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View Full Version : California Banned Denatured Alcohol


mike wallis
10-01-2019, 9:22 PM
Got back from Home Depot today to find out that California has banned the sale of denatured alcohol. The weird thing is that when I do a Google search there's not to much to info explaining why. We use this regularly to thin Thermak. Does anyone have another solution for thinning Thermark other than denatured alcohol for spraying with a gravity fed gun?
Mel Fulks
10-01-2019, 11:08 PM
I like Behkol. It always works well for shelac flakes when the big box stuff does not. You can mail order it.
Kev Williams
10-02-2019, 1:12 AM
Everclear. A bit more expensive but it works great in Cermark/Thermark if not better than DNA since it has no poisonous or any other additives whatsoever, pure 95% ethanol...

90% rubbing alcohol works well, I've used it in the past with no ill effects. Walmart always has it.
mike wallis
10-02-2019, 9:05 PM
Thank you gentlemen, I will give those a try
Eric Danstrom
10-03-2019, 5:19 AM
There was a thread about this in the Finishing subforum a few months ago. Turns out some states have banned Everclear too. Big surprise, California is one of them.
Clark Pace
10-04-2019, 9:50 AM
They also banned weldon4
Adam Herman
10-04-2019, 11:21 AM
I like Behkol. It always works well for shelac flakes when the big box stuff does not. You can mail order it.

places i see this for sale say its discontinued?
Mel Fulks
10-04-2019, 12:08 PM
Adam, that's the first I've heard of that. But I'm not a big user.
Mel Fulks
10-04-2019, 12:45 PM
Amazon is showing a quart of Behkol for $28.00. !
Bert Kemp
10-05-2019, 11:19 AM
Pretty soon they will ban cermark and thermark so you won't have to worry bout it LOL
Jerome Stanek
10-05-2019, 2:14 PM
Pretty soon they will ban cermark and thermark so you won't have to worry bout it LOL

No just they will ban evil lasers that can cycle faster then 1 dpi
Patrick Irish
10-06-2019, 12:03 PM
What?!?!?

I live in Cali and use 1 quart every 2 years to help get my rarely driven '87 dodge ram 50 to pass smog :D

I'll have to see what I can get to use instead. I think REI and other outdoor stores sell fuel for camp stoves that is essentially DA.
roger wiegand
10-06-2019, 1:57 PM
As of today Woodcraft will ship Mohawk shellac reducer (same product as Bekhol) to CA. https://www.woodcraft.com/products/shellac-reducer-qt-mohawk?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgue8w5mI5QIViYzICh15Zwk4E AQYAyABEgKDHfD_BwE
Kev Williams
10-06-2019, 11:02 PM
Camp stove fuel, aka white gas, aka a form of naphtha, distilled from oil, natural gas, coal tar, etc-- is not even close to Denatured alcohol, which is grain alcohol that's been poisoned with methanol and other crap. Yeah, it'll burn in your dodge but it's not even close to alcohol- for one thing, alcohol will raise the octane of gasoline, camp fuel will lower it as it has no octane properties to slow the fuel burn.

Kleen Strip has changed the labels on their cans of DNA, first word in great big letters is now "FUEL", with much smaller 'Denatured Alcohol' beneath. Maybe this has to do with CA's ban, but DON'T mistake it for CAMP fuel- DNA's use as fuel pertains to marine alcohol stoves, and it works great as a Sterno replacement, but don't ever put it in a Coleman stove or lantern...