Only a trace of purple in Meths. However, restrictions in Scotland as a few meths drinkers there and the methyl alcohol content very toxic and can cause blindness. Problem has been compounded by the solvent "sniffers".
I use it without problems. IMS (Industrial Methylated Spirit) is controlled but a licenced user can use for perfumes etc.
I is colourless. Other spirit products such as Surgical Spirit (Similar to your rubbing alcohol) also abused north of the border. It contains methyl salicylate (Wintergreen). For very expensive perfumes, we would sell Quassin powder and solution as a denaturant. Quassia wood is also known as wormwood and main supplier is Jamaica where it was used for furniture.
Has been replaced by Bitrex, a synthetic product in expensive perfumes.
Pure alcohol is very strictly controlled. We had a "bonded area" where it was used for flavours. In Arab countries we used Light Liquid Paraffin for our popular "Bint" perfume.
Iso propyl alcohol (IPA) is available. Was used as a model aircraft engine fuel and general purpose solvent. Acetone is a fire risk. If I want to use it, I use nail varnish remover.
johnep

 

John that is very complex feedback beyond my ability to understand in detail. Wow.

 

If you want, I can enlarge on any point.
Alcohol has been subject to regulations for hundreds of years.
johnep

 

Stupidity, just stupidity.

I'm told Denatured alcohol is no longer available in Southern California. It seems that denatured alcohol is a VOC and bad for the SMOG.
OK, I'm sold.
But now follow this closely.
Denatured alcohol is ethanol or alcohol made from corn. The denaturing agent is usually methyl alcohol which is poisonous.
Ethanol is the major component of E-85 at the gas pump.

Now for the really stupid question: Which puts more VOCs into the air, tail pipe unburned E-85 or the Denatured alcohol sold in cans at the home center?

Is there a reason to mistrust the wisdom of the (lack of) brain trust at CARB?

 

Stupidity, just stupidity.

I'm told Denatured alcohol is no longer available in Southern California. It seems that denatured alcohol is a VOC and bad for the SMOG.
OK, I'm sold.
[...]
Is there a reason to mistrust the wisdom of the (lack of) brain trust at CARB?

When the Revenuers come pounding on your door because you are operating a hidden still in your backyard, just tell them, "It's for shellac furniture finish!" ;-)

The federal government Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is making plans to open a field office here in California, to combat all the bootlegger woodworkers. (NOT!)

 

For those who don't recognize the terms in the post above:

VOC = volatile organic compound.
SMOG = smog. A word, not an acronym. Smog is air pollution. The word comes from a combination of "smoke" and "fog".
E-85 = A new fuel (petrol) type sold in the US. It is 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol.
CARB = California Air Resources Board. A state government agency.

Note: E-85 fuel is not in widespread use here in the US, however most "gasoline" automotive fuel sold here includes a small percentage of ethanol (usually 10%).

 

I've often read that the stuff we buy as denatured alcohol is "wood alcohol" and that Everclear is "corn alcohol". Is this true?

I do think I'd have a run at making my own shellac solvent if I didn't have to make corn mash and go through the fermentation process.

 

It isn't just a fermentation process. After your mash ferments, you distill it. The moonshiners have their secret "stills" hidden in the woods. When I worked a summer in West Virginia in the 1970s, the family I lived with warned me not to stray into the woods.

Ethanol is the alcohol in adult beverages. Everclear is a brand name of high proof grain alcohol. It has a high percentage of ethanol. The exact percentage varies depending on where you live and where you buy it, ranging from 75% ethanol (151 proof) to 95% ethanol (190+ proof). Corn is a common source for the grain in grain alcohol, but not the only one.

Methanol is toxic. Methanol is also known as wood alcohol because it used to be made from wood. (The process to extract methanol from wood was different, too.)

When you buy denatured alcohol, what you want is ethanol. Ethanol is cheap and easy to produce in large quantities. The government doesn't want you to go to your hardware store and buy gallons of cheap ethanol that you might drink instead of making shellac. It would damage the taxation and regulation regime around adult beverages that brings tax money to the government. That taxation dates back to the earliest days of the country.

To avoid taxation for hardware store ethanol that you buy, it is "denatured" by the manufacturer. They add toxins (usually methanol) to make it deadly to drink. The product is mostly ethanol; it doesn't take much methanol to make it toxic. There is no reason to denature the alcohol other than taxation and regulation.

You don't want to breathe denatured alcohol or allow it to touch your skin. There is enough methanol in it to harm you if it is absorbed through your skin. Wear gloves and avoid the fumes when you handle it.

(Related: Many companies started producing hand sanitizers to meet demand during the pandemic. Quite a few of them had to be recalled because they used toxic denatured (!!) alcohol as the active ingredient instead of ethanol.)

 

So, what was used in wood working during prohibition?
johnep

 

I assume that they used denatured alcohol, much like today in places where it is available.

According to this Wikipedia article, the government required industrial applications to use denatured alcohol during Prohibition:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol

CORRECTION:
I want to correct my statement above about low levels of methanol in denatured alcohol. According to the Wikipedia article, which I had not read before, "The main additive has traditionally been 10% methanol..." but then they add, "In the United States, mixtures sold as denatured alcohol often have much greater percentages of methanol, and can be less than 50% ethanol."

 

To the OP.

What about MEK?

 

To the OP, Canadian Tire sells Methyl Hydrate, 99.9%, 4 litres for $12.00.

There is no logic to Amazon.ca pricing, you really have to watch, same product on another listing can be double or half the price depending on which you saw first.

 

If someone could figure out how to separate the gasoline from ethanol in E-85 we would have a solution.

 

.. and then you would pour that solution over the rocks with a soda mixer and a twist?

 

Thanks Tool Agnostic,
Looks as if Polish Meths identical to UK Meths. Colour is identical. Poland uses potatoes for cheap Vodka production.
Here in UK commercial alcohol produced from molasses from sugar refining. I have visited both Tate And Lyle and nearby, an alcohol factory.
In Ireland, Pfizer produce citric acid by fermentation of beet molasses which is deficient in Biotin. I used to sell Biotin to their factory. We also sold citric acid produced in Belgium. I sold to soft drinks manufacturers in Africa and the Caribbean.
We also sold Pectolase necessary to convert starches into sugar.
Fermentation is a fascinating topic. If I needed alcohol, I would see what the local "moonshiner" can provide. The UK climate not suitable for Corn or cane sugar production, but we used to have a sugar beet factory in the town. Corn fed chickens are expensive. I used to sell carotenoids to add to feed manufacturers. I did well in Africa where corn is white in contrast to Argentina which has Red,
johnep