giantcypress:
95-100% ethanol for shellacOn the recent episode of the MWA podcast, we had a discussion on my favorite finish, and I went on about my love for shellac, and especially seedlac. I’ve written about why Everclear is a better solvent for making your shellac than denatured alcohol, and one thing to look out for when buying Everclear.
In case you live in a place that doesn’t sell 190 proof Everclear, Brian Glendenning let me know about another source for 95% ethanol. Culinary Solvent sells 95% and 100%(!) ethanol. I haven’t tried this myself yet, but Brian mentioned that he has 2 gallons of their ethanol, and he didn’t complain about it to me.
I have no idea how this is legal, but as Brian mentioned to me, the 2 gallons of it in his shop should disprove any skepticism.
I’d like to clarify that there aren’t any shenanigans going on with the good folks at Culinary Solvent. In some cases, you can live in a state where you can’t buy 190 proof Everclear in the liquor store, but you can buy 151 proof Everclear. The 151 proof Everclear isn’t good for making your own shellac, of course.
But it seems that in some of these cases, you can have 95-100% ethanol shipped to you even if 190 proof Everclear can’t be bought locally, which is where Culinary Solvent may be an option.
I didn’t know that — it’s always good to learn something new.
More information can be found here on the Culinary Solvent website. In any case, it’s always good to have options.