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Any store bought denatured alcohol will work. That's what I use for clean up, but for thinning and making shellac I use PGA so the fumes aren't as bad. For using Royal Lac Post Cat specifically, once it dries it will not clean up with alcohol so get some acetone.

Don’t know about BCLCB, but Alberta liquor stores sell Everclear. Expensive but it’s nicer to work with. Methyl Hydrate absolutely works, as others have said, more toxic though

I bought some bio-fuel which was mostly ethanol, but it was unbearable, even with a proper paint respirator and gloves...

You really should just use Everclear if you are that sensitive to the additives in other products. I don’t have bad physical reactions to denatured alcohol; I just don’t like the smell, and I don’t like unnecessarily exposing myself to more crap. On my side bench, I have some bottles of shellac I recently mixed using Everclear. I passed one around to some friends a few days ago, letting them smell how sweet, rich, and pleasant it was. I would never have done that if I had used the type of denatured alcohol you get in a hardware store as my solvent. Maybe with the stuff from Behlens. But even then, you can catch a whiff of something that is not quite right. Stick with the Everclear, or get a permit for buying pure ethyl alcohol.

Yes, I'll be applying for an Everclear permit, if I pursue shellac as a finish...

Don Parker wrote:
"I have some bottles of shellac I recently mixed using Everclear. I passed one around to some friends a few days ago, letting them smell how sweet, rich, and pleasant it was. "

If you find you are using a lot more shellac make sure the "help" isn't drinking it.

Clay—

The “help” is my French bulldog, who is absolutely no help in the shop at all, other than comic relief. I think his lack of opposable thumbs keeps his shellac consumption in check. I use screw cap bottles.

My friends were a little too interested in how nice the shellac smelled without the use of denatured alcohol, though. I should keep my eyes on them when they visit.

Thanks for the booze, Bri!

Tastes great, less filling:)

I've used Commercial Alcohols in Mississauga.
I had to get a letter from the LCBO allowing me to buy
but that was no problem at all.
99.9 per cent pure alcohol. A better product then Everclear
or Alcool from the Quebec Liquor store

Thanks!

What Paul said. I got that connection from David Wren. Straight alcohol, pretty cheap. Drop me a PM if you need more info.

Steve

Thanks folks. I ended up spraying it straight from the can with a little preval sprayer, so we'll see if solvent is even needed:)

Better in what way? Regular ethanol distillation can drive off all but about 4% of the water. To make 99% (so-called “absolute”) requires additives such as benzene, and trace amounts remain. Absolute alcohol is hygroscopic and will quickly attract water as soon as the bottle is opened. It doesn’t remain “absolute” for very long, the reason that even large labs buy their absolute in smaller bottles. It is more expensive and not considered drinkable. I can’t see any benefits over 95% for use as a shellac solvent, which you can add safely to your coffee when you get bored.



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