To: Lorlin Barber Iowa State Music Dept. Methyl alcohol is also known as "wood alcohol" and it should be available from a laboratory chemical supply company, e.g. Fisher Scientific or VWR. Your chem lab should have lots of catalogs. I wouldn't be surprised if you found the powdered pine resin or a liquid form of it from the same source or one catering more to serving the microscopy field (the microscopy lab?). I believe it's used as a mounting medium under cover glasses on microscope slides. You might even take a stroll in the nearest pine forest; you could probably pick off enough of the glassy ooze for your use in short order. If it's old enough, you won't have to dry it, just power it with a hammer; if not, good luck or dry it somehow so the fumes won't gag you or catch fire! Earl S. Dunlap, Jr. dunlapesjr@juno.com
This PTG archive page provided courtesy of Moy Piano Service, LLC