David Peters wrote:
I wouldn't use meths for cleaning alone, as there's always the
likelyhood of leaving some dye residue.


On Sat 04 Jun 2005 11:26:47, Andy Dingley wrote:

It's not too hard to find uncoloured meths. Try a real hardware
shop, or a painters' supplier.

OTOH I still haven't found a source for it without the pyridine.


That uncoloured meths you refer to should not have pyridine. As I
understand it this link defines what can be sold in the UK as
"methylated spirits".
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1987/Uks...n_5.htm#mdiv14

If it helps, the contents page is at at:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1987/Uks..._en_1.htm#tcon

It says that UK "Industrial Methylated Spirits" has no colouring
and also no pyridine. And it has 5% wood naptha.

If it has colouring then my reading says it would be UK
"Mineralised Methylated Spirits" which has colouring and also
pyridine. This has twice the wood naptha at 10%.

I wouldn't think that the last class "Denatured Ethanol" is
something which is commonly sold to the public.

Quite right. If fact there there tends to be 2 main grades of IMS:
74op = colourless dry ethanol/methanol, now usually called 99% IMS
66op = same but damp with water (made from ethanol/water azeotrope IIRC) now
usually called 95% IMS

[op means "over proof", that means 74op = 174 UK proof. 100 proof =
ethanol:water mix which when wetted with gunpowder will flash when lit
(about 56.5% IIRC)]

There are also a few other grades of denatured ethanol, for use when the
methanaol would give rise to unwanted impurities - cyclohexane, toluene,
pyridine are all known. I would guess all grades of ethanol are unavailable
to the general public - except the purple one and "duty paid". (unless you
brew it yourself... hic..)

--
--
Ron Jones

Don't repeat history, see unreported near misses in chemical lab/plant
at http://www.crhf.org.uk