Workshop tip: Food vacuum sealer makes glues and finishes last longer
By excluding air, these sealers extend the life of your products.
If you have a food-vacuum device like the FoodSaver, you’ll get a lot more life from your partially used cans and tubes of finish and glue. The sealed bags prevent fresh air from reaching the finishes and adhesives, greatly slowing their curing rate in the container. The bags are cheap and the device works quickly, so you can repeat the process whenever you need to.
—RODGER AHLBERG, Bennet, Wis.
Illustrations by Dan Thornton
From Fine Woodworking issue #292
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Which Finishes Are Food Safe?Jonathan Binzen explores the menu of finishes for woodwork in the kitchen. |
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A Working Guide to GluesChoosing the right adhesive for the job might mean more than grabbing that old bottle on the shelf |
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Finishes For FoodwareChoosing and using food-safe finishes including oil, oil/varnish, and film finishes |
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Foam Brushes
Diablo ‘SandNet’ Sanding Discs
WoodRiver 3" Edgeband Spring Clamp
Comments
This may seem unintuitive but for those without a vacuum sealer the water displacement method might work, too:
https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-seal-food-airtight-without-vacuum-sealer-water-displacement-method
The application in that link is for cooking sous vide with ziploc bags (which I've done many times) but I think I'll start using this technique for glue and finish also. It's pretty easy, requires no special equipment, and has the advantage of being able to reuse the bags.
You're onto something here. I don't know if I would want to risk getting water in with any finishes or glues... but you're onto something here!
"I don't know if I would want to risk getting water in with any finishes or glues"
Totally understand- the first time I tried for sous vide cooking I was very leery of getting water in but I've literally never had that issue after years of sealing bags even when doing large/awkwardly shaped foods.
One thing to note: it works best with heavier duty FREEZER bags. It's recommended to use this kind of zip bag for sous vide, anyway, because at higher temps/longer cooks the bag can fail at the seams which ruins the whole thing. I don't image the high temps are as intensive for storing finish/glue but the long storage time in varying environmental conditions would be a good reason to use sturdier bags.
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