Caulk issue


  #1  
Old 01-31-10, 09:27 AM
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Caulk issue

You open a tube of silicone caulk and put it away for a few weeks and the tip is clogged. You push a finish nail through the cured stuff, but apparently this just pushes the plug backwards into the fresh stuff and when you pump it gets pushed to the tip and cloggs again.

Is there a solution for this problem other than cutting off the tapered part of the tip?
 
  #2  
Old 01-31-10, 12:55 PM
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How long of a nail are you using? It takes a bigger hole at the tip but a nail works best if it can go all the way to the tube, not just the tip.
 
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Old 01-31-10, 01:16 PM
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The longest finish nails I could find, 3 or 3-1/2", yes they reach to the tube.
 
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Old 01-31-10, 01:36 PM
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If the nail isn't sealling good enough by itself, add a piece of tape to the tip.
 
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Old 02-02-10, 10:39 PM
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i use these things that look ilke mini condoms but are meant for silicone tubes.. they work pretty good :P
 
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Old 02-03-10, 03:59 AM
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Mini condoms?

I'm not keeping a nail in the tip. I'm either using the cap supplied with the tube or the caps you buy. I'm not just leaving the tip exposed. Even so, with 100% silicone I get the clogging problem.

Steve
 

Last edited by suobs; 02-03-10 at 05:58 AM.
  #7  
Old 02-03-10, 05:01 AM
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Using a cap is only a short term solution. Inserting a nail and leaving it in the tube's spout seals the tube at the base of the spout. This prevents the caulk in the tip from hardening - it pushes most of it back into the tube. I've been using this method for 40 yrs with good results.
 
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Old 02-03-10, 06:08 PM
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Thanks! This is going to sound like an idiotic question, but can you recommend a specific nail type and size?
 
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Old 02-03-10, 06:32 PM
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Heh heh. As for the caps, I always squirt the cap full of silicone b4 I put it back on, leaving no air space. If no cap, the size of the nail kind of depends on the size of the tip you have cut. A gutter spike works quite well, since it's 6" long, but it might be a little thick for your nozzle. A 16d box or common nail would work. Like Marksr said, it needs to be long enough to reach all the way through the nozzle. You'd probably want a galvanized nail for anything latex so that it doesn't rust.

Silicone is especially bad since it likes to cure back into the tube. I'm interested by the mini-condom product, though. Not for me... for the caulking!
 
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Old 02-04-10, 04:57 AM
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I guess I'll try a nail under the cap!

Thanks.
 
 

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