed (air
tight), like wax paper in the thread: this doesn't sound particularly
appealing though. preferable these containers would come right from the
grocery store, after I have eaten the contents. I don't want to spend a
lot, but a little, if specific.

I have (gallons/liters/other) cans of various things that get to be less
than half full and then even when sealed they end up drying out. With a
gallon can of paint, when you get down to 2 inches you can't even be sure
if you have enough to paint a pencil if you had already done a couple in
the past. I am thinking about things like glue, paint, stains, somewhat
thinners, etc.

And don't ya just love the crap that forms in those partial cans of $20/gal
latex? You have two quarts left and a bunch of rust dandruff from the metal
rim. It's almost enough for you to change brands just to get the plastic
can.