What to store homemade poly in?

[lago]

I lost over 1/2 can of Minwax poly because the cap didn't seal. I picked up some poly and naptha and mixed some up for a project.

What's the best container to store the unused portion? I mixed up enough for what I needed in a Gatorade bottle(took the label off so no one would try a drink).

TIA
Ken

[Popeye]

I buy empty paint cans and place plastic wrap over the top, then tap the lid down. Pat

[atgcpaul]

I normally use old salsa or spaghetti sauce jars made
of glass. Of course they have to be cleaned pretty
well before use. The neck of the salsa jars I use is
equal to the diameter of the jar so it's not a struggle
to dip a rag in. A friend who moved away gave me a case
of mason jars used for canning so I use those, too.
They have a wide mouth, too. I normally reserve these for
my water based dye mixes. They have a rubber seal on top
and I'm not sure if they can resist the poly chemicals.

Paul

[Ken Massingale]

I use clear plastic bottles from Walmart, like made for mustard and ketchup. They have nice little squirting spouts and the little attached stoppers. Less that a buck a piece.

[jziegler]

Ken,

Doesn't the poly/solvent mix melt the plastic? It seems like very few plastics can hold up to this stuff. I tried several kinds of gloves before finding nitrile work, I tried a few plastic containers for mixing, and had trouble. Sounds like a real good storage container though. I might steal it for water dyes.

Jim

[Jeffrey Schronce]

For long term storage I like to use the cleaned out spaghetti jars like mentioned above. These are basically Mason jars with sealed lid. Glass is easy to clean, however make sure you get the lids extra clean as the acidity of the sauce will impregnate the seal somewhat. Dishwasher seems to bleach that out.

As far as plastics, I have "temporarily" stored wipe on poly mix in them for months (where temporarily means that I mixed it for a one time use, had some left over and left it sitting). I was concerned about the containers and kept them on the floor under the bench in case of leak through. I am talking cheap Glad reseal able disposable storage containers that Healthy Choice and Hillshire Farms deli meats come packaged in. These things are ultra thin and have no problem holding 50/50 Nap/Poly mixes. I think Kens condiment bottle idea sounds very viable, especially for application. But one question . . . . why am I so hungry reading this thread?

[Ken Massingale]

Jim,
I also went through several types of plastic containers before trying these. I store thinner, naptha, DNA, Poy mixtures, etc. in them and they do great. I haven't seen any melting or altering of any kind. The type plastic on the bottom is 'PE'
HTH

[Deadhead]

I've only just started mixing straight poly to make wipe on, but I use salsa, relish, and pickle jars. They're all about the same size so storage is a little easier. Spaghetti sauce jars are a little too tall for my liking.
I never thought about plastic. I'll have to keep an eye out for the one Ken described.

[LCHIEN]

When I dabbled in darkroom photography they used to sell bottles with
accordian-pleated sides (you could make the bottle taller or shorter by pulling on the spout) The idea was that as you used the solution you would shorten the bottle until the solution appeared at the spout, you would then screw the top on and seal it with little or no air. This would protect the solutions from degrading due to oxygen or air exposure - something that probably degrades our finishing products, too.

I doubt it'd be practical or if i could even find these again, but I thought they were neat.

[jnesmith]

Since I go through 2-3 jars of these a month, I am never in short supply: