Alcohol for French Polish in California

[Matthew Lau]

Here in California--nice weather. Clean air. Clean water. Really dumb politics.

I can't get everclear!

What would you recommend as a drinkable French Polish solvent?
I'm not much of a drinker, but I'd hate to expose myself to methanol, benzene compounds, and other toxins.

Any recommendations?
I've heard of vodka being used with some success.

[Bob Gramann]

Here in Virginia, one can't purchase Everclear, either. But, there are many legitimate uses for it (for instance, one of the local ice cream stands uses it to clean its equipment). So there is a process where you apply to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for a permit. They came out and inspected my shop, determined that shellac was a legitimate use, and gave me a permit. I take the permit to the liquor store and walk out with a bottle of expensive ethyl alcohol. I would expect that California has the same process. Good luck.

And, I suggest when you go through the process that you not use the word " drinkable." (I've never had the temptation to even taste it.)

[Michael Lewis]

California limits alcohol to 151 PROOF which is NOT pure alcohol. You can get the real stuff from a pharmacy or chemical supply and will have to pay the liquor tax. It is available but costly.

One could set up a still to refine the 151 proof. That isn't too difficult.

Don't be drinking that stuff, it is VERY nasty, far too strong, and in that concentration is poison. 200proof is pure 100%, and A lot of folks complain if wine has 14% alcohol,

[Matthew Lau]

lol--I have the wimpiest alcohol tolerance of anyone that I know.
Even my tiny assistants could probably drink me under the table.
At my wildest, I may have half a beer once a month.

Technically, I could probably ask some friends for lab-grade alcohol (they're at research labs).
However, I don't think that it's too ethical to do so--and I wouldn't want to impose.
Most stuff in dentistry uses isopropyl, except certain lab-procedures where ethanol is best.

Is there an off-the-shelf resource available?

I don't want to be hauling a huge 10L glass jar of ethanol--it's a bit cumbersome.
Otherwise, I'll just have to wait until I buy the practice.


Anyways, thanks for your thoughts.

[David King]

Oregon beckons.

[Kathy Matsushita]

Matthew:
You can order it online from Wine Chateau (http://www.winechateau.com/sku1004372_E ... 190@-1.00L#). It's legal for them to ship it to California:
Shipping
Can you ship to my state or country?
Currently, we cannot ship to North Dakota, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah. We also do not ship Internationally. Please check our shipping info page on our website for more information.

It's kind of expensive, but you can get it that way.

[Alain Lambert]

Look for ethanol fireplace sellers. They sell denatureted ethanol. Be sure not to purchase the gel but the liquid.

[Kary Karahadian]

Matthew, I resorted to writing a prescription to my local compounding pharmacy for ethanol USP. 500ml was over $50! Certainly not the way to go.

Kathy, thanks for your input. i just ordered a case. I'd given up looking at online spirits dealers out of state, i was under the impression that it could not be shipped into CA. I was ready for a drive to Oregon.

[Brad Heinzen]

I picked some up the last time I was in OR. In terms of working with it, I can't tell any difference between Everclear and paint store denatured alcohol. I can't speak to the health concerns of the denatured stuff, but I do glove up for finishing. Even when you purchase Everclear by the gallon at the liquor store, it's not cheap. Incidentally, the folks in the liquor store said they sell it mostly for gun cleaning. Also, when you have it shipped, you might have to pay a hazmat fee, no?

[Paul E Buerk]

WA state requires that you get a license which is fairly cheap and relatively easy to get, although I haven't tried to buy any since the stores were privatized.

[Jim Kirby]

I'm glad we can get real Everclear here in Delaware, so I use that, but if you can get the 91% isopropyl from a pharmacy, that works. I've read in other threads that it is a little slow in dissolving flakes, but flashes off well during use.

[Kerry Werry]

I've used 99% isopropyl which I can get from a drugstore here in Canada and it works well, flashes off well but yes seems to take a good 36 hours or more to dissolve the flakes even after they are ground.. but it does dissolve them 100%..

Kerry

I'm glad we can get real Everclear here in Delaware, so I use that, but if you can get the 91% isopropyl from a pharmacy, that works. I've read in other threads that it is a little slow in dissolving flakes, but flashes off well during use.

[Matthew Lau]

Thanks, Kathy!

I've bookmarked the site.

-Matt

ps. I'll have to return your thickness caliper when I'm done making my own.

[Doug Shaker]

BevMo carries Everclear in California. Or at least it does in Silicon Valley.

[Brad Heinzen]

Probably not the 190 proof. I don't think we can get that in CA. Everclear comes in two different proof levels.

[Doug Shaker]

I was not aware that there were two proof levels. Maybe that explains why I couldn't get my shellac flakes to fully dissolve in the alchohol.
Rats!

[Brad Heinzen]

That might do it. Around here (I'm in SF), we can only get Everclear 151. Any particular reason you don't want to use the regular denatured stuff? I've tried both, and couldn't really see any difference. I know the denaturants may be really nasty, but I'd glove up either way. The Everclear 190 is not cheap, either.

[Eric Reid]

I use SDA 23A from Gold Shield distributors in Hayward. Five gallons is less than a hundred bucks. The 23A is just ethanol with 7% acetone. Gold Shield's regular denatured alcohol works also, but I don't like the smell. The SDA 23A has to be special ordered, and you can only buy five gallons in a calendar year. Pick it up at their office, or the shipping will double the price.

[Michael Lewis]

Maybe it's time to make your own. Brewing beer or making wine and distilling it is not rocket science.

[Clay Schaeffer]

I spoke with a couple of people in the pharmaceutical industry and their thoughts were that the amount of denaturent in denatured alcohol was too small to create health effects from typical skin contact or inhalation. A thin pair of rubber gloves and good ventilation would further reduce the risk.