Don't Throw Dried Silicone! Reuse Dried Silicone With This Method

I have used the duct tape method to seal silicone tubes for as long as I can remember, must be 40+ years. works a treat.

Use those extra long golf tees and put in the end. Put a little wd - 40 on the tee for a release agent and stick it in and it will keep channel open through the dried up stuff . This works for a while but not for ever. Also works well with liquid nail, just dont forget the release agent wd -40. I like this video method as well. Will try it !!

Once one has used some silicon from the tube, whether the large or the small, remove the spout and make a small indentation in the neck of the tube, with a pencil. Then smear a dollop of petroleum jelly into the indentation. This makes a perfect seal and I have experience the silicon remains usable for many weeks/months.

Brilliant and of course I chucked out a load of "dried up tubes" only last month. Lesson learnt, thank you.

After years as an HVAC contractor, I learned how to prevent silicone from curing in the nozzle. Take a few inches of duct tape and spiral it around the nozzle to make it a few inches longer. Then squeeze the caulk into the extended tube and pinch it shut when it nears the end. How this works. The ascetic acid in the caulk reacts with oxygen to begin the cure process. By squeezing the caulk that has been exposed to air into the tape, it cures there but not back into the nozzle. This won't work forever, oxygen can get through the tape but it does let you reuse a tube once opened.

EXCELLENT!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I have taped the nozzle end for yrs, but it doesn't always work for any length of time...cutting open the tube & restructuring the nozzle end is amazing....LOL!!!

Silicone has an expiration date. If you have it longer than a year, yes you might still have some that has not hardened but if you try to use it, the silicone won’t cure.

THAT WAS SUPER USEFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VALUABLE VIDEO

예상은 했어요. 속은 안굳어있을거라는거. 저는 그냥 그래서 커버를 자르지는 않고 꼭지만 구멍뚫어서 다시쓰고 다음에도 또쓰고 해왔는데.^^ 그렇게 해도 몇번은 반복해서 쓰게되드라구요.^^ 이방법은 진짜 원초적이고 근본적인 방법인거 같네요.

Thought you were going to show us a use for a slug of dried up silicone maybe a vibration absorbing bushing. I have cut open old tubes before to salvage the still useable contents. Neat trick to make it gun-able again. Wish all tubes had the removable nozzle which greatly extends the open time life of a tube.

I just tried this and it works! 😮 cut the last few inches off a recently emptied tube and popped out the plunger (wouldn’t have worked if the tube was empty for very long). Figured out it helps to use the back end and plunger of the empty tube as a form to stretch the tip over, before putting it down over the full one. Also, you don’t need tape of it’s something like silicone. The residue will glue the two halves together.

Use the dried silicone to clean the sawdust out of sanding belts or discs and material out of grinding wheels or flap discs and cut off discs etc

I love your videos! Straight to the point, no talking, no stupid channel intros etc but HEAPS of useful information. I love the finger wag and thumb up, I always watch every time I see a notification from you, thanks!

Thanks for the excellent tips. Although strictly speaking we're not reusing the dried silicone, but that which has not yet dried.

Thanks a lot for showing us many tips for doing our day easier and funny.🤩🤩

Avoid dried out silicon by storing it in an air tight box together with activated silicagel. This reduces unwanting curing of the silicon by reducing water vapour. Water vapour is the curing agent. Second best is by wrapping the whole cartouhe tightly with aluminium foil to barr water vapour.

Bit of cling film between the nozzle and tube also works (unless you leave the tube for years and then find a lump of bouncy silicone inside 😆)

thank you for sharing useful knowledge

Thank you! You saved me many of tubes.

Congratulations to you for your Excellent Presentation. Not only helpful to the user, but also helps to stop unnecessary dumping of extra waste material.