Is Denatured Alcohol the same as Fuel ?

[George House]

I’m trying to mix a MT Roadworthy Rescue concoction called “Shine Juice”. Already have the Boiled Linseed Oil and now looking for Denatured Alcohol. Big box hardware only carry cans labeled in large letters ‘FUEL’ with ‘denatured alcohol’ listed underneath. … That the same ?

[Kevin Pharis]

No doubt it is obviously labeled “FUEL” to protect teenagers from going blind

[schwabd1]

Check on the container for a phone number of the manufacturer. Or maybe "distributed by" and Google for a contact number.

[schwabd1]

I Googled "Denature Alcohol" and founds loads of products labeled with that in large letters with alcohol fuel in smaller letters below.

[Loftfield]

What is the mixture intended to do?

[TXGOAT2]

I believe it is a low cost way to improve the looks and prevent further deterioration of decayed painted surfaces, such as badly weathered old cars. It can bring up color and gives a low gloss to badly weathered paint, rubber, etc. You can rub it on with a rag after washing the vehicle, and perhaps going over surface rust patches with fine steel wool or ScotchBrite. It's no substitute for a re-paint, but it can greatly improve the looks of a weathered car while delaying further deterioration. Scratched, rust-spotted bumpers and pitted trim can be cosmetically improved by going over them with very fine steel wool and WD 40, then washing off the oil the oil and spraying the rusty spots and scratches with a quality silver rattle can paint. When the paint is completely dry, rub over it with very fine steel wool to expose the good chrome and leave silver paint in the pits and scratches. Be careful around any peeling chrome. It can cut like a razor.

[George House]

Yep…..what Pat said. I expect to use this mixture on a ‘50 Ford 2 door sedan with original paint I bought off MTFCA Classifieds. Thanks for the info. I’ll continue to look for denatured alcohol and not FUEL…

[TXGOAT2]

I bought a 1950 Ford business coupe from a junkyard several years ago. It was fairly straight and ran like new with a better set of used plugs installed. It was a flat, faded greenish color, close to olive drab. Rubbing on the paint revealed that it was actually a deep blue color, and it looked pretty good after a good polish job.

[Loftfield]

One small alert. Yesterday I saw a can labelled Fuel. It contained gasoline mixed with two-cycle engine oil as fuel for weed whackers, etc. Best to ensure Fuel is alcohol, don't think you want two-cycle engine fuel.

[Erik Johnson]

In Minnesota, Menards carries denatured alcohol but Home Depot does not and it's getting harder to find at hardware stores.

You should be able to buy it at a paint store like Sherwin Williams or even a woodworking supply because it's the solvent in shellac.

I go to a lot of estate sales and buy denatured alcohol and paint thinner/mineral spirits when I run across it because, in recent years, both have become ridiculously expensive at stores.

(Denatured alcohol is used as fuel for some types of camping stoves and also for glass alcohol burners, etc.)

[George House]

Thanks to All for the good and pertinent advice. I found a quart and mixed my “shine juice” for a T club activity this week…