filler storage/shelf life

[Albert]

Hello all,
As a hobbyist I don't use my materials up fast. What is the best way to store body filler & hardner so it willl keep for months without spoiling?? I did have it in a refridgerator for a while.
I opened up my Evercoat Rage Extreme that had been on the shelf for 4 to 6 months and it had a couple honey looking, crispy globs.(smaller than a golf ball in all) I removed the globs and stired the filler with an old egg beater to mix it well.
I neaded the hell out of the hardner just to be safe. It wasn't hard but it was slightly lumpy.
I prepared a small amount-it spread easily and dried like normal, however I have very small hard particles in it that are creating havoc during the spreading...It isn't hardner particles(have had that problem before, I believe they are bits of the "crispy globs" that I didn't see...
I hate to throw out half a gallon of expensive filler....
Your thoughts/suggestions plz!!!!
THX....

[Len]

Hello all,
As a hobbyist I don't use my materials up fast. What is the best way to store body filler & hardner so it willl keep for months without spoiling?? I did have it in a refridgerator for a while.
I opened up my Evercoat Rage Extreme that had been on the shelf for 4 to 6 months and it had a couple honey looking, crispy globs.(smaller than a golf ball in all) I removed the globs and stired the filler with an old egg beater to mix it well.
I neaded the hell out of the hardner just to be safe. It wasn't hard but it was slightly lumpy.
I prepared a small amount-it spread easily and dried like normal, however I have very small hard particles in it that are creating havoc during the spreading...It isn't hardner particles(have had that problem before, I believe they are bits of the "crispy globs" that I didn't see...
I hate to throw out half a gallon of expensive filler....
Your thoughts/suggestions plz!!!!
THX....

Fillers are both solids and liquids that tend to separate if the can sits for a long time. Usually it can be mixed to achieve a consistency throughout the can. However if the can is half empty the air in the can will expand and contract as the temperature changes and this can cause drying that will make hardened pieces in the filler. Once you get down to a half a gallon it may pay you to pour it into smaller cans to lessen this air problem.

The hardener is another issue. The hardener will tend to age even without opening it and if you start seeing granules in the hardener it usually pays to ditch it and get a new tube. Hardener is fairly inexpensive and it doesn't pay to risk problems down the road that can be caused by old hardener.

[Bob K]

One cause of that kind of problem would be from going back to the can for more filler and pulling it out with the stick that you are using to mix filler on your mixing board. A small amount of hardener could get transferred to the can that way. Not saying you did that, but it has happened to others.

Bob K

[Albert]

Thanks Len,
YOur exactly right, the gallon sat half empty. I guess I will have to replace both the filler & hardner since removing those little specks before mixing is a "no Bob". I'll keep it for the earlier coats of filler where the specks won't be an issue.
Is there junk hardener versus quality hardner?? I know I will be replacing the hardner more often now and I want to keep with the Evercoat filler...I like working with it.
THX

[Len]

Thanks Len,
YOur exactly right, the gallon sat half empty. I guess I will have to replace both the filler & hardner since removing those little specks before mixing is a "no Bob". I'll keep it for the earlier coats of filler where the specks won't be an issue.
Is there junk hardener versus quality hardner?? I know I will be replacing the hardner more often now and I want to keep with the Evercoat filler...I like working with it.
THX

If you're only going to be using a small amount of filler then purchase it in quarts with small tubes of hardener but most jobs need more than a quart. Body filler hardener is pretty much all the same except for color. There are different hardeners for Evercoat's Quantum 1 but for everything else the hardeners are interchangeable.