On Sun, 1 Dec 1996 Doug Adam <dadam@btigate.com> writes:

> .. someone posted an article stating if you kept hot glue in a
> sealed plastic and reheated it would get stinko. ..been doing
> that and have not experienced any problem.
> Can anyone shed anymore light on this?

Perhaps "shed light" is too pretentious, but FWIW:

(I can visualize the traditionalists savagely and shamelessly chewing
their fingernails down to the elbows :)

I've always used hot glue out of a glass jar placed inside the water-
filled gluepot liner. The short Ball(tm) jars (with the threaded ring
and separate cover) work well. I cut a hole in something like a plastic
margarine tub lid, so it fits the neck of the glass jar, and nearly
covers the water around the jar.

It serves to center the jar inside the pot, and condensate collects and
drips back into the glue pot liner. Since the water level never drops,
it helps keep glue from hardening around the top of the jar.

Cleanup amounts to dumping the water, drying the (still good after 20
yrs) gluepot liner, and screwing the lid onto the jar of glue. Here the
'fun' begins.

* - kept in the refrigerator between reheatings, mold growth is slowed
drastically. Take off the lid, add a little water, zap it in the
microwave, and reuse.

* - left at room temperature... +STINKO+ ...BIG-Time! Take off lid
while holding nose, blast the crud off the glue surface with hot water,
add a little water, then nuke in microwave (or not) and reuse.  (how to
hold nose while unscrewing the jar lid is a Trade Secret! :)

* - left at room temp -with lid off- doesn't mold.... hmmmmm.

It would appear:

1 - mold requires suitable food, air, water, and warmth. (like us.)
Allowing the surface moisture to evaporate provides an inhospitable
environment. So does refrigeration. Perhaps filling the jar totally
with water and more glue before sealing would remove the air element.
Don't know... never tried. An airtight cover applied to the hot jar (to
sort-of vacuum seal it) is no help. Apparently mold doesn't need -that-
much air. (is there such a thing as anaerobic mold?)

2 - the spores are already present in the glue (?)
Tried sterilizing the jar beforehand, etc, but the only glue that
didn't mold on me was the stuff Player Piano Co. sold years ago. The
crystals were a uniform sand-color, uniform sized granules to the
point of looking artificial. Melted, it resembled honey.. transparent.
Don't know where they got it, but it's been holding my player piano
(and a few chairs) together for 18 yrs.

Since my "research" was neither scientific nor intentional, I'd have to
refrain from saying, "Let There Be Light.." ("Eureka", whatever).

................¶
Glue I've obtained from PPCo, Tuners Supply, and Organ Supply since
then looks like crushed beer bottles. When melted, it ranges from muddy
brown to olive drab. It smells like they threw in a few extra tails
along with the hooves when they boiled-down the cow. (I keep watching
for an errant tail-tassel to come floating to the surface. :)

Best Regards to all,¶
--¶
Dave McNally - mac366@ibm.net  (formerly mac366@IDS.net)