Best way to store pre mixed paraloid?

[Vae70]

Hey folks,

 

I'm looking to start some preservation work across my collection of fossils. With some solid Paraloid on its way in the mail, I'm thinking about mixing a couple of different batches (5%, 10%, 20%, etc.) But i'm wondering about the best containers to use for storage - what does everyone here prefer?

[mr.cheese]

I bought premixed 5 and 10% from zoic and it came in a plastic screw top bottle that you could open and then attach a funnel tip to it. Then remove that and screw the lid back on.

If there is no air there is no evaporation so it stays fine.

I have seen on dino shows on tv they have had it in smaller squeezy bottles so as you dont waste much to evaporation while using the bottle.

I am also curious as to whether i am doing the right thing. So I look forward to seeing how professional preppers handle this.

Good question!

[hadrosauridae]

I use multiple types of containers.  For mixing and bulk storage, I use glass "mason" jars for home canning, with a replacement lid that is safe for use with acetone.  For fossil work, I use small bottles meant for fingernail polish.  They come with their own applicator brush so it makes it a little more handy.  For the mason lids,  I use a brand called "iLID".  Its a polypropylene storage lid, you can find them on the 'giant river' sale site.  There are other brands available.  Look at reviews for the brands.  Just a caution that these lids are not cheap, but they work.  I have been using them for a couple years, with acetone storage, without any problems.

 

The fingernail polish bottles come from the same website, and usually come as a box set.  Make sure they come with a filling funnel or else it will be very hard to fill them.

Edited October 26, 2023 by hadrosauridae

[jpc]

glass is good.  I like h's suggestion for lids just above.  You can also store it in plastic but if you do you have to use No 2 plastics. (I think this is an American thing, not sure what to call it overseas).  Other plastics will dissolve in acetone.

 

I use Nalgene bottles and shampoo bottles that have been hyper-rinsed.  

Edited October 27, 2023 by jpc

[Wrangellian]

hardosauridae's idea sounds best. I use a jam jar (glass, with screw cap, similar to a mason jar) that would have gone in the recycling otherwise, with one modification: cut out a circle of foil to line the lid with. This is to prevent the sealing material that lines the lid from becoming sticky/gummy from the acetone. As long as you avoid getting any wrinkles in the foil, it's a reasonably good barrier, no leaking that I can sense.

For precision application to fossils, I use a FineLine applicator, that I found in a hobby supply place. This makes it easy to inject thinner solutions into cracks etc. The benefit of the wide-mouth jar is, to refill the FineLine applicator, you can squeeze some air out of it, then dunk the tip into the paraloid in the jar and suck some out into the applicator using negative pressure... if you know what I mean. The FineLine just fits into the mouth of the jar I have, and just reaches the bottom. I don't know if there's any quicker way to do it but it doesn't require any other paraphernalia, and you don't have to do it too often if you're not using huge amounts. I don't think this trick would work for thicker solutions. I haven't tried thicker solutions in the FineLine. I don't need a lot of thicker solution, so I use the nail polish jar as hadro suggested.

[Kane]

Thanks, all. Timely, as I just mixed up a batch (always best to make more than you need) and didn't want to waste good B72 mix.  Particular thanks to @Wrangellian for the tips.

[Vae70]

Thanks all! I wound up going with "HDPE Reagent Bottles" from Amazon. a 10-pack of 250 ml bottles cost about $15 and both the cap + bottle are HDPE which should be safe/fine to store in. Appreciate the tips

[Ptychodus04]

I use a mason jar for bulk storage with a bit of saran wrap between the jar and lid/ring for a seal. It isn't dissolved by the acetone and is cheap and easy to replace when it wears through from repeated removal of the lid. This also keeps residual Paraloid from getting a chance to gum up the threads. For regular diluted use, I use glass bottles with eye droppers (like you would see used for essential oils). They don't seal perfectly, so I lose some acetone over time. I simply add additional acetone to the dropper when the viscosity gets too high. Since I'm prepping on a daily basis, this isn't an issue. If you leave it sit too long, the acetone will completely evaporate. If that happens, just fill the bottle up with new acetone and let it sit, it will dissolve the Paraloid and you're back in business.

[Wrangellian]

I was going to say, maybe some kind of plastic would work also for a barrier inside the jar lid, if you can tell what kind of plastic you've got and whether it will be affected by acetone. Something thick enough to be cut into a circle that is flexible but not too prone to wrinkling should provide a good seal. Anyway, I know foil is not affected and does not noticeably wear out although here and there a kink might develop after repeated loosening/tightening.

Also, I recommend the FineLine applicators because they have a little wire 'stem' in the cap which pokes down into the business end (I don't know the terminology!), keeping it clear of clogging. The acetone evaporation out of these bottles is minimal.

Pro tip: If you're not careful and you allow some solution to remain in the tip after a squirt, evaporating acetone inside the bottle will cause that bit to erupt out, and after a while this leaves a deposit in/on the cap and the collar, but it's not a big problem - you just scrape it off and drop the bits back in the bottle to re-dissolve if you're that frugal, or just soak the cap/collar in acetone to clean them. I got used to squeezing the bottle after each application to suck that bit of solution back into the bottle before it can erupt out. (The bottle is shaped such that if you squeeze it on one axis, it will blow outward, and on the other axis it will suck in)

 

Edited October 31, 2023 by Wrangellian

[SPrice]

On 10/30/2023 at 8:43 AM, Ptychodus04 said:

I use a mason jar for bulk storage with a bit of saran wrap between the jar and lid/ring for a seal. It isn't dissolved by the acetone and is cheap and easy to replace when it wears through from repeated removal of the lid. This also keeps residual Paraloid from getting a chance to gum up the threads. For regular diluted use, I use glass bottles with eye droppers (like you would see used for essential oils). They don't seal perfectly, so I lose some acetone over time. I simply add additional acetone to the dropper when the viscosity gets too high. Since I'm prepping on a daily basis, this isn't an issue. If you leave it sit too long, the acetone will completely evaporate. If that happens, just fill the bottle up with new acetone and let it sit, it will dissolve the Paraloid and you're back in business.

This is what I do. The jar lid will "chew" through the sandwich baggie, which I use, but it makes a decent seal and the factory lid seal will otherwise turn into a melted gummy mess.

[Ptychodus04]

1 hour ago, SPrice said:

This is what I do. The jar lid will "chew" through the sandwich baggie, which I use, but it makes a decent seal and the factory lid seal will otherwise turn into a melted gummy mess.

 

Saran wrap works much better than the sandwich bag. It is thinner so, there's less chewing per open/close cycle. 

[Randyw]

I use one of these bottles. This small one for when I’m working on a project and a bigger one for bulk storage. The seal holds up against the acetone. Been using this one for about 2 years now… picked it up for a couple bucks at hobby lobby…..

[Ptychodus04]

14 hours ago, Randyw said:

I use one of these bottles.

 

I'm definitely stealing this idea!!!