Denatured alcohol?

PapaDuke · Post by **PapaDuke** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:56 am

I've got some PRIMO Stain coming and it calls for Denatured alcohol as I'm sure most of you already know.

Problem is I have NO idea what Denatured is??
And where do you get the stuff?

Hey I've got some Royal Crown and a bottle of Rubbing Alcohol at the house but no Denatured! :think: haha..

Can you use Rubbing Alcohol?

achduliebe · Post by **achduliebe** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 8:15 am

You can find denatured alcohol in Wal-Mart. Where they have the paint thinner and such.

PapaDuke · Post by **PapaDuke** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 9:22 am

Really?
Thanks.

Does anyone know what the difference in Rubbing and Denatured is?
I did a google search on Denatured and it seems the only thing about it is they add something to the alcohol to make it un drinkable?

RadDavis · Post by **RadDavis** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:13 am

I don't know what the difference is. They do smell different.

You can get denatured alcohol by the gallon at any hardware store in the paint dept.

I'm pretty sure rubbing alcohol would work for the stain also. I seem to remember some using grain alcohol for their stain. That would be pretty expensive.

Rad

PapaDuke · Post by **PapaDuke** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 10:31 am

Thanks.
I'm sure the Royal Crow is out huh? Shame it has such a nice brown glow to it? :thumb:

That's why I'm wondering if I can use the rubbing kind.
Seeing that it's 80 cents vice a gallon of the other?

Anyone else, have you use rubbing?

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:00 pm

PapaDuke wrote:Really?
Thanks.

Does anyone know what the difference in Rubbing and Denatured is?
I did a google search on Denatured and it seems the only thing about it is they add something to the alcohol to make it un drinkable?

The difference between denatured and Rubbing alcohol is simple. WATER!!!! And water isn't the best solvent medium for pipe stains. Most rubbing alcohol is 30% water, and denatured alcohol is usually at most 5% water, or as close to pure alcohol as you can get. The aniline dyes like PIMO's will dissolve in rubbing alcohol but will be somewhat grainy and will result in spotty/uneven staining.

Plus, denatured alcohol is far less expensive than that Crown Royal!

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:02 pm

Oh, I forgot, you can buy denatured alcohol at wal-mart by the quart.

Post by **Tyler** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:10 pm

Actually, water is NOT the difference between rubbing alcohol and denatured alcohol. Either one, rubbing or denatured, can be ordered dilluted by different amounts of water. They are actually two different chemicals.

Denatured alcohol is mostly ethanol to which is added a small amount of methanol so you cannot drink it. (Ethanol is the stuff that makes you drunk, whereas methanol is poisonous. Ethanol is a very good solvent, but the hardware store would need a liquor license to sell it if it wasn't made undrinkable.)

Rubbing alcohol, on the other hand is isopropanol (AKA, isopropyl alcohol), yet another type of alcohol.

They smell different because they are different, not because they are different concentrations of the same thing.

As for the water content, this does effect us when using it as the solvent for a stain. The more water there is in the alcohol, the longer the stain will take to dry.

Tyler

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:10 pm

bvartist wrote:
PapaDuke wrote: Plus, denatured alcohol is far less expensive than that Crown Royal!

very true.. but you can't drink the left over...

Post by **Tyler** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 12:16 pm

BTW, you can use something like Everclear in place of denatured alcohol, it is just VERY expensive to do so. Somehow, poisoning ethanol makes it MUCH cheaper.

As for Crown, that is probably not such a good idea. Too much sugar and other "useless" ingredients mixed in.

Tyler

PapaDuke · Post by **PapaDuke** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:39 pm

By the quart is much better.

Thanks everyone, and rest assured that I would never use the RC

All this talk of water brought to mind that I was going to try some natural Blackberry Dye from some berries I picked.
Guess that may not work too well huh? Plus I read that it will dye purple.

Maybe I'll try it on a Tamper?

LexKY_Pipe · Post by **LexKY_Pipe** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 6:17 pm

Lowes and Home Depot sell it too.

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Fri Apr 21, 2006 11:51 pm

Tyler wrote:Actually, water is NOT the difference between rubbing alcohol and denatured alcohol. Either one, rubbing or denatured, can be ordered dilluted by different amounts of water. They are actually two different chemicals.

Wow, learn something new every day! I did not know denatured alcohol came in more than one dilution.

Anyway, rubbing alcohol will work as a solvent base for mixing aniline powder dyes. But even in its highest concentration, rubbing alcohol will not completely dissolve the dye nor allow it to remain in suspension due to the water content. Just means you have to shake or stir the dye before applying, and it takes a little longer to dry. I've used it, and it works ok.

josh_ford · Post by **josh_ford** » Sat Apr 22, 2006 3:01 pm

I used rubbing alchohol, I found it at 80% concentration, I think. It works for me, just needs a little shake before applying. I didn't have to buy a whole jug of the denatured that way.

Josh