For a month or two post-expiration, it is okay. Maybe a bit less working time to form it.
But I had some that was maybe 6 months out (hard to remember), and it was pure solidified in the unopened packs.
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I won a batch on instructables. But, yes mine dried out too. That’s why I wrapped my magnets! I like better than FP because it was soft and did not scratch the refrigerator. The bonus was making littles handles and knobs to make easier to pry off things.
We use instamorph - another brand of heat activated moldable plastic beads. I think I remember reading somewhere that Friendly Plastic changed their name and may be the same company as instamorph? Not at all certain about that. I can attest to the wear and tear that instamorph endures, at least from my group of 8 - 10 year olds.
I’m on the edge of ordering sugru now. I’ve used plastidip, but I’m thinking sugru might be a good fit for a project I have in mind. I’m thinking of the 8 pack but am concerned about shelf life. Do you think I could store the unused packs in an air tight container with oxygen absorbers? Is the shelf life just air related or are there other factors, temperature, light, etc… Or is it just degrading over time regardless of how it’s stored?
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Or just make your own!
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I would suggest the make your own approach. Even though I have not yet tried it.
Shelf life is about 6 months or a year. They are sealed pretty well in foil mini-packages, and the ones I had which went bad never left my office. So certainly not sunlight or temperature based. The packages are by no means hermetically sealed or vacuum packaged. So possibly a reaction, but my gut says simple drying out. So having them in something humidity controlled would likely be needed to extend shelf life, if anything would.
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I really like the idea of homemade Sugru. The Instructable says use gloves when mixing. Do you still have to use gloves after mixing and forming it into a desired shape? At what point does it become safe to touch?
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I assume this applies for the homemade… but for normal sugru you CAN go without the gloves. But the stuff loves to stick to flesh more than whatever else I have ever worked with.
So, wearing gloves keeps your fingers clean, and makes it easier to get the sugru to adhere where you want it to adhere.
I normally do not wear gloves, but instead have a bowl of slightly soapy water where I dip my fingers. That keeps my fingers completely clear of the sugru. However… you need to pre-form as well as you can. If the soap gets on the surface where you want the sugru to stick, then it won’t form a bond there either.
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From what I’ve read about sugru, the problem is the opposite of drying out (although the result is the same). IIRC the curing process involves water vapor, and unless you manufacture under vacuum or dry nitrogen there’s always going to be the teeniest bit of something that starts the curing process in the packet. Maybe in a freezer?
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Cold usually reduces the rate of a chemical reaction, by roughly a factor of two for every 10°C temperature drop.
I have made my own sugru (tin enameled plate and a painters knife make mixing a breeze), and I have used packages of sugru. The diy version is much softer and peels off over time. I used it to surround the top of individual felting needles, and to fix holes in a canvas backpack, and it lasts for a decent amount of time. You wouldn’t want to make hooks out of it (unless it had a wire center), fix shoes with it, or coat magnets with it.
The genuine sugru is really a mold-able rubber, as in, once it has cured, it feels like slightly flexible rubber (depending on thickness). I store it in the fridge to keep it from curing quickly, but also"save" it to use on projects that really need it. Which means that several of the small packets cured inside before I decided to use it, after a year in the fridge.
My favorite use has been a small rubber hook inside of the sink to hang a shop cloth wash rag on so it would drain. My husband used a bright yellow package to replace the hand grip pad on his Canon SLR, and it looks amazingly good. I have also used it to create small registration dots (dot on espresso maker to line up the shot basket, two dots on the lever water handle so I know where “too hot” is, a dot on the power button on my monitor, a dot above the mic post on my computer), around an IKEA suction cup to keep it attached to the tile wall for a full-sized towel, a hook to hang the shower squeegee, attachment for hooks to hold keys, a repair pad for my Xbox computer joystick (originally used diy sugru which peeled off after a month), and bump stops for all of my kitchen cabinets.
I love the stuff and make sure I pick some up each year at a Maker Faire, I just have to remember to use it within the year!
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Thanks for the info @jamely about the DIY version. You sounds like a Sugru expert! I used my leftover Sugru to add handle/knobs on some salvaged hard drive magnets.
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And now I know where I’ll get some!
I’ve used the method before. Works great. Magnets can also elevate your material so when they cut the pieces drop out of the way. Let’s u know if the cut was deep enough.
Rad. This stuff looks pretty cool and interesting. What did you get? Could you explain more about how you use it? Thanks!
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^Great video!
A friend bought me some Sugru a couple years ago and it’s been in my fridge since… I never used even a single packet and now I’m guessing what I actually have are small, cured silicone blobs. 
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