I seem to recall undoing some old connections and the stuff being, if not hard, at least firmer. Maybe I have the wrong sealant in mind or maybe it was on steam lines that i found the "harder" stuff.

In any case, if there is better stuff as recommended below, I'd use it :)

alistair

On 2012-01-27, at 8:22 PM, John Anderson wrote:

> I think you are cheritable Alistair, I don't think it even sets anaerobically (the thread stuff) as I've taken apart a lot of fittings and never found evidence it became more than sludge, nothing like real Loctite.  And you are right the external mess is a PITA.  And I've tried several tubes over time.
>  
> Buy a can of the RectorSeal #5 folks and you will never need another pipe sealent for any purpose.  And my tiny can is 10+ years old and I just finally ran out.
>  
> John