SteveS Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 For French polishing, I have previously used methylated spirit as my shellac solvent. Here in Italy, the nearest substitute doesn't contain enough alcohol to dissolve shellac. I had to look for an alternative. I found a supply of denatured ethyl alcohol (99.9 degrees) and its use in French polishing is far better than using meths. I found that the application of the shellac with the rubber is far smoother, the alcohol evaporates quicker, the tacky phase of the applied shellac is shorter, and the surface hardens quicker than with meths. I've even not had to resort to applying a lubricant during the polishing phase. Also being clear, with ethyl alcohol there's no risk of a purple colour being imparted to light shellac finishes. What has been your experience of using ethyl alcohol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Hi Steve, here in France it is very easy to get ethyl alcohol of 90° , though 95° is sometimes found at hardware stores. I am currently using the 90° variety and feel the need for a little lubricant to aid polishing-in but generally results are reasonable. Temperature and humidity appear to be more of a problem, combined with the choice of rubbing cloth giving fairly variable results. Sounds like I need to search out your 99.9 degrees! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 (edited) Hi Geoff I found the 90° variety in hardware shops here didn't dissolve the shellac too well - it's mostly used for cleaning, and maybe there are other additives. It's also coloured red. I bought my 99.9° ethyl alcohol at Amazon Italia, and it's specifically for French polishing. However, I think a 5-litre container of ethyl alcohol will last me an awfully long time Edited June 16 by SteveS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex_holden Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 (edited) Ethanol absorbs moisture from the air and also evaporates more easily than water, so if the container isn't well sealed it will gradually become less concentrated. The additives they use to 'denature' the alcohol (i.e. make it poisonous to drink) seem to vary between manufacturers - I've had some that smelled fairly innocuous and another that stank like paint thinner. Edited June 16 by alex_holden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 (edited) I think that the water content, since it doesn't evaporate as readily as alcohol, remains in the shellac for some time after application, resulting in the shellac remaining soft and tacky. I guess this then necessitates the use of a lubricant at the polishing stage. And yes, I'll ensure my containers are tightly closed Edited June 16 by SteveS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Lay Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Ethanol /Ethyl Alcohol is hydroscopic and will absorb moisture from the air quickly. Manufacturers distill it to get to 95% alcohol/water (190 proof) easily. Getting out that last 5% is difficult making 100% ethanol quite a bit more expensive .....and it will quickly become less than 100% after being opened. Keep your stock in a closed container. (Also, don't drink it even if it's not "denatured" unless you add at least an equal volume of water. It will be desiccating your esophagus otherwise.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 1 minute ago, David Lay said: (Also, don't drink it even if it's not "denatured" unless you add at least an equal volume of water. It will be desiccating your esophagus otherwise.) I've no plans to drink it - we've got plenty of very good wines in Italy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 A good tip there Steve, thanks for the Amazon suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveS Posted June 16 Author Share Posted June 16 Just now, Geoff Wooff said: A good tip there Steve, thanks for the Amazon suggestion. Maybe Amazon Italia can ship to France? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Wooff Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I found it on Amazon France but looking for it for a friend in Ireland too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Taylor Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 You might try your local pharmacy, I saw a 500ml bottle 0f 99.9% in ours a couple of days ago. I am not sure what it is used for medicinally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Łukasz Martynowicz Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 Interesting. I didn’t realise, that readily available 99.9% Ethyl is problematic to get in some countries. Here in Poland you can get it in specialised art/renovation supply shops. I don’t know if they deliver outside of Poland, but I guess there might be a chance for EU delivery from here: https://www.art-konserwacja.pl/produkty-pomocnicze-149/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Łukasz Martynowicz Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 2 hours ago, Don Taylor said: You might try your local pharmacy, I saw a 500ml bottle 0f 99.9% in ours a couple of days ago. I am not sure what it is used for medicinally. To make cheap sterilising solution, that is safe to use on skin. Just add water to dilute it to 70% and voila. It is the cheapest option I have found and have been using it throughout the entire COVID period. It is 3x cheaper than buying branded solutions like Skinman etc… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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