Thread: Do Bunnings or Mitre stock 100% IMS?

Hi Woodwould, heaps of posts on this, search industrial meths. Emphatically would be a no, Diggers brand meths is advocated by some as the best sold by these stores but searching for IMS from memory would be to try some of the paint shops and be prepared to feel like you need to wear your trench coat and speak in quiet tones at some.

Bunnings metho is not 100 % but more likely about 70 % and the rest is water, hence it is cheap.

You can use it for french polishing but it takes a lot longer as you have to polish out the excess water first before a shine appears so the proper stuff is much quicker and better.

It is a while since I bought some and I bought it from "Advanced Chemicals of 8 Malton Court, Altona, 3018 - Telephone - 03 9398 4444 - Facsimile - 03 9398 5278 .

They were very cheap and also will fill your own containers provided that they are legal containers not some empty milk bottles etc.

Peter.

Thank you for the replies. I used to have 100% IMS delivered regularly, but I gave up the account when I closed my shop and I just didn't want to send the wife out on a wild goose chase. I would accept 95%, but not 70%. I'll make a few phone calls and send her out hunting and gathering next weekend.

Most mitre 10's used to have it but was told recently that Diggers were no longer supplying 100% instead opting for the 95%. Don't know how much truth there was to this but no reason to doubt it.

Most Haymes Paint dealers also used to stock their own brand 100%.

Most of the time I have a few hundred litres of it on hand, but it's very expensive as every litre that doesn't go into our shellac is a nett loss in production to us so it sells at a premium. It is also as close to pure unadulterated alcohol as is legally permissible.

Cheers - Neil

PS I have never had a problem getting it from Mitre10, Haymes or most good paint shops.

I use the "Haymes" brand stuff and have had no trouble with it. The only time I have had trouble with blooming was when spraying a few weeks ago with some different stuff my boss got from the paint shop ( was supposed to be 100%)

FYI, Recochem (Diggers) Methylated Spirits is available in both 95% and 100%. The 95% is guaranteed >= 95% ethanol and <=5% water. That's more than acceptable to any finisher/french polisher.

Haymes, on the other hand, state their Methylated Spirits "Contains an acceptable volume of an approved denaturant" (90-100% ethanol). So who knows what's really in it.

Hi All
To add my 2 cents worth.
IMS (Ind Metnh Spirits ) is generally 95%, denatured alcohol - often closer to pure EtOH (ethanol) However you will normally find only teh denatured as if it is not denatured (often add Biterex or other unpleasant additive) This is to stop people drinking it without a second thought.

In teh chem industry we can not buy pure alcohol without a licence to indiacte our intentions. I would assume that NO paint outlet/hardware store will sell 100% EtOH.
Denatured would be the best IMS or metho would be less pure and will contain other additives.
Dave-Ben

There have been a few threads on this - try http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...dustrial+metho

The practicality and chemistry mean you will never get 100% ethanol no matter what the label says and all the specifications i can find acknowledge that.

Haymes also have (or used to have) 100%IMS as well as their 95%. Diggers appear to have also dropped their 95% in favour of general meths or so it would seem after a visit to a large Mitre 10 today who have always carried their 100% and 95%.

Like I said I have 100% IMS (Ethanol) on hand in large quantities. It contains the minimum denaturnant (less than 1%) and no water. All drums are kept airtight at all times to avoid absorption of water from the air. If it contains even a small amount of water it can't use for making Shellawax. I can't use 95% as it will stop a brew dead in it's tracks. Lost about $7,000 worth once because 95% was wrongly marked as 100% Put it down to a problem with a new batch of wax until we discovered the mislabelling of the ethanol.

Cheers