denatured alcohol

[rsstoned]

can anyone tell me if denatured alcohol is the same as Methylated spirit ..
only ive heard its good for ab uses but in the uk meths is dyed violet is this the same thing ...

[hogdogblue]

Yes, it is the same thing. The dye is to make it visually identifiable and the denaturant makes it undrinkable. there is a different tax structure for drinking alcohol.
For all practical purposes, there is no such thing as 100% alcohol. When it is distilled, it reacts with water at about 95% alcohol and 5% water. To get 100% alcohol, it must be vacuum distilled-a relatively expensive process.
In the history of chemistry, the "recipe" for alcohol (wine) was known about 1000 years before the recipe for soap. Says a lot about the priorities of civilization.

[rsstoned]

dosent the violet dye effect paint colours when its used for mixing and thinning..if so is surgical spirt a better choice..as ya can tell i know nothing lol..thanks in advance

[hogdogblue]

RS - If you need to thin acrylic paint, water might be a better choice than alcohol. i f you use the alcohol for cleaning the airbrush between color changes the purple dye won't be a problem if you run some water through the brush after you use the alcohol.
One problem with using alcohol in the paint is it dries much faster than water in an air stream and may lead to excessive tip dry. Medicinal spirits would be alcohol without the dye, but it probably is more expensive than methylated spirits.

Hog

[rsstoned]

cheers guys that sorts it all out for me i understand now thanks again.i got distilled water for acrylics already wanted the meths for cleaning ..thanks for the help an adice guys