Good Question!
What is the self life of Alumilite?
I know my P.R. starts to change after 3 months. It loses that nice blue color and goes a little thick takes a little longer to set up.
Hello,
According to the manufacturer, "unopened containers" of Alumilite have a shelf life of one year. Once the container is opened, it should be stored in a cool, dry place yada, yada, yada... I would also add that it's a good idea to apply an inert gas blanket into the container to prevent moisture laden air from contacting the resin whilst it is being stored.
This is particularly handy if you go long periods of time between using your resin. If you pour it all in a couple of days, then it's not really necessary. My planned production schedule will consume 110 gallons of resin every 6 - 8 weeks, but I don't like to take chances, so I will be gassing those fat 55 gallon drums every time they get opened.
(My studio is now climate controlled 24/7, which greatly reduces the ambient humidity level which now averages 35% with a supplemental dehumidifier running. Even with that, I still apply a gas blanket to everything that could benefit from one).
If you're in a really dry environment like Arizona, you might get away with no gas blanket at all. However, I live in the heat and humidity capital of the known and unknown universe (Houston, Texas), so I apply a gas blanket to everything that could benefit from it to prevent moisture, oxygen, or other ambient air components from degrading any product during storage.
Bloxygen would work great if you're a small scale user, or a few shots of Nitrogen if you're a high volume power user like me.
I have a 125 cubic foot Nitrogen (full tank is 2,200 psi) tank that I use for blanketing resins, finishes, and some adhesives as well as many other products in my studio. Cost to refill the tank is a measly $13.00 USD. I use a flow meter valve to dispense the gas at a very low psi. Works a treat and satisfies the cheapskate in me.
