Alcohol source

[springfield art]

Quite a few self made local businessmen here in Western North Carolina selling their homemade version of alcohol. Typically in plastic gallon jugs.

Good to know the old frontier traditions are still alive!

 

[springfield art]

A lady brought in a dozen gallon bottles of comercial alcohol sold for cleaning (used in machine shops) to our firehouse one day. She just wanted to dispose of them and was concerned about just pouring it out. There was 3 of us who shot. She wouldn't take any $$ so I've had a good supply of what I think is wood alcohol up till a couple years ago. As Grain alcohol is illegal to sell in Ohio, I cross the border to get everclear which is what I use. It works exactly the same, and I can blow peoples minds, joking when I take a sip of it when I'm sitting cleaning my guns in the evening. I found rum leaves a sticky residue.

The PA State Stores, (our state monopoly!) sell it as taxed & legal Moonshine, often in Mason-jar type bottles as sort of a tongue-in-cheek marketing gimmick. People use for making Punches, etc. Those Borders everywhere can be handy to cross at times!

 

[beardedhorse]

I might use alcohol on cotton swab to clean up frizzen and pan. Used to use denatured alcohol to swab up any unevaporated moisture in the breech end of barrel cleaned with boiling water. Isopropyl alcohol has water in it. a small amount possibly also in denatured. Isoheet or Heet gas treatment from auto store purer even than denatured. o
Once dry of water I oil barrel with a lube: 100% Ballistol, Young Country Arms 103 lube, sperm whale oil, Barricade, etc. Found that using a varnished ramrod to run alcohol patch done bore will dissolve part of finish on hickory rod. Stainless store bore rod or fiberglass might be better.

 

[Whitworth]

I use denatured alcohol for shellac, it is strong (99% before denaturation) and not expensive : ~8.00 for one liter...

Oh Lordy, have to tell you this story about shellac. My grandfather ran a hardware store in a small farming town in WVA during Prohibition. A couple of brothers were the local painters. In those days you bought your stick shellac at the hardware store, put it in a can and took it to the drug store to get medicinal (drinkable) alcohol added to dissolve the shellac, the alcohol was now undrinkable so no problem. Well it seems that broken up bits of peanut brittle in the bottom of a narrow mouthed paint thinner can looked like broken up shellac. Guess they were drinking "Shellac Daniels". I'm sure my grandfather always made sure the boys got a narrow mouthed can when buying their shellac

 

[Twisted_1in66]

What does everyone use for alcohol? I see lots of posts suggesting to use alcohol for cleaning. I do not use much of it but a year ago I needed some ISO alcohol for mixing with lanolin for reloading case lube and I had a hard time finding it and it was expensive. Granted this was when everyone was panicking looking for it for cleaning hands.

Is ISO recommended or is denatured a better choice when economy is considered?

Isopropyl alcohol, commonly known as rubbing alcohol is what you need. You'll find it labeled both ways and it's the same thing. Hard to pay much more than $1 for a 16 oz. bottle of it. Denatured alcohol is usually slightly more expensive because it goes through an extra process. I've Isopropyl in my MAP (Murphy's Oil Soap, Alcohol, Hydrogen Peroxide) cleaning mixture for the last 18 years or so. I also use it in my Stumpy's Moose Snot that I use for patch lube. You can typically find Isopropyl Alcohol (rubbing alcohol) in either 70% or 91%. 70% works fine but 91% works better and is often still on the shelf when the 70% is sold out. Any variety or drug store will have it over with the first-aid supplies (band-aids, gauze pads, etc.)

 

[Twisted_1in66]

Walmart has lots of alcohol, some of it is drinkable also.

Dave

Just so those reading this and other messages don't confuse them, alcohol you'd buy for cleaning your guns is not the alcohol you'd buy to drink. Denatured alcohol was actually drinkable before they "denatured it". Once it's been denatured, it will make you violently ill if you drink it. It also burns at the lowest heat although that doesn't make a difference in shooting. Everclear, that you'd buy at a liquor store, is drinkable of course and at 150 proof it is 75% alcohol. So that would work for cleaning too, but don't ever mix them up or you will get ungodly sick.

If you get a license to run a still in Washington state to distill "fuel", you are required to add a denaturing compound to it so it can't be drinkable. If you forget to add that and it's not some of the first runnings, it is drinkable...just not the first runnings of it. It's a bit surprising how many licenses there are in Washington state to distill "fuel"...

 

[troy2000]

Just so those reading this and other messages don't confuse them, alcohol you'd buy for cleaning your guns is not the alcohol you'd buy to drink. Denatured alcohol was actually drinkable before they "denatured it". Once it's been denatured, it will make you violently ill if you drink it. It also burns at the lowest heat although that doesn't make a difference in shooting. Everclear, that you'd buy at a liquor store, is drinkable of course and at 150 proof it is 75% alcohol. So that would work for cleaning too, but don't ever mix them up or you will get ungodly sick.

If you get a license to run a still in Washington state to distill "fuel", you are required to add a denaturing compound to it so it can't be drinkable. If you forget to add that and it's not some of the first runnings, it is drinkable...just not the first runnings of it. It's a bit surprising how many licenses there are in Washington state to distill "fuel"...

In states where it's legal, Everclear is also sold at 190 proof. That's 95% alcohol, and you'd have to keep anything stronger sealed in an airtight container. Otherwise it'll take up moisture from the air, until it gets down to 95%. I keep Everclear around the shop for mixing shellac and for general cleaning and degreasing of small items, and using it to mix up a drink occasionally is an added bonus. But I have to buy it in Arizona; selling the 190 proof version is illegal in California.

A coworker of mine says the last time he started out an evening drinking Everclear, he ended it wearing nothing but a shower curtain toga. It probably wasn't a pretty sight...

 

[Treestalker]

Up here we have always used it on pancakes..

Keeps the maple surple from freezing,

A lady brought in a dozen gallon bottles of comercial alcohol sold for cleaning (used in machine shops) to our firehouse one day. She just wanted to dispose of them and was concerned about just pouring it out. There was 3 of us who shot. She wouldn't take any $$ so I've had a good supply of what I think is wood alcohol up till a couple years ago. As Grain alcohol is illegal to sell in Ohio, I cross the border to get everclear which is what I use. It works exactly the same, and I can blow peoples minds, joking when I take a sip of it when I'm sitting cleaning my guns in the evening. I found rum leaves a sticky residue.

Good for killing brain cells and degreasing truck engines, LOL!
LOL!

Good to know the old frontier traditions are still alive!

Just leave your money on the stump and come back in 1/2 an hour....

 

[Mad Michael]

keep Everclear around the shop for mixing shellac and for general cleaning and degreasing of small items, and using it to mix up a drink occasionally is an added bonus. But I have to buy it in Arizona; selling the 190 proof version is illegal in California.

I believe the proof restriction in California is a County thing, While I don't buy Everclear® I regularly purchase a Polish Vodka Spirytus Rektyfikowany® Which is 96% or 192 proof for use in making fluid extracts of Plants and the like as well as various Shao Lln lineaments. I keep a liter in my The proverbial fecal matter hit the rotating wind device supplies. Runs anywhere from $19 to $30 depending on where I find it.

Will say, even diluted it goes down hard but it makes great lemoncello and kahlua

 

[Oldbear63]

California now prohibits denatured alcohol and it is hard to find. It is still used a burner fuel and might be in camping stores or restaurant supply companies, or you could just sneek across the border (don't get caught).

 

[Sidney Smith]

I'm surprised people are still having issues finding alcohol. Our stores have had it back on the shelves for months. Even hand sanitizer has been back in large volumes for a while now.

 

[troy2000]

I believe the proof restriction in California is a County thing, While I don't buy Everclear® I regularly purchase a Polish Vodka Spirytus Rektyfikowany® Which is 96% or 192 proof for use in making fluid extracts of Plants and the like as well as various Shao Lln lineaments. I keep a liter in my The proverbial fecal matter hit the rotating wind device supplies. Runs anywhere from $19 to $30 depending on where I find it.

Will say, even diluted it goes down hard but it makes great lemoncello and kahlua

I believe the proof restriction in California is a County thing, While I don't buy Everclear® I regularly purchase a Polish Vodka Spirytus Rektyfikowany® Which is 96% or 192 proof for use in making fluid extracts of Plants and the like as well as various Shao Lln lineaments. I keep a liter in my The proverbial fecal matter hit the rotating wind device supplies. Runs anywhere from $19 to $30 depending on where I find it.

Will say, even diluted it goes down hard but it makes great lemoncello and kahlua

Nope, California's liquor laws apply statewide, not county by county. And 190 proof booze is definitely illegal. I don't know how anyone's getting away with selling Spirytus Rektyfikowany, but when I googled it I found other people who mentioned buying it in California. Not sure how that's happening...

 

[TreeMan]

What does everyone use for alcohol? I see lots of posts suggesting to use alcohol for cleaning. I do not use much of it but a year ago I needed some ISO alcohol for mixing with lanolin for reloading case lube and I had a hard time finding it and it was expensive. Granted this was when everyone was panicking looking for it for cleaning hands.

Is ISO recommended or is denatured a better choice when economy is considered?

I just use -20° windshield washer fluid. I’m not sure of the % of alcohol content but it works good. Has a little soap in it and evaporates pretty fast. A whole gallon is around $3.00

 

[Erwan]

If I understand correctly, there are states where you can't make shellac varnish because you can't get alcohol, so, for example, nobody can repair a Steinway & Sons...
Too bad, because everyone knows that you have at least one or two Steinways in your home, as do I and much of the population...
Enough jokes, has anyone ever asked an art cabinetmaker or even just a cabinetmaker if they could provide alcohol from time to time...?

 

[Mad Michael]

Nope, California's liquor laws apply statewide, not county by county. And 190 proof booze is definitely illegal. I'm not sure how they're getting away with selling Spirytus Rektyfikowany, but when I googled it I found other people who mentioned buying it in California. Not sure how that's happening...

Section 23403 thus expressly prohibits the retail sale (without a prescription) of undenatured alcohol that is an alcoholic beverage (for example, grain neutral spirits) that is in excess of 60 percent alcohol by volume (120 proof). An alcoholic beverage that is not itself simply alcohol as defined (not just ethyl alcohol, hydrated oxide of ethyl, or spirits of wine that is fit for beverage purposes) may be sold at retail even if the alcohol by volume exceeds 60 percent (120 proof). This would include alcoholic beverages such as rum or whiskey, among others.

I Believe the part of the law I emphasized explains it. It is why you can buy 151 rum, or absinthe at 162 proof, or Haitian 5 star Barbancourt Rhum which I think is still around 180 proof as well as Spirytus®. While it is not really difficult to get permit for undenatured alcohol the paperwork is problematic, since I'm not producing the things I make for retail, I don't need to buy alcohol in 10 gallon drums, when I want something for that is safe for food and drug use I buy the Spirytus®, othewise it is just the Walmart 91% or Heet or even denatured from a paint store or a big box hardware for all other uses, most notably making my glass cleaning solution--50% alcohol (91+ iso- or denatured doesn't matter) 50% Windex--never tried it on black powder, will have to soon.

Just like with guns, knives, fireworks, and a few other items, while the state law is the baseline, counties can and do pass more restrictive ordinances on anything they like, including alcoholic beverages. Still there are no "dry" counties like there are in some other states or restricted package stores. Have you ever walked into a bar at 10:30 in the morning wearing your Rendezvous Rags to buy beer to drag back to the NMLRA Western Rendezvous because it was the only place in town that sold it for off sale consumption to find the place packed? Then every one there wants to buy you a drink and having to refuse because the road back is a narrow winding mountain road in the big horns and only partially paved? Yup, that was me.

 

[troy2000]

If I understand correctly, there are states where you can't make shellac varnish because you can't get alcohol, so, for example, nobody can repair a Steinway & Sons...
Too bad, because everyone knows that you have at least one or two Steinways in your home, as do I and much of the population...
Enough jokes, has anyone ever asked an art cabinetmaker or even just a cabinetmaker if they could provide alcohol from time to time...?

You can't make it in some places, but you can certainly buy it pre-made. Of course it has a limited shelf life or so I've been told, so you might not want to use what's available at the local Ace Hardware on your Steinway...

My wife has a nice old upright; don't know the brand. Years ago before we met, she was living in a place that didn't have room for it, and let her older sister borrow it for a year or two. When she got it back, big sister had applied a coat of flat black spray paint over the varnish...

I've been promising for thirty years to refinish it someday. And since I just retired, the wife might finally hold me to it...

 

[Erwan]

Be careful with retirement and women: what woman wants God wants....

 

[11Bravo]

A number of years ago the PX carried Everclear, I bought two bottles at $6 a fifth and had them around for my friends that thought they were hero's. Funny how they looked after a shot. When the Covid thing first hit my son took the bottle and what was left of the second and made hand sanitizer for the whole family. Wish my PX still carried it.

 

[hanshi]

A gallon can of denatured alcohol that I bought quite a while back will likely last me a few years, so that's what I normally use. From time to time I've used isopropyl alcohol a lot with satisfaction. Those two are all I ever have used in gun cleaning and all that's required. I would NEVER waste my WILD TURKEY on gun cleaning.

 

[springfield art]

A gallon can of denatured alcohol that I bought quite a while back will likely last me a few years, so that's what I normally use. From time to time I've used isopropyl alcohol a lot with satisfaction. Those two are all I ever have used in gun cleaning and all that's required. I would NEVER waste my WILD TURKEY on gun cleaning.

I like the regular proof (40) WT, but the 50 proof is too strong and ruins the flavor.