sharris Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 I occasionally use d-limonene as it's the most gentle solvent I have. Mostly I use it for roofs with 5-thou slates, as any other solvent eats straight through them. However the limonene I'm using at the moment seems to be more feeble than I remember it from the last time I used it, seeming to take much longer for anything to grab. The bottle I'm using must be a couple of years old. Does it have a shelf life and degrade with age, or could I have done something to contaminate it? None of my other solvents seem to lose their power - although, to be honest, they get used up more quickly anyway! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 If it's a gentle solvent, is it actually constituted of an active ingredient and a dilutant? Because, if it is, it's possible the likely more volatile active bit has evaporated over time, leaving you with a bottle of water (or whatever). 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted March 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2020 I bought a litre of it several years ago and I'm still using it without any problems. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Enterprisingwestern Posted March 1, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2020 1 hour ago, Siberian Snooper said: I bought a litre of it several years ago and I'm still using it without any problems. Presumably decanting it as you go along and leaving the 1 litre container firmly sealed inbetween times? Not being a chemist, but, I would imagine the aggressive part of the adhesive will flash off if the lid is left off the bottle for any length of time, I have had a similar problem with other such glues. Mike. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted March 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2020 I'm using the similar Orange Turpene and my bottle is now about 3 years old - no sign of it becoming weaker when I used some a couple of weeks ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted March 1, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 1, 2020 21 minutes ago, newbryford said: I'm using the similar Orange Turpene and my bottle is now about 3 years old - no sign of it becoming weaker when I used some a couple of weeks ago. My Turpine bottle is slowly contracting inwards after just having a look! I'll have to find a glass bottle! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted March 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 1, 2020 Limonene is widely available as a food ingredient as well as a de-greaser so it hardly needs diluting to stretch it out. It is not miscible with water, and with a boiling point of around 176C almost anything that you might think as a cheap solvent is going to be more volatile not less. So if it were diluted with anything it would over time become more concentrated and more effective not less. The molecule looks to be a pretty stable one and while it can be chemically attacked, I doubt that simple storage would cause a major chemical change. I doubt therefore that your bottle has "gone off". 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 16 hours ago, sharris said: ...However the limonene I'm using at the moment seems to be more feeble than I remember it from the last time I used it, seeming to take much longer for anything to grab... You wouldn't be working in a cold room, or the limonene or workpiece is cold by any chance? Very (very!) loose rule of thumb is that solvent function drops by roughly half for a 10C fall in temperature. (Think of the difference for sugar dissolving in cold water compared to your hot tea or coffee.) 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted May 3, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 3, 2020 Other than Amazon which I refuse to use on principal where else is good for buying Limonene? Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Andy Hayter Posted May 3, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 3, 2020 Ebay is the obvious alternative in the absence of any exibitions where you could have bought it from several suppliers. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted May 4, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 4, 2020 I got mine from Ebay, I can't remember who from, as it was several years ago. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium newbryford Posted May 4, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 4, 2020 Mine (Orange Turepene - which is similar to Limonene)) was via ebay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PaulCheffus Posted July 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) Hi Mine now seems to have lost its strength. I have built several wagons using this bottle to stick the plasticard together without issue. Two months later I’ve started a new project and the glue doesn’t stick any more. I have left pieces overnight and been able to easily separate them in the morning. At the moment I’ve gone back to Liquid Poly but it is too strong for the thinner plasticard and strip. Cheers Paul Edited July 1, 2020 by PaulCheffus Spelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted July 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2020 It oxidizes over time, saying that I cracked open a bottle I got from Hobby Holidays about 5 years ago for the first time today, and it worked a treat. Not sure how long I've got until it stops working though. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Tim Dubya Posted July 1, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) On 03/05/2020 at 23:12, Dagworth said: Other than Amazon which I refuse to use on principal where else is good for buying Limonene? Andi Hobby Holidays Andi. http://www.hobbyholidays.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=LIMONENE I won't use Amazon either! Edited July 2, 2020 by Tim Dubya 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted July 2, 2020 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 2, 2020 On 04/05/2020 at 11:33, newbryford said: Mine (Orange Turepene - which is similar to Limonene)) was via ebay. A lot cheaper! https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/D-Limonene-Citrus-Orange-Turpene-250ml-100/133431036895?hash=item1f111c0bdf:g:MDIAAOSwLs9ad3-m Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted July 2, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 2, 2020 I'm using some that's several years old, no problems with it, I buy it a litre at a time and have hardly used much of it. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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