Methylated spirit// WHITE spirit

joe hall

21/11/2004 at 13:40

Hi can anybody tell me if Methylated spirit and white spirts are the same product here in the UK as I have used White spirits on many occasions but have not used in a Stove before but rather as paint thinners. Surely white spirit has dangerous fumes for someones health. Is there a difference?
Thanks in advance for any help

Ace High

21/11/2004 at 13:46

I'm not a chemist but I think that methylated spirit and white spirts are two different things in the UK. What we UK'ites call white spirit is a turpentine substitute/paint thinner!

Having said that, I recall using something called white spirit to clean lenses in the RAF years ago; I was told that it was "meths without the purple stuff"

They also told us that Porton Down was "Looking for a cold cure" too ;-)

Sean Cooper

21/11/2004 at 18:15

Meths and White Spirit are nothing like each other. I've no knowledge of chemicals, but they smell nothing like each other; meths evaporates rapidly leaving no after smell, but white spirit leaves an awful stink for hours and evapoates comparatively slowly. I imagine it would also taint any food with the same smell (and probably taste?). Until someone qualified responds to this thread, don't risk it. At the very least it will contaminate your stove.

Ddyrchafedig Gyrrwr (Beic Modur)

21/11/2004 at 19:29

The white spirit you can purchase in DIY stores are indeed turpentine, an oil based compound. I think what you are referring to Dick is that meths is a stronger version of surgical spirit, a form of alcohol, with the purple colouring!

Ace High

21/11/2004 at 20:19

Well, I think that ties it up then Joe - Don't do it!

Cara-Lyn: Stealth Sloth

21/11/2004 at 20:40

There is also White Meths. Which may be what you are talking about. Julie knows a lot about this.

Weird Darren

22/11/2004 at 08:05

Julies favourite tipple I believe...

<makes dash for the door>

Ninja Marmot

22/11/2004 at 08:40

"White gas" has nothing to do with white spirit which, as peeps have said above, is an oily paint remover used as a turps substitute.

captain paranoia

22/11/2004 at 17:55

Meths is ethanol, to which is added methanol or methyl isobutyl ketone to render it undrinkable (thus avoiding duty issues for using ethanol as a fuel). A purple dye and a taste-fouling chemical are added to stop you drinking the methanol...

White spirit is a petroleum distillate, i.e. from the same family as petrol, diesel and paraffin; mixture of CnHm hydrocarbons, in this case, towards the heavier molecular weight (paraffin) end.

White Gas/Coleman Fuel is another petroleum distillate; 'pure petrol', if you like, without the various additives put in by the petrol companies to make it smell nice, lubricate the engine, increase the octane rating, etc.

Jan Obdrzalek

01/12/2004 at 13:48

To make it look a bit more more complicated, in non-english speaking countries, the terminology is confusing for englishmen:

If the word contains "petrol", it is quite often white spirit :)

On the other hand, "white gas" (i.e. pure petrool) is in many countries sold as the the most common solvent for domestic use.

JAZ 2

17/11/2008 at 19:24

CAN ANY1 TELL ME THE CHEMICAL NAME FOR METHYLATED SPIRITS?

captain paranoia

17/11/2008 at 19:53

95% ethanol, 5% methanol. Roughly. In the UK, defined by BS3591:1985

The methanol is to 'denature' the ethanol to avoid duty and stop people drinking it, along with the purple colour (psychology) and Bitrex.

The old names for these alcohols are ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol, hence the methylated bit.

And there's no need to SHOUT...

Jim the park warden

17/11/2008 at 19:58

White spirit is good for smoke signals if put in a meths burner ,as i remember seeing some Duke of Edinburgh kids try it years ago .Big LOL .

Don't use it .

captain paranoia

17/11/2008 at 20:01

Zombie thread alert: nothing to see here...

BTW, JAZ: try reading posts in future; they may already contain the information you're after... I notice my earlier reply to this thread (22/1011/04) said pretty much the same thing...

Paddy Dillon

17/11/2008 at 22:17

Ah yes... those organic chemistry names... ethyl, methyl, propyl, butyl, etc, for the alchols... ethane, methane, propane, butane, etc, for the hydrocarbons. With both series, the further down the line you go, the more they change from gases and liquids to solids. Now solid alcohol... that's something to get your teeth into!

Andy Howell

18/11/2008 at 10:44

Rather you than me Paddy

Trevor D Gamble

18/11/2008 at 13:14

Welcome to the OM forum here anyways there, JAZ 2!

cp, perhaps so much time was used up trying to first locate this old thread again here, that there was then no time left for his reading through it before posting the question! Just a thought!

petra glaser

29/04/2010 at 13:22

Can I use white spirits to mix shellac flakes as I don't have any methylated spirits handy? i've tried to mix it and I'm thinking that maybe its a lengthy process and needs overnight?? Or is it a case of 'it's not going to work due to the oily content of the white spirits?'

Parky Again

29/04/2010 at 13:37

no.

use meths.

paul coulson

02/09/2010 at 23:36

what is green alcahol ? is it same as the purple one, i once stole a bottle from my science class when i was younger as i thought it was ordanary alcahol.but never drank any luckily enough,

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