French polishing alcohol

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Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

French polishing alcohol

Just wondering, what and where, the guys french polishing in the uk get your Alcohol. i havent tried methalated spitits which seems to be the only product out there. It's not particualy nice to work with gives me a head ache. And the stuff im using at the moment does somthing strange to my hand, industrial strength alcohol! but doesnt hurt my head.

any ideas?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2009 6:09:24

kozz

Posts: 1766
Joined: Feb. 26 2009
From: Eindhoven NL

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Probably the alcohol is dehydrating your hands.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2009 6:14:43

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Yep indeed it is but only with the alcohol im using at the moment. the stuff i have used from pharmacies in spain doesnt do it to my hands.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2009 6:32:46

prd1

Posts: 206
Joined: Jul. 11 2007

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Hi Steve,

You need to apply for a licence from MMC&E - stick this in yer browser:

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000263&propertyType=document

Advise them you require the IDA for pastime or hobby as per - Section 17 number 8 (see the application form at bottom of the link). You can buy 20litres a year for a hobby.

Armed with the licence you can but the alcohol from Joseph Mills:
http://www.ethanol.co.uk/products3.html

Mixed with coke, ice and a slice it makes a very refreshing drink on a warm summers day.

Cheers

Peter

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Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music - Angela Monet

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 26 2009 7:34:31

prd1

Posts: 206
Joined: Jul. 11 2007

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to prd1)

...and keep yer hands off your crotch - it'll keep the joock rot from spreading.

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Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music - Angela Monet

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2009 14:28:32

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Nice! do you know which one is ideal for polishing though?

As i said most of the alcohols i have used in the past dont affect me but this stuff does so i dont want to end up getting 20 litres of the stuff that hurts! and turns my hand white seems like some kinds of chemical burn

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 27 2009 22:39:42

prd1

Posts: 206
Joined: Jul. 11 2007

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Steve,

As you had no adverse effects to the stuff you were using in Spain I don't think the alcohol is the problem, you may be suffering from the de-naturing agent. You can buy alcohol with as little as 3% of this stuff in UK but if that's what's causing the problem it's still not going to be nice.

I brought back a big bottle of off-the-shelf stuff from Bauhaus (similar to B and Q) in Ulm, Germany the last time I drove over to do some work - I've had no reactions to this stuff...it comes in a green plastic bottle with an orange top. I'm not at home for another week (heading up to Skye in the camper van) but when I get back I'll check to see what additive is used.

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Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music - Angela Monet

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 28 2009 2:25:42

stephen hill

Posts: 300
Joined: Feb. 16 2004
From: La Herradura, Granada, Spain

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Hi Steve, the alcohol we use in spain is off the shelf 96 % so you could try that. They also do organic stuff I see!! must be even better with a slice of Lemon !

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stephen hill - granada spain
http://www.spanishguitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jun. 29 2009 7:44:18

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

goign to be honest... a bottle of ever clear (191 proof) usually does the trick and no licenses are required.

friend of mine is a furniture restorer and thats what he uses

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 2 2009 23:37:09

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

And this guy lives in the uk? what Ever Clear?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 2 2009 23:39:50

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

this one a well known alcohol used in the comic and unexpected inebriation of young folk all around.

also french polishing!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 3 2009 11:24:12

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Years ago you had to have photo ID and be willing to sign some paperwork to buy grain alcohol, but now it's illegal in the state of Pennsylvania. It's still legal in West Virginia.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 3 2009 11:50:55

Escribano

Posts: 6415
Joined: Jul. 6 2003
From: England, living in Italy

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to HemeolaMan)

That stuff is lethal, except once, during a cold, cold winter in Virginia about 15 years ago - after a close-combat class at the NRA.... yeeehaaa!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 3 2009 12:27:53

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Escribano)

lol I never tried it. anything I can use as a solvent I dont have any desire to consume lol

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 3 2009 13:00:07

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

very nice shame we cant get it here in uk or i would be fine. vodka is to low in alcohol to work i think :(. oh well back on the lisence trail

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 4 2009 8:30:31

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

perhaps you could... maybe a liqour license would be cheaper than the ethanol one..... you could import a few cases and call it a day, cancel the license and you wouldn't have to keep paying.

after you import it you would just have to house it. its legal to own but not to import without a license. like i said, once its in, you no longer need the license

or, make friends at a local establishment and ask smitty (the barkeep's name would have to be smitty lol) to import it for you. give him a few bucks and you're set! no licenses!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 4 2009 9:26:01

Stephen Rees

Posts: 32
Joined: Oct. 4 2007
From: Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

I hate using meths too ..... the fumes give me a terrible headache.

I use Finishing Spirit, which is just alcohol with a tiny amount of polish added, so this way it can be sold as a 'Polish' without the need for a licence, although it is basically ethanol. The amount of polish it contains is negligible so you just make up your mix as normal ........ works for me !

I use the Fiddes brand, but others out there .......

http://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/gbu0-prodshow/fiddes_finishing_spirit.html

All the best,
Steve

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www.reesguitars.co.uk

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 6 2009 15:26:15

Stephen Eden

Posts: 914
Joined: Apr. 12 2008
From: UK

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

very interesting I think I'll give that ago

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 6 2009 21:42:46

Aadi

Posts: 28
Joined: Mar. 30 2009

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Yeah Steve, sounds like the problem you're having is with the poison added to the alcohol rather than the alcohol itself. "Denatured" alcohol is normal ethanol with some sort of deadly/carcinogenic/blinding poison added to prevent you from drinking it in search of a good time. See, someone is concerned with our morals and is worried we might drink the stuff and get drunk. Heaven forfend! When I found out this was why I was working with dangerous chemicals I would normally have avoided I blew my stack. Fortunately I live in a state where 190-proof Everclear can be bought off the shelf and I've been using it ever since. I'm proud to say my polishing mixture is now potable! Shellac shots, anyone?

As for what specific spirit to use I'm not an expert on French polishing but as I understand it all you require is pure ethanol (i.e. ~5% water per volume). The denatured alcohol and the Everclear I use are equally pure, so they work equally well, and in practice there is no difference except that the Everclear doesn't emit noxious fumes. What you want is ethanol with nothing added.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jul. 16 2009 23:25:14

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Does anybody know if it's legal to order Everclear (190 proof) from a liquor store across state lines? It's not available in my state and I'm getting very low! In the past I've always gotten it when traveling somewhere but I have no plans to do that right now.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 1 2012 22:05:29

Jim Kirby

Posts: 149
Joined: Jul. 14 2011
From: Newark, DE, USA

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Google for Everclear alcohol order. The first place I looked at did not list New York on the list of excluded states for shipping spirits.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2012 11:51:57

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

Hi Andy
You can buy it in Conneticut, which is what I do. There are online places you can order it, chemical supply houses and such. I am not sure of the regs with that but am looking into it.
I used to get it in New Hampshire, which no longer sells it. I remember buying a case of pure grain on a wednesday morning once. Got some real looks from those who worked there. I can only imagine what they were thinking. Probably going to keep an eye on the papers to see if I turned up dead.
Vermont sells it but you have to be a resident. Which is weird. I was traveling through the state, which is quite rural, and found one liquor store, which also sold guns and groceries. I loaded up on pure grain and was turned down at the counter. But they were kind enough to say I should hang out outside and get someone to buy for me. So at 35 years of age, I found myself, for the first time I might add, hanging out trying to get someone to buy for me. A little old lady stepped up and helped me out but the situation was absurd.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2012 14:20:48

RTC

Posts: 667
Joined: Aug. 20 2008
From: DFW Area, Texas

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to aarongreen)

Aaron:
This is funny, I am still laughing at the mental picture.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2012 16:16:21

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to aarongreen)

quote:

and found one liquor store, which also sold guns

Jeezus Cristo de la Macaronio!!! ...and they complain about gun crime in the States!!!

"Uh..gimme a six pack Miller's an' a bottle ah Jack Daniels...an' um...le'ss take a closer looky at them Smith & Wessons over there dude..." LOL!

Unbelievable!

cheers,

Ron

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2012 16:31:29

aarongreen

Posts: 367
Joined: Jan. 16 2004

RE: French polishing alcohol (in reply to Stephen Eden)

I can't remember but I think it was just rifles and shotguns to be honest. It was a very rural part of Vermont (not that there is a whole lot that isn't rural). So they were more hunting outfitters than your usual gun store. I don't know the exact gun laws in VT but I doubt you can buy a gun without a waiting period. Certainly in MA that is what you find. Among many other laws.

Here's a great clip