What The....

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

I just received delivery of a power bleeder for hydraulic fluid for brakes and clutches from the USA and the manual says to clean out the container after use with "de-natured alcohol"

Does anyone have any clues what de-natured alcohol is in Australia - Is it alcohol after it has been through your kidneys? Or is it really placid and calm alcohol? Or is it alcohol without its testicles - yes it could be a spelling mistake

Kind Regards
Lionel

[bee utey]

Probably just metho (methylated spirits).

[seano87]

Probably just metho (methylated spirits).

Bingo.

I have some at work labelled as denatured alcohol.

[richard4u2]

denatured ethanol, use it plant tissue culture

[superquag]

Simplistic explanation... alcohol (ethanol) that's had nasty additives mixed with it so it 'ain't natural anymore'

So ya'll can't drink it, or if ya do, yo will go blind, sick, taste yuck or all of them!

Making it impossible or poisonous to drink is legal and socially acceptable way of allowing the sale & use of -cheap- 'Industrial alcohol' whilst keeping it away from the drinkers.... who have to pay huge excise / taxes for their drinkable version of the same stuff...

Methanol is the usual poison, which gives rise to 'Methylated spirits' so I've been told. Other things are used, usually bittering agents, coloured dyes and vomiting chemicals !

Cheers !

[Hoges]

As per prev posts ...It's simply ethanol to which has been rendered unfit for consumption. IIRC, methyl alcohol ...methanol has not been used as the 'denaturant' for over 40 yrs but the name (metho...) has stuck to refer to denatured ethanol. In the 70s when I was working in a lab. a substance called Bitrex? (spelling) was developed which although quite low toxicity itself, was supposedly the most bitter tasting stuff ever invented even at very low concentrations.(obviously certain beers were as yet unavailable ) so it was added instead of methanol.. the idea was to deter consumption without adding to the toxic effects of neat ethanol. Something else is possibly used these days...

Edit... ethanol is ideal for cleaning up, because it mixes with brake fluid and water and so leaves the bleeder device virtually free of contaminants.