Verdigris

[James Ellis]

Tim,  I don't know why Fred referred to "wood grain" alcohol, because that
is a self contradiction.  Dave is correct.  Wood alcohol will make you go
blind, if it doesn't kill you first.  That stuff us POISON.  Wood alcohol
is used to thin shellac.  Piano technicians also use it, mixed with water,
as a bushing shrinker.  I prefer grain alcohol and distilled water, for the
simple reason that I know what I'm putting in the bushing, and nothing is
in there what won't evaporate.  If I go buy shellac thinner, I'm not sure
what else is in it.  If I use tap water, it's prabably OK.  It's just that
distilled water is cheap.  I keep it on hand.  I use it for mixing my photo
chemicals, because I find the shelf life is longer than with tap water,
which does have some minerals in it.  And I do so little photography, shelf
life is important.  The chemicals always go bad before I use them up.

Now I too have digressed.  My point was, the Wild Turkey thing might not be
so funny after all.  I too was being serious.  I do plan to do some
experiments to see what's left after that stuff evaporates.  Fred might
well have been correct about the Wild Turkey.  However, he was mistaken
when he said "wood grain alcohol", because that is a self contradiction.
Wood alcohol is one thing.  Grain alcohol is something else.  When used
with water as a shrinking agent for flange buchings, I don't think it
matters, because the alcohol is only something to dilute the water and make
it evaporate faster.  It's the water that does the shrinking.  The alcohol
will have some cleaning and degreasing effect, but not much, especially if
it has water in it.

Rubbing alcohol is synthetic, and not fit to drink.  It has something added
to it to make you throw up if you do drink it.  You don't want to use that
for your flange treatment because it will leave some sort of goo in there.

Jim Ellis