Alcohol as a solvent for finish cleaning/repair

[ear3]

I'm repairing a finish as a favor for a friend on a table he got from France.  The person who applied the original finish told me I should use what he called quatre-vignt-quinze alcool (or 95% alcohol).  I'm assuming he means ethyl alcohol.  Does that seem right?  And follow up question, can i substitute isopropyl alcohol for ethyl, or would that work differently as a solvent?  And is 95% ethyl alcohol something I can get at a Home Depot?  My online searches at home depot site only turned up mineral spirits and similar compounded solutions.

 

[ear3]

Never mind, problem solved!  I went over to the Chemistry lab and one of my colleagues gave me a bottle of 95% Ethyl alcohol from his lab stash.

 

[Packard]

The tool and die makers where I used to work, used 91% alcohol from the drug store to clean off any Prussian blue that remained after machining.  They liked it better than the 70% only because it dried quicker. 

I found that we could buy 1 gallon or 5 gallon jugs from a laboratory supply company for less than the 91% we got from CVS Drugstore. 

But note:  While the high percentage versions dry faster, they are not always the best choice. 

For disinfecting, they can make a poor choice.  You need the alcohol to be in contact with the germs (bacteria or virus) for 20 seconds to kill the germs.  The high percentage versions dry too fast and do not kill the viruses or bacteria any better than the 70% stuff. 

And if you are thinning something like shellac, it may dry too fast for spraying or brushing. 

 

[smorgasbord]

Diluted white vinegar is typically my first step in cleaning old finishes, as it won't damage most.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

is 95% ethyl alcohol something I can get at a Home Depot?  My online searches at home depot site only turned up mineral spirits and similar compounded solutions.

No, not at home centers at all. This is because that would be drinkable, which involves not only a tax, but a liquor license. At those kinds of stores, the closest you will find is "De-natured Alcohol", which is mostly Ethanol, but poisoned with Methanol. That makes it so you can't drink it, but stays completely Alcohol, not diluted with something else.
Technically, you could use some really high percentage drinkable Alcohol, but it would be a very expensive way to do what you need.

 

[leakyroof]

is 95% ethyl alcohol something I can get at a Home Depot?  My online searches at home depot site only turned up mineral spirits and similar compounded solutions.

No, not at home centers at all. This is because that would be drinkable, which involves not only a tax, but a liquor license. At those kinds of stores, the closest you will find is "De-natured Alcohol", which is mostly Ethanol, but poisoned with Methanol. That makes it so you can't drink it, but stays completely Alcohol, not diluted with something else.
Technically, you could use some really high percentage drinkable Alcohol, but it would be a very expensive way to do what you need.

""" Technically, you could use some really high percentage drinkable Alcohol, but it would be a very expensive way to do what you need."""
Ah, but how much fun... a little sip for my Table, and a bigger sip for me... [big grin] [big grin] [wink] [wink]

 

[squall_line]

""" Technically, you could use some really high percentage drinkable Alcohol, but it would be a very expensive way to do what you need."""
Ah, but how much fun... a little sip for my Table, and a bigger sip for me... [big grin] [big grin] [wink] [wink]

Justin Wilson approves of this method, for sure.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Justin Wilson approves of this method, for sure.

"Like eatin' lettuce.... nothin' to it.

I'm not really sure why they do the mix thing though? Is Ethanol cheaper to produce? So, they use that and add the Methanol, for the legal reasons? Or are they just trying to avoid the toxicity of it?
Denatured Alcohol is toxic, but I assume much less than pure Methanol?
I'm more likely to believe the money factor.