denatured alcohol

[firewater100]

Hey guys i know this might me a dumb question like most i have but.... I have read several threads on tradgang about staining limb materials with rit dye. Well i have some limb mat. coming from kenny, and the riser is maple and purple hart and the limb tips will be the same but i want the back of the bow to be purple also but purple hart under glass can be kinda dark so i want to stain the action boo a lighter purple with the rit dye and the threads say to thin it with denatured alcohol .
     I asume the the point of using alcohol is so it will evaporate without adding to much moistior to the limb wood.
     So the question is can i just use isopropyl alcohol ( what i call rubbing alcohol) with the rit dye?? any thoughts??

later
scott
Firewater Unlimited......F.U.

[wharvey]

Denatured alcohol is ethanol with the denaturing components, I think methanol - wood alcohol, and perhaps more important has very little water in solution. Regular rubbing alcohol, besides being isopropyl as you noted, is only 70% alcohol - the rest being water.

If you can find some 99%, which is somewhat rare but can be found you might be OK but frankly, as inexpensive as denatured alcohol is I'd just use it.

[TNstickn]

The alcohol penetrates deeper, faster, with less moisture. Use a scrap first. Some colors dissolve differently than others, some have more grain to them. If you apply to much at once it could mess with the glue in the action boo. Stain, let dry, then add more and you should get what you want without any glue probs. Best of luck>>>>>------> Greg

[MikeW]

I only know this because I work with fiber optics.
Denatured alcohol leaves an oily residue and can't be used in fiber optics. The 99.999% stuff can be found from vendors the cater to fiber optic splicers or you can just go to your local CVS or Wallgreens and ask them to order it for you which is what I do. They can usually have it there for you in 1-2 days.

[firewater100]

Denatured alcohol leaves an oily residue ..
Hmm. That is the one thing the threads i have read said to use water based stuff not oil based because the oil based would leave a residue that would lead to a glue joint failure

Hmmm, thanks for the help guys

[Springbuck]

You can buy 100% isopropyl at autoparts stores, sold as a gas line dryer.

  Ethanol is "thinner" chemically than water. It has much less viscosity and very little surface tension.  That is why it works well with dying wood, soaks in deeper and quicker.

  Isopropyl is much thicker and oilier (has way more calories per volume, burns at 10,500 BTU instead of 9,000 BTU).

  Methyl, also sold as a gas line dryer is available.  I wonder if it would work.  You can buy it in 100%, as well.