Official Luthiers Forum!

I buy my Ethenol for french polishing thriough my local pharmacy (very cheap) In the past I was buying 98% Ethenol but they can't get that for me anymore and are now carying 95% which now also contains as inactive ingrediants, Cammphor, denatonium benzoate and diethyl phthalate. Although it is intended to be used "Rubbed on Full strength" it contains all sorts of warnings about not swallowing, not getting in eyes or on clothing, not breathing fumes and the warning "Contains 95% ethenol. If swallowed call poison control or a physician immediatelu..." How safe is this stuff. It seems strange to me that something that is intended to be rubbed on a persons skin can be this dangerous. The old stuff they used to sell (which required a Doctors perscription) only warned about alcohol poisoning. Obviously I won't be taking the ocational sip like I used to with the old stuff but I really like the price of this stuff, About $3 Canadian per bottle.

Looks like they "denatured" it. Can't for the life of me understand why they would make something relatively safe and make it harmful to protect us.
Get thee to your local boozery and see if they have any grain alcohol. The stuff I get is 190 proof which I'm told by the Milburns is just fine.
Good luck.

I suspect that they denatured it because people were getting Perscriptions for it and then drinking it. At 1/10th the cost of a bottle of cheap Vodka I can see why. I still question if it can be as dangerous as the label seems to suggest when it is sold through the pharmacy and intended to be rubed into the skin for things like arthrites, sore muscles and Bed Sores. IS this any more dangerous than the regular denatured stuff. It is possible to get 190 proof alcohol here in Ontario but it also requires a Doctors Perscription. Problem is there is only 1 LCBO (liquore store) that I know of in an 8 hour drive radius that brings it in and it doesn't always have it. It is also 10 times more expensive than what I get through the pharmacy. I also used to make my own 180 proof but it is a lot of work and some might question the legality of that.arvey38479.0408796296

look up the inactives on the internet and see what their anti-human properties are. also lookinto how they interact with shellac.

I've looked them up. They are all poisoness but how toxit. And what is used in Denatuered alcohol for French Polishing. Naturally I can't go and compare what is in denatured alcohol as there is nowhere i know of that sells it (other than orderng it in through the mail. I was kind of hoping that someone here might know about these chemicals (listed in first post) and know what chemicals are used in the comertially available Denatured alcohol. It would be listed on the label as inactive ingredients.

Here is a link to a previous post about alcohol.   French Polishing Alcohol    Hope this helps.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Diethyl phthalate is "regarded as showing little acute or chronic toxic properties," according to a report in the Hazardous Substances Databank. Exposure to diethyl phthalate can irritate the eyes. When heated or hot, it may cause transient irritation of the nose or throat. In high concentrations, diethyl phthalate is a narcotic, an irritant to mucous membranes, and a depressant of the central nervous system.

Denatonium benzoate gets its name from "denatured alcohol", and that is where it is often used. It is the bitterest tasting substance known. Specially Denatured alcohol 40, or SD-40, is ethanol denatured (made unfit for drinking) by a tiny amount denatonium benzoate.

Denatonium benzoate is an ester of PABA, and is related to lidocaine, benzocaine, novocaine, and cocaine.
It is used in deer repellant, nail polish (to discourage nail-biting), paints, antifreeze and windshield washing fluid (to prevent accidental ingestions), and to coat electrical cables to prevent rats from eating the insulation. Very dilute solutions are also used to coat children's thumbs to prevent thumb sucking.

As you'll note from the info above (that I pulled off the web), these substances are very very bitter, they are added to ethanol to prevent people drinking it by making it unpalatable. Doing this makes it less expensive to buy because it then does not incure liquor taxes in most countries.

As to what it would do to shellac? It would probably be ok, but you'd want to test it first.

liburon sells a denatured listed at 200 proof?, but smallest is 5 gal. site doesn't list ingredients but as it's 200 proof must be denatured with methanol. if so would be ok with shellac. watch the vapors!

don't know if they ship to the near north.

if you go blind we'll know what you've been up to.crazymanmichael38481.8669444444