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Denatured Alcohol
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ollieken
Super Member


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 281
Location: New Brunswick Canada

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:31 pm    Post subject: Denatured Alcohol Reply with quote

Denatured Alcohol Where can you get it .I have tried drug store`s
no one knows about it Maybe a brand name may help
I thought of making a batch of Moonshine If that would work .
Thanks for any reply Ken
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Ken Pollard
Member


Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 79
Location: Nampa, Idaho

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I find it in hardware stores or the like. Home Depot, Lowe's, Fred Meyer, are some of the local big-name stores that carry it as well. Look in the paint and stain section.
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ollieken
Super Member


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 281
Location: New Brunswick Canada

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you ken I will check Home depot in the morning
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Ken Pollard
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Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 79
Location: Nampa, Idaho

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hope I didn't discourage you from making the moonshine, though...
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Mat Roop
Senior Member


Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 911
Location: Wyoming Ontario

PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ken,
Pure ethyl alcohol...the drinking variety is often available at the liquor store... but for the pure stuff you need the 200 proof.
Here is a link
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/ethanol.htm
denatured means they have added some other inedible stuff ... often methyl alcohol.... a very close relative to Ethyl alcohol
Methyl alcohol is also known as Methyl hydrate... available at almost any hardware store and also known as alcohol stove fuel for camping....and is cheap and is usually 99.9% pure
I use mostly the methyl hydrate for all my needs including for dissolving shellac....just follow all the safety precautions....but maybe with moonshine you will enjoy your work a little more!
Cheers, Mat
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Jeffrey Holmes
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Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 90
Location: Ann Arbor

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The moisture content of some of the hardware store brands is a bit unreliable due to poor handling when re-canning the stuff. Alcohol loves to pull moisture right out of the air... and too much water in the mix can really mess up things when cutting resins into the solvent.

I've found this product quite reliable:

http://www.constantines.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=211
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http://holmesviolins.com
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ollieken
Super Member


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 281
Location: New Brunswick Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all for the reply`s for alcohol & the links will see what I can find today . Ps MATT dont get into too much of that powerful stuff when
you make the trip to the East Coast . :lol:
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Leif Luscombe
Site Admin


Joined: 19 Mar 2007
Posts: 126
Location: Mount Elgin, Ontario, Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Ken,

You can find it here:
http://www.violins.on.ca/canada/varnishca.html
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Fiddlegem
Junior Member


Joined: 25 Mar 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Bessemer Alabama

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Ollieken, the advice you have been giving is true. I buy mine at Lowe's and just about anywhere else.

The other kind of alcohol [Moonshine] I don't think will work, because of the sugar content. [Too much] It might make it a little syrupy, but what the hey, by the time you finish making it, you wouldn't want to use it for that. However, a trip to Canada may be worthwhile. I didn't know ya'll knew what Moonshine was. HAHAHAHA! I thought we were the only ones that knew what good sippin' whiskey was. Laughing However, stick with de-natured alcohol. That other kind will cause you to mess up your finish. Am I right, guys?
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Bessemer Alabama
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To carve the perfect acoustic Fiddle.????????????.
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Jack Rushing
Member


Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi All, I don't know much about alcohol. The bottle I have been
using says: Isopropyl Alcohol, 91%. Is this O.K., or have I been
using the wrong thing?
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ollieken
Super Member


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 281
Location: New Brunswick Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you all for the reply I found all i need The name had me fooled I must have used a tanker full of methyl hydrate in fuel tanks on loaders & trucks air Brake lines . I know this is off topic I had a neighbour that made & sold moonshine, fixing fence one day found where he had hidden shine from the police 25 years ago it never froze & still kicked like a mule so fiddlegem i guess your not alone when it comes to shine ha ha .

This has to be the best site with lots of kind folks that are verry smart
in making violins & repairing restoring & dont mind sharing their hard earned imformation with us newbies thanks Lief for making it possible
Ken
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Ken Pollard
Member


Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 79
Location: Nampa, Idaho

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding Isopropyl, I haven't heard of anyone using that. I'm of the opinion that if it works, it works -- but you need to be aware of any long-term problems. Experience of your own and listening to the experience of others, as usual.

On the alcohol note, I'd defer to Jeffrey's post as to what is best.

I've used denatured alcohol from the hardware store, but primarily for use in an alcohol lamp, cracking glue joints, and some minor (compared to Jeffrey) touch-up work on student instruments. Seems ok for that.
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violinmark
Junior Member


Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Posts: 6
Location: Atkinson, New Hampshire, USA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Use great Care!!!!! Here is my simple take on alcohol.
All of the above are highly toxic. Breathing fumes can kill you fast. Denatured is poisonous. A headache from breathing too much denatured alcohol will put you in bed for a week.
Methyl hydrate is poisonous
etc
Yes- due to cost and availability most all amateurs will use denatured alcohol. I use it to french polish. I have ventilation and wear gloves.
The safest of the above, with full ventilation and protective gloves, is the moonshine. I know several makers that use "EVERCLEAR" brand 180 proof alcohol. It can be purchased in some states at that strength (Arizona I think is one). 90% alcohol. It works fine. . Alcohol is normally limited to 10% H2O because it absorbs it from the air. To get it to 99% takes benzene, a carcinogen. You probably do not want to be working with that. PS do not drink everclear straight from the bottle, it can be harsh on the throat, mix it with something else. But it is expensive due to the Taxes
If you like paperwork you can get 90% alcohol for about $2 a gallon tax free but with 2 feet af paperwork per gallon.
So -try to find and use "Everclear"
Bekhol and hardware store denatured alcohol work but is not the safest.
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Jeffrey Holmes
Member


Joined: 03 Apr 2007
Posts: 90
Location: Ann Arbor

PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

violinmark wrote:
Use great Care!!!!!


Good advice, Mark. Always good to be careful with sovents you're using.

I wouldn't be concerned that the alcohol I'm using for general use (cleaning brushes, polishing out a new fiddle, etc.) was anhydrous. As a matter of fact, I sometimes add a small bit of distilled water to the mix when polishing.

Making touchup varnish is another matter... I've found that even 5 or 10% water content can limit shelf life, so I'm a bit picky about the grade.

For those who are interested, here's a link to some FAQs about alcohol. Note that "pure" and "anhydrous" are two different classifications... and that there is more than one kind of denatured product.

https://www1.fishersci.com/support/faq/faq_chem.jsp;jsessionid=FAL0T5Wx2mbUZFp4m1Kgh188ynUFfnItrFD1phxTKcWfhKj6UOYW
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mapleleaf_gal
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Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 73
Location: tucson, az

PostPosted: Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

isopropyl is not what you want to use.

you can get denatured at a hardware store...OR, you can buy everclear, which is a drinkable version of denatured. it cost WAY more, but if you want to avoid breathing in any toxic fumes, then you can go with that. i use the everclear myself when mixing varnish, because it is more pure. if i am stripping an instrument, then i use denatured outdoors, where it is well ventalated. i guess i would breath in the everclear either, you'll get quite a buzz. Smile
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