Two QUICK Shop TIPS:

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bentontool

Retired... with no complaints!
UKW Supporter
Joined
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Location
Benton, Pennsylvania, USA
Greetings Brothers,
--- Two QUICK Shop TIPS ---
1) PLASTIC DESKTOP ORGANIZERS:

I used to retrieve things from the dumpster at work and either sell them or donate them. My previous employers were rather liberal at discarding items that (IMO) were still useful!
I pulled two plastic desktop organizers out of the scrap bin and set them on the curb adorned with a free sign (along with numerous other items). One was taken, but the other was unwanted, so I threw it back into the shop.
I just found a use for it! It keeps all my workbench items organized and handy!
I used hot-melt adhesive to glue an appropriately sized block of hard-foam insulation to the bottom, then cut some holes in the top to house pencils, etc.
(BTW, I usually store my pocket-camera in the slot where the calculator is sitting.)

01 ORGANIZER dsc04862.jpg


01 ORGANIZER BOT dsc04859.jpg


2) SUPER GLUE ISSUES:
I occasionally purchase conventional SUPER GLUE when it is on sale, especially the multi-packs. They are often obtained at a very reasonable cost.
I have found that once opened, they only last for a few days.
I recently lost the cap to one opened container. In a pinch, I screwed-on a wire nut of an appropriate size.
I have found that the glue has remained fresh and easy-flowing far longer than the lousy caps that come from the manufacturer (perhaps by design?).
I will now do the same with my better brands of cyanoacrylate glues in the future.

01 SUPER GLUE dsc04866.jpg
 
Keep your CA in the fridge, it lasts for years.

Done this for a few years since reading the tip somewhere, and yes, it does work.
Another tip? Tap the nozzle with your fingernail a few times after use, before you screw the top on. It seems to make any liquid glue that was just about to emerge and concrete the cap, fall back down the spout.
Also, try to keep the tube/bottle upright in the fridge....
 
Never heard this one before!!!
Check out The Venerable Wearing; at some point, he, twenty years ago maybe, confessed he kept his in a box in the fridge - "Clearly marked!"...Gawd Bob, who'd want to augment a sarnie with C.A.? Never mind yer falsies coming out with a dollop of peanut butta, just think what.....eeoowww!!
 
Done this for a few years since reading the tip somewhere, and yes, it does work.
Another tip? Tap the nozzle with your fingernail a few times after use, before you screw the top on. It seems to make any liquid glue that was just about to emerge and concrete the cap, fall back down the spout.
Also, try to keep the tube/bottle upright in the fridge....
In the same vein, before squeezing PVA out of the nozzle, take off the lid, squeeze the bottle in the upright position to expel some air so that when you have got enough glue out there will be some extra 'suck' left to empty the contents of the nozzle back into the bottle and leave the hole in the tip clear . Sounds so simple...

I have tried to do the same with the CA bottles but they are too stiff.
 
In the same vein, before squeezing PVA out of the nozzle, take off the lid, squeeze the bottle in the upright position to expel some air so that when you have got enough glue out there will be some extra 'suck' left to empty the contents of the nozzle back into the bottle and leave the hole in the tip clear . Sounds so simple...

I have tried to do the same with the CA bottles but they are too stiff.
That’s a good idea for the pva bottle, will try it, as long as I remember to screw the top down at all!!
 
I store my PVA upside down in a cylindrical tube. Any skinning over happens on the opposite end from the nozzle, so it always flows well. Not an original idea, but I can't remember where I heard it.
 
My wife used to make pens and used CA glue as a finish. She bought 500ml or 1 litre bottles and put them in smaller bottles. Left the caps off all of them and they lasted at least 6 months if not used up first. West coast of Canada, much like the UK in climate and rainfall so the humidity in the basement where she worked was much the same as yours. Added bonus was never having a glued on cap.

Pete
 
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