# Denatured Alcohol



## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

I'm having trouble sourcing DNA locally for cutting shellac. Can I substitute methylated spirit or isopropyl alcohol?


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

No don't even try it. You need the best, cleanest denatured alcohol you can get.

You may get others to work, but not with the constant great results of using Denatured alcohol. If the grade you have to much water in it forget it.

http://www.shellac.net/faq.html
*
Actually where you live I think methylated spirits is anhydrous denatured alcohol so it is good to go! I believe they call it methylated spirits in Canada also. Just look for 5% or less denaturant content.*


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

Thanks Nick. You were spot on. I just bought a bottle of "methylated spirit" and the label tells me it is 94% ethyl alcohol, 6% water plus 15.6 ppm denatonium benzoate + blue dye. That's a little higher denature content than the 5% you recommended but I'll give it a go on some scrap first to see if it's OK (I'm concerned about the dye).


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## dovetail_65 (Jan 22, 2008)

nzgeordie said:


> Thanks Nick. You were spot on. I just bought a bottle of "methylated spirit" and the label tells me it is 94% ethyl alcohol, 6% water plus 15.6 ppm denatonium benzoate + blue dye. That's a little higher denature content than the 5% you recommended but I'll give it a go on some scrap first to see if it's OK (I'm concerned about the dye).


The dye is weird. You can add certain dye to shellac, but I am wondering if your stuff comes out blue! 

Please let us know what happens with that.

Nickao


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## ChevyNomad (Sep 24, 2004)

Do not use isopropyl, I was told that it has too much water in it. I tried it and it caused spotting - almost fish eye type spots. Never tried any methylated spirit, not even sure what that is. Stick with DNA.


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

ChevyNomad said:


> Do not use isopropyl, I was told that it has too much water in it. I tried it and it caused spotting - almost fish eye type spots. Never tried any methylated spirit, not even sure what that is. Stick with DNA.


My son called me today - he's a furniture sprayer - and had been talking to their solvent supplier. They're willing to supply me with 5 litres of un-dyed 99.8% methylated spirit (which I discovered is denatured ethyl alcohol) so that should solve the dye problem which is put in there along with other stuff to stop it being used to make hooch.


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## vikingcraftsman (Mar 31, 2006)

Why would that stop any body. My old Marine budys used to boil down aquavelva on amtrack engins and drink it. A little dye would just spice it up for them.


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

John, we're talking about stopping regular folks from drinking it I know that some sad people mix cheap red wine with blue meths to make a drink called "Red Biddy" and one guy I worked with out in Saudi was so keen for alcohol he swallowed a bottle of aftershave but thankfully, I've never been that desperate. At least his breath smelled good


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## cbsjoez1935 (Mar 14, 2007)

Hey John,

Back when I was in the service, Aqua Velva tasted terrible. We just went on sick call and got good old GI Gin (Elixer Terpin-Hydrate).

Joe Z.


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## nzgeordie (Oct 22, 2006)

C'mon guys. This post was about shellacing - not your drinking habits, fascinating as they are.


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## Palo Verde (Jul 12, 2012)

*DNA subsitute*



nzgeordie said:


> I'm having trouble sourcing DNA locally for cutting shellac. Can I substitute methylated spirit or isopropyl alcohol?


Denatured alcohol is grain alcohol with nasty stuff added so it is non-potable. The government wants to get their sin tax if you are going to drink it. You can use ever clear. Available at any liquor store, you will pay the consumption tax but when you figure time and travel it can be cheaper. There are some people who consider themselves purist and will not use DNA. I don’t know if you can drink shellac but it is a natural product from the cocoon of the lac bug from SE Asia. :moil:


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Well they're _sort of_ on topic...getting 'shellacked'


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

As I've always understood it, methylated spirits and denatured alcohol are basically the same thing. Ethanol with some methanol added to make it undrinkable. In the UK it also has pyridine to make it smell and taste unpalatable, and a purple dye. I've wondered in the past whether the purple dye would affect the colour of shellac. Any UK woodworkers know whether our normal purple meths is OK for mixing shellac?

It is possible in the UK to apply for a licence to buy small quantities of industrial methylated spirit (IMS) which has no dye or pyridine.

As for drinking shellac - well I'm sure that's not advisable, especially if it was mixed up with toxic meths! But once dried it's edible, they use it in the food industry.


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## gallianp (Oct 13, 2009)

Lowes - Home depot and most Wally world sell DNA .


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## bobbotron (Jan 7, 2010)

Another important thing to consider, ethanol is way less toxic than methanol. 

Around here, you can buy premixed shellac from hardware stores, but it's methanol based.... I rarely buy the stuff as it's so bad for you, methanol with travel right through your skin and wreck your liver.

Strangely, ethanol can help prevent methanol poisoning.

Methanol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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