Isopropyl alcohol.........where to get ?

[jsoto]

*Noob* Question.



Is isopropyl alcohol more a local pharmacy item or more along the lines of Home Depot (paint section). I didn't see isopropyl alcohol at my local Home Depot but did see denatured alcohol. Are they the same thing - just different name ?



Just looking for isopropyl alcohol for 50/50 mix when polishing.

 

[ZaneO]

Try Wal-Mart

 

[nizee]

Look or ask for "Rubbing Alcohol" where u can find it at Walmart, Walgreen or HEB (if you are in Texas) at Pharmacy Section.

Hope that helps.

 

[tom p.]

j, you can get 91% isopropyl alcohol at any self-respecting pharmacy/drug store....if you can't find it, ask the pharmacist.

 

[rstype]

Denatured alcohol works even better on windows... I'd get both, from Home Depot and a pharmacy.

 

[bigpoppa]

j, you can get 91% isopropyl alcohol at any self-respecting pharmacy/drug store....if you can't find it, ask the pharmacist.

that's where I get it

 

[luke667]

how would you use the alcohol on the glass?

 

[rstype]

how would you use the alcohol on the glass?

Mix it with water, spray it on the glass, wipe off...

 

[chris0626]

*Noob* Question.



Is isopropyl alcohol more a local pharmacy item or more along the lines of Home Depot (paint section). I didn't see isopropyl alcohol at my local Home Depot but did see denatured alcohol. Are they the same thing - just different name ?



Just looking for isopropyl alcohol for 50/50 mix when polishing.

I got mine at WalMart, in their section where first-aid stuff is located. BTW -- and maybe this is obvious to everybody else, but it wasn't to me -- when folks talk about a 50/50 solution, they mean the plain old 50% isopropyl alcohol you can find at WalMart et al.

 

[FlyNavy]

*Noob* Question.



Is isopropyl alcohol more a local pharmacy item or more along the lines of Home Depot (paint section). I didn't see isopropyl alcohol at my local Home Depot but did see denatured alcohol. Are they the same thing - just different name ?



Just looking for isopropyl alcohol for 50/50 mix when polishing.

Isopropyl is "rubbing alcohol" and is found in any pharmacy. De-natured alcohol is ethanol (vodka) that has some poison added to it to make it non-drinkable, but still available as a solvent (without the booze tax stamp). Generally used as the solvent for shellac -- that's why you find it in with paint supplies. Methanol -- wood alcohol -- deadly poison. Solvent for various things.



Note: De-Natured is probably not the best for windows, since I believe the principal additive to make it non-drinkable is kerosene.

Commercial products use isopropyl and/or some butyl alcohols.

 

[luke667]

hmm, so the rubbing alcohol should be mixed at a 50/50 solution wit water to clean glass? works well?

 

[tom p.]

Isopropyl is "rubbing alcohol" and is found in any pharmacy.

Isopropyl is 91% pure. Rubbing alcohol is 70% pure with the balance being "softeners" so it can be used on human skin.



Isopropyl should not be used on human skin, it's very harsh.

 

[tom p.]

Perhaps this is jsoto's point of reference on the isopropyl:

Two tricks the pros use when machine polishing



If you watch a professional paint and body technician machine polish a vehicle or spot buff a scratch, you'll notice they inevitably use two spray bottles. One bottle is filled with water. The second bottle is filled with a 50/50 solution of water and Isopropyl Alcohol.



The water bottle is used to mist foam pads when applying compounds and polishes. This serves two purposes. It keeps the compound or polish wetter, longer so it can be worked over the surface without drying out. It also reduces surface temperatures to prevent burning the paint. I use this water bottle so often during polishing that I keep it in a pocket in my detailing apron.



The second bottle, with a 50/50 solution of alcohol and water, is used more often with a circular polisher (Makita, Dewalt, etc.) but I have used it with dual action polishers like the Porter Cable 7424. If you're spot buffing to remove a swirl or light scratch, you want to know when to stop polishing. When is the swirl gone? Typically, you stop often, wipe off the residues and inspect the surface. This isn't foolproof because compounds and polishes have filers to hide swirls. Is the swirl actually gone or just hidden with fillers? The pros use the alcohol and water solution to remove any fillers and get a true look at the surface.



I mark my second bottle with a Magic Marker.



If the swirl is still visible, you'll know to keep polishing. If you mist and wipe the surface with this solution and the swirl is gone, you're done. Stop polishing.





Our pocket size spray bottle has "WATER" silk screened on it. I use a Magic Marker and write "ALCOHOL" on my second bottle so I always know which bottle is which.





--courtesy of CMA

It is effective.

 

[togwt]

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justadumbarchitect *so I question everything*

 

[FlyNavy]

Isopropyl is 91% pure. Rubbing alcohol is 70% pure with the balance being "softeners" so it can be used on human skin.



Isopropyl should not be used on human skin, it's very harsh.

If you have the right supplier, you can get isopropyl up to 99%. Since the stuff is hygroscopic, ordinary processing leaves you at about 91%. The 70% isopropyl "rubbing alchohol" that I buy from the drugstore has NOTHING in it but USP isopropanol and "pureified water" -- meaning filtered and distilled water. To get a 50% mix, you simply mix about 2 parts rubbing alcohol with 1 part water. (I have never seen rubbing alcohol with softeners in it, but if such stuff exists you can avoid it by simply reading the label.)



Actually, the best stuff for cleaning optical surfaces that are fairly clean is ethanol, but you can't get it easily unless you are in a lab setting. We used ethanol almost exclusively in my lab at Cal Tech.



For automobile windows, I have found that a gentle treatment with Barkeepers Friend followed by any good alcohol-based commercial window cleaner is just about as good as you can get.

 

[HellrotCi]

Originally posted by FlyNavy

To get a 50% mix, you simply mix about 2 parts rubbing alcohol with 1 part water.

I always thought 50/50 meant half of one thing and half of another thing. Like 1 cup of alcohol mixed with 1 cup of water. 2 parts alcohol mixed with 1 part water is 66/33, isn't it? :nixweiss Or is that Navy logic?



Actually 2 parts to 1 part is also know as a 2:1 ratio which isn't the same as 50:50 which is 1:1.

 

[luke667]

was wonderin about that

 

[TortoiseAWD]

I always thought 50/50 meant half of one thing and half of another thing. Like 1 cup of alcohol mixed with 1 cup of water. 2 parts alcohol mixed with 1 part water is 66/33, isn't it? :nixweiss Or is that Navy logic?



Actually 2 parts to 1 part is also know as a 2:1 ratio which isn't the same as 50:50 which is 1:1.

Most over-the-counter stuff you buy at the grocery store or pharmacy is 70% IPA, and 30% water. If you want a 50% solution of IPA, you have to take into account that it's already diluted. Two parts of a 70% IPA/30% water solution to one part water yields close to a 50/50 mix of IPA and water (1:1).



If rubbing alcohol was 100% IPA, you'd be correct.



Tort

 

[luke667]

ohhhhhh hehe

 

[FlyNavy]

I always thought 50/50 meant half of one thing and half of another thing. Like 1 cup of alcohol mixed with 1 cup of water. 2 parts alcohol mixed with 1 part water is 66/33, isn't it? :nixweiss Or is that Navy logic?



Actually 2 parts to 1 part is also know as a 2:1 ratio which isn't the same as 50:50 which is 1:1.

10 ounces of the isopropyl that I get from the drugstore has 7 ounces of alcohol and 3 ounces of water in it (70%). If you add 4 ounces of water you will have a mix that has 7 ounces of alcohol and 7 ounces of water (50%).



I find it easier to eyeball it by simply using two parts of 70% alcohol and 1 part water, yielding a mixture having 46.67% alcohol, which is close enough to 50% for windshield cleaning purposes.



Hope this helps.