Lrsnsam Posted July 22, 2016 Posted July 22, 2016 What is the best alcohol to use for BP, priming stars, etc. Isopropyl alcohol? Denatured alcohol?
OldMarine Posted July 22, 2016 Posted July 22, 2016 Isopropyl contains more water so would affect at least the drying time.
memo Posted July 22, 2016 Posted July 22, 2016 i kinda like jack Daniels. or there some rum in Guatemala that is 28 years old that is damn good 1
OldMarine Posted July 22, 2016 Posted July 22, 2016 Flor de Cana is pretty doggone effective as well.
wyzard10 Posted July 22, 2016 Posted July 22, 2016 I keep a stash of everclear around for "solvent" purposes
memo Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 if you like flor de cana Patrick, you will fall in love with this stuff it called Zacapa and i was wrong it is not 28 years old its only 23 , it sure is nice. had to get it out of the cupboard and see how it was spelled. had to have a drink too. memo
Merlin Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 What is the best alcohol to use for BP, priming stars, etc. Isopropyl alcohol? Denatured alcohol?Denatured
OldMarine Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 (edited) if you like flor de cana Patrick, you will fall in love with this stuff it called Zacapa and i was wrong it is not 28 years old its only 23 , it sure is nice. had to get it out of the cupboard and see how it was spelled. had to have a drink too. memoI've actually had one of their rums called Centenario. Very tasty with a good woody aroma and slight sweetness.Like any rum the best part always hangs at the bottom of the bottle and I usually can't wait to work my way down to it! Do you have to pay import duties on goods from neighbors and whatnot as well? If so, I may need to become an expat Costa Rican bootlegger! Edited July 23, 2016 by OldMarine
schroedinger Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 Isopropyl contains more water so would affect at least the drying time.How do you figure that out? Both are 98% Use either Ethanol or Isopropyl alcohol, they both work fine. In the end the only question you need tk have about them are they pure enough (95%+) and which one is cheaper.
dangerousamateur Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 Most denatured alcohol is something like 90-95% and stinks bad. Isopropyl can be bought as 99% pure, so I would say its better, even if a little more expensive.Also the smell is more agreeable 1
OldMarine Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 (edited) I haven't found isopropyl over 70% around here. Is it sold somewhere besides pharmacies? I completely agree on the denatured alcohol having a nasty aroma. Edit: Found it for $35 per gallon shipped on Amazon. I'll stick with $9 denatured for now. Edited July 23, 2016 by OldMarine
memo Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 you have to pay duty unless you go to a tax free zone down south in golfito. also the duty free stores at the airport
GreginCA Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 De-natured alcohol: Paint section of any big box hardware store. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-SLX-Denatured-Alcohol-Cleaner-GSL26/100139444 200 Proof Absolute Ethyl Alcohol: I get it at a local establishment named "The Science Shop". Last time I bought a gallon it was around $80.00 and it is no more or less effective than the SLX noted above, aside from the fact it makes one hell of a fruit punch.
DavidF Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 Methyl alcohol aka methanol aka methyl hydrate is highly toxic. The vapors are explosive, not just flammable. The SLX MSDS indicates it is up to 50% methyl alcohol. Good stuff to be really careful with.
OldMarine Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 The Jasco brand I use is 52% methanol. Don't think I'll be mixing cocktails with it anytime soon!
DavidF Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 Methanol evaporates much more readily than other common alcohols. Inhalation of the vapors is the R.O.E. I was concerned about.
OldMarine Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 Methanol evaporates much more readily than other common alcohols. Inhalation of the vapors is the R.O.E. I was concerned about.I only use it outside with my 3M mask as the fumes give me a headache. We used it as a pre-cleaner for glass lab pipe back in the day and i remember going home with some skull-busters.
Mumbles Posted July 23, 2016 Posted July 23, 2016 For pyro purposes I prefer 91% isopropanol. I find the odor more pleasant, and convenient availability nice. The constantly changing composition of some denatured alcohol is kind annoying. Certain things have different solubilities in methanol vs. ethanol. I have always had the best luck with Kleen-strip. It's mostly ethanol with small amounts of methanol and ethyl acetate as denaturants. Both 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, and denatured alcohol work fine with alcohol bound compositions, though mostly I use it for breaking surface tension. For post pyro purposes, I've been partial to rye whiskey lately. Although I'm less picky about this than my denatured versions, haha. 1
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