How to Purify Denaturated Alcohol

Hello kokkoplus

You refer to "Denatured Alcohol".

Are you meaning Ethanol (Grain Alcohol = Rectified Spirits) or Methanol (Methylated Spirits = Wood Alcohol).

It is not wise to breathe fumes from either of the above.

Ethanol can be processed by the liver, but exposure to even small quantities may cause brain/nerve/liver/kidney/arteries/heart damage for continued exposure.

Methanol is extremely toxic, is unable to be processed in the body, causes all the above damage, resulting in blindness and death.

Please endeavour to use gloves and good ventilation, and do not use Methanol, because the effects in the body happen long before the poor user realizes.

Both above alcohols are flammable, so ensure no ignition sources are there, and the rags are capable of spontaneous combustion, sometimes days or weeks after use.

Have you yet restored a Stradivarius?

Kind Regards....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylated_Spirit

Well I read a high school science book long after i left 1st year hi school where the teacher suggested that denatured alcohol, with added colouring blue, if mixed say 1bottle with 20 litres water & then distilled, the colour stayed in the water!(as you realise, the alc boils off 1st)- now I have not tried this!- I don't need to- I have plenty of home brew!. But can't help wondering?!.

There are several denaturants, ranging from methanol to gasoline, none of which are easily removed, even by fractional distillation. However, most denatured ethanol is around 95% pure anyway, so it would meet your needs as is. Everclear is pricier, but may be a good choice if the quantity needed is small enough. But you say you "cannot use gloves nor a mask". This is a bit worrisome, as I cannot imagine why not. You really should be protecting yourself from the chemicals you are using. Safety must be foremost, or nothing else will matter eventually.

Is this questions best asked on a Luthier's website?

There may be a trick of the trade that is well known to those craftsman, and not to a bunch of Engineering nerds.

I wonder why you can't wear gloves and a mask. Brain surgeons wear gloves. Pilots with masks land planes on aircraft carriers.

I must concur with the repeated urging to use Personal Protective Equipment, especially from a medic's point of view and many years of service in the field. I once had to serve home oxygen to a gentleman in his late 60's who, having to leave the US Air Force because of debilitated respiratory system. In his case, he was an avid scale aircraft model maker, some of the most beautiful had work I had ever seen,..but when I asked him about his respiratory problem, especially when you looked around his house, and saw that it was spotless and the air was very clean, he informed me that the "dope" he used to reinforce the fabric on the framework was the cause of his problem. It destroyed his lungs. He survived on home O2 only 5 years, of which I served him the last 6 months of his life. It isn't worth the sacrifice. Today I work as a mechanic for a fire service, and I have assorted chemicals that I must use, and at the very least, gloves of various kinds are kept available at all times for myself and my supervisor. Ventilation is usually easy, open up one of the 12' x 14' doors. Nuff said. Best of luck.

I believe that if you will Google "MSDS data base" you will find the information you need to work safely. The beer and liquor industries would go broke if Ever Clear was as dangerous as some would lead you to believe. I don't know what the hardware person was selling, but I don't think it was good infoymation. Get hold of the MSDS for both chemicals ans rest assured you will have the correct information for your personal safety.

Or send me a PM (private message) with email and I'll send you an MSDS for denatured alcohol with whichever denaturant you choose (probably methanol). I have them for use here.

denatured alcohol is poisonous to drink, the vapors are 99% ethanol, 1% gasoline or methanol.

You should beable to order reagent grade ETOH @ 95% azotrope. Look for a specfic denaturing. Methanol MEOH only denaturing will work fine for you as is. You can also look at a different solvent such a one of the cellosoves, but if you are not using any PPE you are in trouble already. The ETOH and the denaturent will be the least of the issue. Both materials ethanol and methanol will allow other materials (varnish) to penitrate the skin barrior. Your list of hazmat issues is very long on this. Perhapse this is why you don't see old luthers.

Thank you for your responses and your concerns. After reading them I went to the liquor store and bought $ 75 of Everclear which should last me at least four month. I still don't know the danger of Everclear exposure through breathing and skin contact but I am sure it is be far less then the denatured ethyl alcohol. I am going to try to use the mask even if it bother me so much. Maybe I'll get used. With the gloves is more difficult because I need to feel the "wetness" on the rug to adjust the pressure.

Related to the subject I have another question: for many years the most used cleaner for violins has been xilene. And I am sure a lot of luthiers died prematurely because of that. I never used it because I knew what a nasty chemical it was: even latex gloves will not protect you from it, you would need some special gloves...

I use a cleaner called Simple Green, a very common detergent that has been, so far at least, gentle on old varnishes. Do you thing I should be cautious with Simple Green too?

P.S. Antonio Stradivari died at the age of 93. Grain alcohol was used, as well as spirit of turpentine.

Thanks again.

Hello kusokkopl

"Green" it may be called, but it is certainly not eco-friendly, and contains toxic ingredients too.

There are at least two toxic products in "Simple Green" cleaner.

Refer: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0209-03.htm

Also refer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_Green

Just to advise what happened during my first careful use of "Simple Green" cleaner, as I used it to clean grease from a cast-iron block/head engine assembly removed from a Land-Rover.

I carefully followed the container's printed instructions, but when i came to hose off the dissolved grease and oil, all the Maker's original paint sloughed off too.

This was unexpected, so I took photos of the ruined paint sloughed off the engine, and went to the sellers, who on-sent me to the New Zealand importers - they were not interested, except that they replaced the container of "Simple Green" that I had used, saying the fine print on the container stated "replacement if faulty".

I have never since used "Simple Green" products, and advised others to do likewise.

It did cost me the loss of two days, to clean down and repaint the engine properly.

Kind Regards....

You have chisen the best alternative by purchasing Everclear thus paying the alky tax & making the use legal. There are ways to un-denature industrial alcohol by adding water & other fluids that form azeotropes with whatever was added to poison the alky such as methanol, gasoline etc. Then the mix has to be redistilled to remove the additives, after they come over the good ethyl alky is distilled off. This is difficult.dangerous & ILLEGAL. The methods were perfected in the USA during prohibition with varying success in prodicing safe drinkable booze. As far as this goes there isn't any serious effects from ETOH other than getting drunk on the fumes if there isn't good ventilation. Since you have all tha Everclear, & have a taste for tonics & Martini's, you can get juniper oil, angelica oil at a natural food store, cardamon & corriander seeds at a food store. Get a 750ml bottle, a funnel & a small ball of pill bottle cotton. Grind 1/2 tsp ea. of the seeds. put the cotton in the bottom of the funnel & put the ground seeds on the cotton. Pour 315 ml of Everclear thru the funnel followed by about 435 ml distilled water (more/less). add a few drops of angelica oil & mix. Then add the juniper carefully &mixing until you get the gin taste right. You now have a bottle of gin comparable to the $35 stuf for about $7 a fifth.

Hello Guest,

Picture him at the right after your helpful advice, hic.

Kind Regards....

You can get N-Dex brand nitrile gloves, equivalent thickness to medical latex gloves, for about $13-$14 US from the New Pig Corp. (1-800-HOT-HOGS) to protect your hands. (no personal affiliation with this supplier nor the glove mfgr)

Some Wood carvers (bowls and stuff) use denatured alcohol to season green wood over night. You rough carve your stock to within a .5 inch of where you want it to be. Soak it in Denatured alcohol overnight and let it air dry for 5+ days. The alcohol replaces the water in the wood and evaporates more thoroughly than the water ever could. You then finish your bowl as you would with any seasoned stock. The result is wood with a moisture content of 5-7% with minimal movement and no splitting or cracking. My question is could ever clear be used for this process so that the resultant bowl could be labeled food safe? Thanks so much for any replies, Joe.