# Where could I get methylated spirit from in my local town?



## J-Lo (2 Aug 2011)

for the trangia... any ideas?

Cheers

ps. its a market town (Diss) so not much choice lol


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## Little yellow Brompton (2 Aug 2011)

J-Lo said:


> for the trangia... any ideas?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> ps. its a market town (Diss) so not much choice lol



Chemist?
Hardware shop?
Camping shop?


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## Little yellow Brompton (2 Aug 2011)

J-Lo said:


> for the trangia... any ideas?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> ps. its a market town (Diss) so not much choice lol



​Larter and Ford

15 Market Hill
Diss, IP22 4JZ
Phone: 01379 642720


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## Little yellow Brompton (2 Aug 2011)

Godfrey Home Garden & Leisure

133 Victoria Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4JN

Category:

Do It Yourself Shops


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## Little yellow Brompton (2 Aug 2011)

Waveney Leisure

Station Road, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4HN


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## rualexander (2 Aug 2011)

Boots usually have it. If you have a Boots.


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## guitarpete247 (2 Aug 2011)

Scruffy looking bloke goes into chemist and ask for a bottle of meths. Chemist looks at him and accuses him of wanting it to drink so refuses him. After much pleadong and explaining he is scruffy as he is doing some decorating and needd the meths to clean his brushes. The chemist apologises and relents and says he can have a bottle and reaches under the counter. Scruff stopshim and asks. ''Can I have one from the cold shelf?''


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## benb (2 Aug 2011)

J-Lo said:


> for the trangia... any ideas?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> ps. its a market town (Diss) so not much choice lol



Ask the local tramps.


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## Davidc (2 Aug 2011)

Just take some from a vagrant in the local park - one that's too far gone to complain.


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## calibanzwei (4 Aug 2011)

Isn't the purple dye in meths an emetic - you _could_ try drinking it, but would'nt get very far


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## Angelfishsolo (4 Aug 2011)

calibanzwei said:


> Isn't the purple dye in meths an emetic - you _could_ try drinking it, but would'nt get very far



I think that's why it was added. Surgical Spirits is what you need if you want to get a "buzz on"


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## benb (4 Aug 2011)

calibanzwei said:


> Isn't the purple dye in meths an emetic - you _could_ try drinking it, but would'nt get very far



I heard that if you chop both ends off a baguette, hold it vertical and pour the meths through, it filters out the purple.
Never tried it though.


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## calibanzwei (4 Aug 2011)

Are you going to find many French tramps in Diss, Norfolk?


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## Angelfishsolo (4 Aug 2011)

benb said:


> I heard that if you chop both ends off a baguette, hold it vertical and pour the meths through, it filters out the purple.
> Never tried it though.



You get a meal with your drink as well that way.


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## chillyuk (4 Aug 2011)

I'm a regular trangia user so a regular purchaser of Meths, also for pre-heating my Tilly lamps when beach fishing. Thinking about the comments re drinking the stuff, and the price of it nowadays it would not be a lot dearer to buy the real thing (booze not meths).


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## Angelfishsolo (4 Aug 2011)

chillyuk said:


> I'm a regular trangia user so a regular purchaser of Meths, also for pre-heating my Tilly lamps when beach fishing. Thinking about the comments re drinking the stuff, and the price of it nowadays it would not be a lot dearer to buy the real thing (booze not meths).



Would surgical spirits work as well. I ask only as most small places have a chemist even if they do not have a hardware store.


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## con gibbens (4 Aug 2011)

The price of meths certainly varies around our area (West Oxfordshire). If I remember rightly Cotswold Outdoors shows £2.99. for 500 ml (although you would get 15% off if you can show membership of a variety of organisations). Go Outdoors I believe I saw at £2.49 for 500 ml but you need to be a holder of their discount card to get that price. On the other hand a local 'cheapy' shop, "The Really Useful Shop" in Kidlington sells it for £1.99, no questions asked (unless you are a scruffy looking individual perhaps  !!) Any other UK prices?


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## chillyuk (4 Aug 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Would surgical spirits work as well. I ask only as most small places have a chemist even if they do not have a hardware store.



Some people do use surgical spirits. I have forgotten though why most don't recommend it. I have used pure methanol which is extremely good, especially when you can get it for free.


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## middleagecyclist (5 Aug 2011)

All the above plus decorating/paint shops. 

Most tramps/alkies round my part drink cider. If they can't get that they nick alcohol handwash from the hospital!


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## dell (5 Aug 2011)

Any local camping shops !


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## rich p (5 Aug 2011)

I left a bottle in the allotment shed for a year and the colour went and it became clear. Does this mean I can now drink it without an emetic risk?


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## calibanzwei (5 Aug 2011)

rich p said:


> I left a bottle in the allotment shed for a year and the colour went and it became clear. Does this mean I can now drink it without an emetic risk?



Prof. Yahoo has it that its just the dye that's faded - it'll still make you puke 
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110629090249AAbeKZw


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## samid (5 Aug 2011)

DON'T drink it even if it has no color - it's poison. The color is there only as a warning. (Same as with the nasty smell the natural gas "has" - there only to warn people about the danger, not the natural odor of the gas itself.)


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## Little yellow Brompton (5 Aug 2011)

benb said:


> I heard that if you chop both ends off a baguette, hold it vertical and pour the meths through, it filters out the purple.
> Never tried it though.



Yes yes,and if you filter red diesel through a gas mask you can use it in your car....

Meths, contains not just the dye but a taste to stop it being drunk, if you want to just get rid of the colour you can leave it in sunlight , but that won't make it taste any better or be any less dangerous to drink!


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## Angelfishsolo (5 Aug 2011)

samid said:


> DON'T drink it even if it has no color - it's poison. The color is there only as a warning. (Same as with the nasty smell the natural gas "has" - there only to warn people about the danger, not the natural odor of the gas itself.)



FYI All alcohol is actually poison.


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## rualexander (5 Aug 2011)

I noticed today in Go Outdoors that they are selling virtually clear meths, no purple colouring. 

I've noticed that the meths in France etc, is fairly clear and doesn't cause as much sooting as the purple stuff here so wonder if this new clear stuff will be non-sooting?


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## samid (5 Aug 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> FYI All alcohol is actually poison.



Thank you for this very useful bit of information. Really appreciated.


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## Angelfishsolo (5 Aug 2011)

samid said:


> Thank you for this very useful bit of information. Really appreciated.



It is just accepted poison


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## samid (5 Aug 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> It is just accepted poison



With all due respect, what you are saying is highly misleading to say the least. While "normal" (ethyl) alcohol may eventually kill you if you drink too much of it - methanol (a common additive to "methylated spirits") will kill you right away (or make you blind if you are lucky). From wikipedia:

_Methanol has a high toxicity in humans. If ingested, for example, as little as 10 mL of pure methanol can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve, and 30 ml is potentially fatal._


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## Angelfishsolo (5 Aug 2011)

samid said:


> With all due respect, what you are saying is highly misleading to say the least. While "normal" (ethyl) alcohol may eventually kill you if you drink too much of it - methanol (a common additive to "methylated spirits") will kill you right away (or make you blind if you are lucky). From wikipedia:
> 
> _Methanol has a high toxicity in humans. If ingested, for example, as little as 10 mL of pure methanol can cause permanent blindness by destruction of the optic nerve, and 30 ml is potentially fatal._



How is it misleading to say all alcohol is poison? It is the truth.


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## peelywally (5 Aug 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> FYI All alcohol is actually poison.


its a bacteria


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## Tinhorseman (8 Aug 2011)

I take a tiny lightweight stove for quick brews but for all other cooking use wood burning campstove.
No fuel to carry, burn leaves, twigs, pine cones (great smell) - just about anything combustible.
Home made from empty cans etc.
Google "Zen stoves" for dozens of ideas for simple home made stoves, also You Tube search - "wood burning camping/backpacking stoves".

Never be caught without gas again.

Happy cooking!


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## samid (8 Aug 2011)

Tinhorseman said:


> I take a tiny lightweight stove for quick brews but for all other cooking use wood burning campstove.
> No fuel to carry, burn leaves, twigs, pine cones (great smell) - just about anything combustible.
> Home made from empty cans etc.
> Google "Zen stoves" for dozens of ideas for simple home made stoves, also You Tube search - "wood burning camping/backpacking stoves".
> ...


This does sound very interesting but how do you manage when it's raining and leaves twigs etc are all wet?


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## Tinhorseman (8 Aug 2011)

samid said:


> This does sound very interesting but how do you manage when it's raining and leaves twigs etc are all wet?



I have always managed to find something to burn, you might look under hedges, the dry side of walls etc. If the weather is dry but looks likely to turn wet then you can just store some dry fuel to get the fire started then put the wet stuff on, it can get a bit smokey but it will usually burn.
You need to keep a small pile of fuel to keep adding as the fire burns lower - you soon get the knack of cooking this way.
A down side is you end up with slightly blackened pans.
As well as the twigs etc I will pick any wood up in the grass verges when I am getting near my campsite and just chop it up upon arrival.

I actually cooked on one of these home made stoves at home for a week before I used it "for real" on the road, it is nice to know that if you had a power cut you can still cook something at home.

Sorry - I seem to have gone off "meths" topic


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## J-Lo (8 Aug 2011)

Tinhorseman said:


> A down side is you end up with slightly blackened pans.



You should see pans on a trangia.. there covered in thick soot by the end or am I doing something wrong?


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## Banjo (8 Aug 2011)

You can add about 5% water to meths to reduce the sooting.

Also if you visit france go into any big supermarket and look out for alcol a bruler It burns the same and costs about a quarter of rip off britain prices.


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## rualexander (8 Aug 2011)

Banjo said:


> Also if you visit france go into any big supermarket and look out for alcol a bruler It burns the same and costs about a quarter of rip off britain prices.



And it doesn't soot up the pans


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## Little yellow Brompton (8 Aug 2011)

J-Lo said:


> You should see pans on a trangia.. there covered in thick soot by the end or am I doing something wrong?



You are doing something wrong, try adding some water to the meths, and make sure the windsheild is pointed the right way.

Yellow flame means you are overfuelling and will soot , you either need to get more air in the there ( turn the windshield) or less fuel ( water added BEFORE lighting)


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## J-Lo (9 Aug 2011)

Thanks for the replies, well ive got the windshield positioned correctly with the 'vent' facing into wind.. i'll try adding a tad of water next time


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