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

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.

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.

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.

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 !!

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.

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

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

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.

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!!!

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 😆)

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.

Keep it in the freezer until you need to use it again. Works every time and lasts for a very long time

No need to do all this - just keep the silicon in your fridge. You don't even need to fill up your freezer. Only snag is that it takes up room that could otherwise store beer!

great to see ideas like this as opposed to the throw away world we live in

Also taking the nozzle completely off after use and cleaning it out with toilet paper before it dries and putting a small screw cap (ie toothpaste cap) over the main threaded outlet usually works as well.

Very slick tips !!! Well done 👍👍👍👌👌👌

Another tip. At the open end nozzle tip, take cellophane wrap, a few square inches and tie it at the nozzle with a rubber band. Then squirt a small amount into the cellophane to make a small bubble. Since it is not exposed to air, it will stay soft till your next use. Just discard the amount in the cellophane.

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

Your design is great, I love how you used 1×2's to keep it light weight. Great job my friend !!!!!!