are denturated and pickleing alchohal the same can you use rubbing alchohal to pickle
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I have never had denatured alcohal, but I have gotten pickled on rubbing alcohal.
"rubbing alcohol" (Isopropyl alcohol) will pickle thin skins. I'm not sure if pickle is the right term, perhaps it is? I've soaked fox skins in it and it really toughens up the thin skin. It will also set the hair on "ify" skins. But wouldn't recommend it as an everyday practice.
Some folks claim you can "tan" skins using denatured alcohol. I don't subscribe to that belief. Upon removing it from the alcohol you still have a "raw" skin! But that's a whole other argument! If you truely want to pickle for tanning, stick with the acidic brines.
Denatured alcohol is good for long term storage of skins that you dont have time to work on or if you dont have room in the freezer. Just mix half water and half alcohol and drop your animal in it. I've had skins in my buckets for 10 years and still good.
You wouldn't be here to talk about it! There is a lot of conjecture on this forum about "this" alcohol and "that" alcohol, and the benefits of one over the other in taxidermy. Most tissue has an affinity for alcohols of both simple types, such as the single carbon Methanols and complex, dihydric alcohols like Ethelene Glycol and Phenoxyethanols.
Alcohols do not "fix" tissue as does formalin and the glutaraldehydes. Formalin and glutaldehydes are both complex, 5 carbon molecules with a reactive group of hydrogen and oxygen atoms at each end of the chain. When introduced by injecting via the blood vessel network, they invade most of the cellular matter in the speciman to be "fixed". Fixing occurs when one end of the molecular chain attaches to the dna in the cell and the other end attaches to other matter, thereby "fixing" or stablizing the cellular material in a natural state and preventing breakdown.
Alcohols, with some exception are dehydrants and denaturants and act as astringents. Alcohol replaces the water content in each cell and lowers the freezing point, and helps to "preserve" the tissue in it's "fixed" state.
The most common alcohols are:
1.) Isopropyl (C)3H(8)O or Dimethylcarbinol. It is an astringent, antiseptic, denaturant and dehydrating agent.
2.) Ethanol (C2H5OH) or Grain alcohol. This is the stuff which causes MADD mothers and hangovers. Ethanol is also a dehydrant, astringent and preservative. Like isopropyl, it has a hydrogen and oxygen complex on just one end of the chain.
3.) Ethylene Glycol (CH2OH)2 or 1,2-Dihydroxethane is a reagent and is used in biostasis to stablize tissue. It is commonly used in antifreezes and other commercial products.
4.) Methanol (CH3OH) is the simplest of organic alcohols, having just a single carbon atom in the complex. It is also used as a reagent and preservative, and is commonly called "wood" alcohol. This is the material for fuel and other purposes. It is, like other alcohols, a dehydrant and preservative.
5.) "Denatured" alcohol is just grain alcohol (Ethanol) to which ingredients are added to make it toxic and to exempt it from ATF controls and liquor taxes. The composition of Denatured Alcohol is:
82.9% Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol)
00.2% Ethylacetate
16.4% Methanol (Methyl alcohol)
00.5% MEK
The poisonous additive is the Methanol and the other ingredients are stablizers. So, you see, Denatured alcohol is just a combination of grain (ethanol) wood (methanol) alcohols thus rendering the argument over which to use rather moot.
Actually, of the common alcohols, Ethylene Glycol is probably the best for preserving tissue. That is why it is commonly used in biostasis procedures. Using "Denatured" alcohol is much cheaper than using "Everclear", but at nearly 83 percent Ethanol it is nearly the same as pappy's "white lightening".
Windshield washer fluid is largely methanol in an aqueous solution. It would probably work as well as anything for "pickling" fish skins.
Confused? The above is the simple approach to the definition of alcohols. I know that some of you feel there is no need for basic chemistry and math skills in this field, but I personally find them invaluable. As they say, ignorance is bliss, but it is damn limiting. Just like Tommy was bragging about getting drunk on Isopropyl alcohol. There are hospitals full of folks who tried to get drunk on the wrong type of alcohols......don't become one of the statistics.
This reminds me of a poem I learned years ago:
"Little Johnny was a chemist.
But a Chemist he is no more.
He drank what he thought was H2O,
But it 'twas H2SO4."
Look that up in yer Funk and Wagnalls.
Since Alcohol evaporates much faster than water, any solution made from alcohol and water must be replace with a different ration to maintain the same percentages in solution. Usually replacement mixtures are not the same 50/50 as the initial mixture. Usually the replacement mix should be 55-45 to 60-40 ratio in favor of the alcohol or the mixture will contain less and less alcohol as time goes by, dependent on ambient temperatures. Ten years? Where does time go?
i saw this in a book from the 40s i was wondering if it is true thanks for info
Dear Mr. Chemistry,
While I will not sit here and argue the validity of your statements. I believe you left much conjecture about your chemical analysis. Obviously you feel that education is priceless in all fields-but I would be remiss if I did not remind you that trial and error methods have and always will be more valuable.
"All greated men of science have been humbled by the knowledge obtained through farm trial and error" -Ben Franklin
--In response arguements started between farming technology and scientific dimplomacy.
Basically, it means that even though science and education are useful aides, the most important aide is experience.
--In response to you claim that windshield washer fluid would be suitable. Obviously you have spent more time reading yer there books and not enough time doing practical things-like trial and error, or gaining experience from someone who knows the trade i.e. ME.
MY ADVICE
"Spend more time trying/learning and less time reading, this is the way to become a great man" Al Einstein
Adios