Can you still buy denatured alcohol in California?
Denatured Alcohol Banned in California.
Use isopropyl alcohol in most of the same applications as denatured alcohol.
The following is in response to the denatured alcohol ban that took effect on Jan. 1, 2019 in the California.
Just about any hardware store will carry Denatured Alcohol. Walmart carries it – usually in the paint section. Also, the fuel additive found in auto parts stores in the yellow bottle called, HEET, is denatured alcohol.
Denatured alcohol and mineral spirits are different organic solvents with different compositions and applications. The main difference between denatured alcohol and mineral spirits is that denatured alcohol appears in violet color while mineral spirits are available as clear liquids.
A key difference between isopropyl alcohol and denatured alcohol is how safe they are for your skin. Isopropyl alcohol is considered non-toxic if applied to the skin. It may cause dryness, but it does not contain any particular poison. Denatured alcohol, on the other hand, contains methanol that is considered toxic.
As regulations evolve, finding this solvent is going to require some creativity. Denatured alcohol, a staple in most woodworking shops, is changing. Due to new regulations—particularly those in California—it's nearly impossible for some woodworkers to buy denatured alcohol.
While isopropyl alcohol is often referred to as a 'surgical spirit' because of its use in hospitals and other medical applications, denatured alcohol is referred to as a 'methylated spirit.
Similarly, isopropyl alcohol can be safely used to clean electonic components, unlike denatured alcohol. When denatured alcohol evaporates, it leaves behind a residue that can affect the sensitive parts of a computer.
One of the biggest differences between acetone and denatured alcohol is that acetone is a non-toxic, organic, naturally occurring chemical compound, while denatured alcohol is ethanol based and has denaturants added to it, making it poisonous if consumed.
What are examples of denatured alcohol?
Examples of denaturants are methanol, Benzol, Ether, tert-butanol, Gasoline, Methyl isobutyl ketone, Pyridine or brucine. Denatured alcohol is sold as a shellac thinner, but some denaturants may effect the quality of other varnishes. Denatured alcohol is exempt from many of the taxes placed on alcoholic beverages.
Denatured alcohol is used for thinning shellac and cleaning brushes used to apply shellac. It can also be used to remove light pencil marks on wood. Lacquer thinner is a blended mixture of two or more solvents. Acetone, amyl or ethyl acetate, keotone and toluene are common ingredients in lacquer thinners.
Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent for shellac, which is a natural resin. Carpenters usually apply a mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol to wood. This protects the wood from scratches and UV rays, and also gives it a mirror-like finish. Denatured alcohol is often used for the purpose of sanding wood.
One of the most common uses of denatured alcohol is as a cleaning agent. Denatured alcohol can remove dirt, grease, glue, wax, and other types of grime from a variety of hard surfaces, such as wood, glass, and plastic. Denatured alcohol can be utilized to fuel small camping stoves and oil heaters.
This is also called 'denatured alcohol' outside Ireland and does the same thing as white spirits, but is made from pure ethanol with added poison to discourage people drinking it (yes, really!). You can buy it in most DIY stores in Ireland and is often dyed a colour like purple.
Completely denatured alcohol must be made in accordance with the following formulation: with every 90 parts by volume of alcohol mix 9.5 parts by volume of wood naphtha or a substitute and 0.5 parts by volume of crude pyridine, and to the resulting mixture add mineral naphtha (petroleum oil) in the proportion of 3.75 ...
The terms denatured alcohol and mineral spirits are often interchanged. Different countries use different names for the same product. Most people use the term 'spirit' to describe any distilled solvent.
In general, pure 190 and 200 proof ethanol is rated with a shelf life of 36 months from the date of manufacture. Most but not all specially denatured alcohol formulations have a shelf life of up to five years.
In addition to the ban on alcohol stove fuel, we can no longer buy mineral spirits here in The People's Republic of California either. A lot of people dilute silicone with mineral spirits to seal the seams on shelters using a brush.
| Primary Chemical Name is the standard name assigned to a chemical substance. Chemical | Percent of chemical in preparation. % Conc. |
|---|---|
| Ethanol | 30.0-50.0 |
| Methanol | 40.0-60.0 |
What kind of alcohol goes in a camp stove?
| Alcohol Stove Fuel | Score | Avg. Boil Time: 8 oz Water |
|---|---|---|
| Top Pick: Crown Alcohol Stove Fuel | 88 | 328.12 s |
| Runner-up: Klean Strip Green Denatured Alcohol | 83 | 342.55 s |
| HEET (aka Yellow HEET) | 80 | 351.72 s |
| 99% Isopropyl Alcohol | 56 | 272.91 s |
Denatured alcohol is used for thinning shellac and cleaning brushes used to apply shellac. It can also be used to remove light pencil marks on wood. Lacquer thinner is a blended mixture of two or more solvents. Acetone, amyl or ethyl acetate, keotone and toluene are common ingredients in lacquer thinners.
HEET (yellow bottle) is basically all methanol while denatured alcohol is typically mostly ethanol - you can check the burn characteristics in chemical texts but it is my opinion that ethanol provides slightly more heat per volume.
Yes, you could use acetone if you wanted, but denatured alcohol is our preferred solvent recommendation for surface prep, diluting and clean up mainly because it is safer to use from a health and physical hazards standpoint.
In addition to the ban on alcohol stove fuel, we can no longer buy mineral spirits here in The People's Republic of California either. A lot of people dilute silicone with mineral spirits to seal the seams on shelters using a brush.
Denatured alcohol is used as a solvent for shellac, which is a natural resin. Carpenters usually apply a mixture of shellac and denatured alcohol to wood. This protects the wood from scratches and UV rays, and also gives it a mirror-like finish. Denatured alcohol is often used for the purpose of sanding wood.
This is also called 'denatured alcohol' outside Ireland and does the same thing as white spirits, but is made from pure ethanol with added poison to discourage people drinking it (yes, really!). You can buy it in most DIY stores in Ireland and is often dyed a colour like purple.
Isopropyl Alcohol in Cleaning
Isopropyl alcohol is not strong enough to remove finishes effectively from wooden surfaces, but it is useful in the refinishing process as it will clean residue from the bare wood. To use it, mix one part isopropyl alcohol with one part water.
White gas contains approximately 20,000 BTU per pound, or nearly double the amount of denatured alcohol.
HEET® – RED VS. YELLOW - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? ISO-HEET® Brand (red) is a premium water remover and injector cleaner that can be used all year-round and can be used in all types of gasoline, 2-cycle mix and DIESEL. HEET® (yellow) is designed to prevent and treat freezing gas lines and remove some water.
What is in the yellow bottle of Heet?
HEET® brand contains a special fuel additive and methanol.
Denatured alcohol is industrial-use ethanol. Any reasonably pure ethanol is a direct substitute. Something like methanol or isopropanol (isopropyl alcohol) is pretty similar. Any other light organic solvent should work fine, like mineral spirits, kerosene, etc.
While isopropyl alcohol is often referred to as a 'surgical spirit' because of its use in hospitals and other medical applications, denatured alcohol is referred to as a 'methylated spirit.
One of the most common uses of denatured alcohol is as a cleaning agent. Denatured alcohol can remove dirt, grease, glue, wax, and other types of grime from a variety of hard surfaces, such as wood, glass, and plastic. Denatured alcohol can be utilized to fuel small camping stoves and oil heaters.
You can't take the fuel (denatured alcohol) onto planes. You can take the stove. Fuel quality can be variable at your destination.
There are no California statewide laws regulating wood-burning stoves and fireplaces beyond those found in most other states and issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, but various municipalities have their own regulations. These can be found on the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Burn Wise site.
1. California
Solo stoves are legal in California. The Bureau of Land Management allows campfires. But there are restrictions. This generally includes all campfires with a diameter area of 5 feet cleared to bare soil and no flammable material overhead.
