Permalyn Gun Stock Finish

[QuanLoi]

I just opened an old can of this finish, half full, and noticed a thin layer of the surface has and dried out.  Beneath that layer is a somewhat thickened liquid of the finish.  Can this product be thinned out by adding a small amount of clear paint thiner?

Thanks in advance...

Decker

[smallpatch]

You can try it, but chances are, it will not dry well.
Self like on it is not very long.  I'd try it on a scrap first, before you put it on something you want to keep.

[Acer Saccharum]

My guess is that the polymer chains have started linking up, like it's curing in the can.

[Kermit]

When you replace it, you can extend the life after opening by dropping marbles into the container until there is little or no room for air before replacing the lid. I've known some who do the same using small stones, but you want to be sure it's a non-soluble stone like granite, quartz, agate. Well washed, rinsed, and dried.

There are also products in aerosol cans that will let you discharge a heavier than air gas into the container that will displace the air and keep it from turning as quickly.

Neither method is forever, but they help.

[eddillon]

I transfer the finish to a flexible plastic bottle.  As I use it, I squeeze the bottle  to get most of the air out before recapping it.  Recap tightly and you can keep the finish fresh for months.  I have some Permalyn that I have used for over a year. 

[B Shipman]

I've use'd the stuff for 20 years or more and think it's the best finish on the planet. There are ways to extend it, but once a skin has formed , it's a goner. There are tricks to using it.

[blaksmth]

I learned a long tome ago to put the lid on tight and turn the can upside down and this will help keep the air out and prolong the shelf life on a lot of things 

[bgf]

I learned a long tome ago to put the lid on tight and turn the can upside down and this will help keep the air out and prolong the shelf life on a lot of things 

This is what I do, but I don't store them upside down (not sure if that is what you are saying).  Another simple trick is to pour what you need out of the "big can" into plastic bottles (I use opaque vitamin and joint supplement bottles) and work out of there.  That limits the time the main can is exposed to air.  The little bottles last for only weeks or months (if there is anything left in them after a project), while the big can will last possibly a couple of years.

[QuanLoi]

As an update to the above question:  I mixed a small amount of paint thinner to the Permalyn Finish that had thickened to the consistency of thick molasses.   The result was that the finish thinned out to the point where it was workable with a brush.  I tested it on a scrap, stained piece of maple and it dried within two hours to a luster finish.  I'll probably use it as a sealer.

Decker

[Nate McKenzie]

If its LMF brand, I have added their sealer to the thickened finish and it seems to work as good as new.

[t.caster]

I have been storing it upside down in a plastic baggy (in case it springs a leak) for a couple years now. It really seems to extend the life of it. All these supplies are getting too expensive to toss out before it is used up.

[flehto]

I only use LMF sealer and don't save the remainder....it's cheap enough to buy new for the next rifle......Fred

[WadePatton]

...
There are also products in aerosol cans that will let you discharge a heavier than air gas into the container that will displace the air and keep it from turning as quickly...

nitrogen is what is  used mostly, but argon or co2 might work as well (for those of us with shielding gases for welding or beer on tap ).  

Exclusion of oxygen is the trick-same as in using smaller containers or refilling container with inert solids, only different.  

[necchi]

or co2 might work as well

I'm glad someone finally mentioned that.
I've been using the old dish soap bottle, aquarium tubing, vinegar and bakeng soda trick for years.
Vinegar + Baking soda = CO2
Attach the tubing to the spin off top of the bottle.
I add the Baking soda first, then pour in Vinegar,
When it's done with all the fizzing, the bottle is full of CO2.
Tip the lid on your can of XXX, put the clean dry hose in, then squeeze the bottle to displace the Oxygen with the CO2.

The learning curve is not to over do the vinegar/soda mix. You want reaction but not so much as to spill/spit into the hose.