Patent ID: 8742033

Claim:
A method of stabilizing a resorcinol-aldehyde resin, comprising: a) obtaining a neat resorcinol-aldehyde novolak resin that is substantially free of a catalyst; and then b) heating the neat resorcinol-aldehyde novolak resin that is substantially free of a catalyst at a temperature from about 130° C. to about 180° C. for a sufficient amount of time to render the resorcinol-aldehyde resin stable; and then c) adding an aqueous solvent to the stable resorcinol-aldehyde resin to make a stabilized solution of the resorcinol-aldehyde resin, where the stabilized resin in aqueous solution does not undergo a viscosity increase of more than 50% over 10 days from the time the aqueous solution is prepared.