replacement caps for permatex gasket maker style tubes?

[danielbuck]

Have been doing a lot of organizing with my free time lately, and I've come across several tubes of gasket maker and other products (dielectric grease, and so on) where the caps have split. Fortunately only 1 of the tubes dried up.

The storage caps, not the tapered dispensing caps. They all seem to have the same size/style cap, I wonder if Permatex had a bad run of caps?

Anyone know where to buy replacement caps that are stronger? Or ideas for a stronger home-made cap?


I've contacted Permatex to see if they will send me some replacements, but I don't have high hopes, haha

 

[rayra]

threaded or snip-off, a wrap and pinch of masking tape works fine. Just get all the air out if you can.
For the snip-off type of caulking tubes and the like, I'll usually shove the inverted cut-off piece into the remaining mouth of the tube. After letting off the pressure on the tube. Sometimes with a bit of tape up one side of the nozzle and down the other, to keep the tip/plug in place.

 

[4xdog]

i'd put a small tab of aluminum foil on the end of the tube, sealed flush against the top of the opening.

Aluminum foil will be a high barrier to prevent the contents from drying out. It should be held in place by a little bit of the tube's contents.

The tube threads are indeed likely to be common with something else. Have you tried a toothpaste tube cap? Maybe some cosmetic or personal care product tube?

 

[Slinger646]

maybe use some vacuum line caps?

 

[The Cobbler]

toothpaste tube cap?

 

[SGKent]

all my permatex caps are splitting too, and some while just sitting on the shelf. All the RTV is hardening even if sealed from air. Even unopened ones are doing it when they sit for a year.

 

[oldwino]

Same style cap. Dielectric grease cap failure I’m not in the shop right now but pretty sure it’s also a permeates product. Keeping it in a greasy sandwich bag

 

[Dumber than lumber]

Those plastic caps seem to always fail for me. I have stuff in tubes with those caps and because of the way the product gets all hardened I sort of stumbled upon a solution:
* Take the tube and flatten it out with a toothbrush or something similar. Push the product up from the bottom of the tube with the flattening tool.
* Take a pair of scissors, or a utility knife and cut the flattened part of the tube about 1/2 inch below the bulge where the product has been pushed.
* Now use that flattening tool to force some material out of the bottom of the tube.
* Smooth out the bottom of the tube with the flattening tool and put it away until next use.
Hope that helps.

 

[frank001]

Wire nuts work well to seal tubes and also caulking cartridges.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Gotta to save the old caps for spares. Toss them in a tool box drawer.

 

[mmb617]

I've come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is buy the smallest tube that will do the job at hand because it's likely you will never be able to use that tube again. It's just not worth trying.

Nothing wrong with keeping an unopened tube around so you don't have to make a parts run in the middle of a job, but unless you are doing enough work that an opened tube gets used pretty quick it's going to be dead when you next reach for it. And then you will have to stop and make a parts run.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Wire nuts work well to seal tubes and also caulking cartridges.

Plus one on this!

I have used wire nuts for over 30 years to replace the split caps on all kinds of stuff, as well as putting them on opened tubes of caulk to keep them from drying out.

What is nice about the wires nuts is they are cheap, you can get them just about anywhere, and they come in a bunch of different sizes to fit just about any size tube. I have even used a really tiny wire nuts to replace the cap on a small tube of brake caliper grease I had. It worked great.

Jim

 

[Bogie1632]

Used to deal with split caps and hardened tubes. Now I always just leave the dispensing cap on and let the RTV or gasket maker in that dry on it's own. When I want to use it again I remove the cap and with a small Allen key remove the dried plug. Never takes me more tha a few seconds to get the plug out and I've yet to have a tube dry up on me. Done it this way for years and hasn't let me down yet. YMMV.

V/R
Bogie

 

[Grimpala]

Something I read a few weeks ago, and it makes perfect sense to me. Keep tubes of RTV in the fridge. That's below room temp, so it makes sense that it'll keep it from vulcanizing as fast. I've had a newly opened tube in the fridge for a week or so now, planning to use it this weekend, I'll report findings.

 

[danielbuck]

Permatex got back to me, and offered to send me replacement tubes for the ones that had broken caps. I told them I really just need new caps, not entire new tubes. They are going to see if they have a hand full of caps they can send me.

So, if yall are dealing with this too, contact them. Sounds like they will gladly send you a replacement. They want to know the lot number of the tubes (the laser printed number on the bottom seam)


What I may do, is try to re-inforce the caps a bit, maybe put a layer of glue on the outside of the cap. Or... if I get some time, make some aluminum caps on the lathe.

 

[lilredex]

Have also used wire nuts.


These may work too.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/adhesives/45858-nozzle-caps

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/62622-twist-n-seal-stopper

 

[engineer2]

The split cap issue has been going on for 40 years. It's a chemical compatibility issue. You would think they would have figured it out by now.

 

[rayra]

btw, if you are splitting the threaded caps, you are overtightening them. Basically causing the very problem you are trying to avoid, when you overtighten them.

 

[nzjkb5]

Have also used wire nuts.


These may work too.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/adhesives/45858-nozzle-caps

https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/tools/supplies/62622-twist-n-seal-stopper

I have been using the "nozzle caps" for several years, and they seem to help, but certainly don't cure the problem. I actually double them up, not sure if that makes a difference, but I read somewhere that it would. They seem to slow down the "drying up" process, but they don't stop it in my experience.

 

[mike93lx]

Something I read a few weeks ago, and it makes perfect sense to me. Keep tubes of RTV in the fridge. That's below room temp, so it makes sense that it'll keep it from vulcanizing as fast. I've had a newly opened tube in the fridge for a week or so now, planning to use it this weekend, I'll report findings.

Huh, and here I am just keeping food on my fridge... So much to learn.

I'll throw a partial tube away way before it gets store next to my milk and butter

 

[bwringer]

Wire nuts work well to seal tubes and also caulking cartridges.

Yep. There always seem to be plenty of assorted wire nuts around. I bought, like, one assortment package of wire nuts ten years ago, and I think they're slowly reproducing.

I've come to the conclusion that the best thing to do is buy the smallest tube that will do the job at hand because it's likely you will never be able to use that tube again. It's just not worth trying.

Nothing wrong with keeping an unopened tube around so you don't have to make a parts run in the middle of a job, but unless you are doing enough work that an opened tube gets used pretty quick it's going to be dead when you next reach for it. And then you will have to stop and make a parts run.

Yep. For things like RTV, adhesives, etc. any use you get past the first use is pure bonus. I always make sure I have an unopened tube of glop around.

The last tube is inevitably hardened in the nozzle, but often I can poke a hole somewhere to access a pocket of virgin goop.

They do make smaller tubes of RTV, but they usually cost about the same or only a little less, and you have less choice.


Now, if someone could invent a way to keep any style of container of dielectric grease from inevitably turning into a sticky, slippery, gooey mess, they'd have my business forever.

 

[danielbuck]

I have a large can of anti-seize that I've had for 15 years. I have to mix it up a bit, but it works. I wish all products could be in such good containers