One of the stores in town has Polycarbonate water bottles on sale for $1.00. I was thinking they would make good containers for mixing, and storing shellac. They are one quart wide mouth bottles with markings on the side to show how many ounces you have in them.
So, are they going to break down from the alcohol?
They are in assorted colors, so would any color be better than another?
Replies
It's proof against ethanol and propanol but not to methanol. So it'll be OK if you use just denatured alcohol and not a proprietary solvent that contains methanol or any ketone. I can't imagine the color making much difference. For long-term storage, though, glass is still the best choice.
Edit: I just looked up some MSDSs of denatured alcohol, and many brands contains significant amounts of methanol and MEK, so it wouldn't be OK to use those.
Edited 6/28/2008 9:43 pm ET by Disputantum
Thanks for the input. I'll check the msds for the brand I use and see what it has in it.
I haven't been able to find any yet. If you do let us know the brand
Do not store any kind of alcohol in a polycarbonate bottle. The alcohol will cause crazing and embrittlement of the bottle in fairly short order, which could cause a leak and potentially a fire. Polyethylene or HDPE bottles are generally safe.
Alcohol is best stored in glass, or a metal container.
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