Glue shelf life

[ajabbruz]

I use Titebond I & III glues for most of my projects. I read somewhere that there was a shelf life of approximately one year. Is the shelf life computed from the time you open the bottle or does the manufacturer assign a shelf life date. I usually do not have glue in my shop that is older than a year but my brother has used Titebond glue past the one-year period and had no problems, [nothing has fallen apart yet]. I am assuming that as long as the glue does not appear to be breaking down, discolored, etc. that is still O.K. to use. Any thoughts?

 

[NCPete]

In my experience, as the glue gets older, the open working time seems to get much shorter. It blew my mind how quickly I had to work on a bookshelf project a few months ago, with glue that was probably 18 months old at least.

 

[mtrager]

The manufacturer assigns a shelf life to the glue - although my experience is that is does last longer if not subjected to freeze-thaw cycles.

I asked Titebond manufacturer Franklin about the glue's shelf life and how to decode it...here's their reply:

Dear Mr. Trager,
Thank you for your inquiry. The shelf life for Titebond II Extend Wood
glue should be about 1 to 2 years from the date of manufacture. The
date
of manufacture can be determined from a lot number stamped on the
bottle.
The lot number will start with a number, followed by a letter and than
some
more numbers. The first number is the last digit of the year on
manufacture. The letter that follows would indicate the month adhesive
was
made. "A" is January, "B" is February and so on, we do not use the
letter
"I". It is important to stir Titebond II Extend prior to using. Never
use
anything metal to mix glue. As Titebond II Extend gets old, it will be
harder to mix the fillers back into solution. Eventually, it will not
be
possible to mix fillers back in. I hope this information is helpful to
you
Sincerely,
Franklin International
Marc Bergdahl
Construction Products Division

Hope this helps.

 

[skeeter]

Mitch, thanks for passing that info along!

 

[ajabbruz]

NCPete & Mitch,

Thanks for the feedback, it helps alot.