On Wed, 19 Apr 2006 at 10:24, Lez wrote:
>does ammonia have another name? is it sold as a cleaner under a brand name?
ISTR the Stubb's brand from long ago, but it doesn't figure on Google :-(
However "Boots Household Ammonia" was mentioned in Oct 2002
on rec.aquaria.freshwater.misc, it could still be around.
>Chemicals cant really be bought in the uk, unless you go to a bulk
>industrial supplier, who want paperwork just to sell water...........
I understand the feeling and I've had the problem with some of the
less common chemicals I wanted (such as glacial acetic acid), but...
I've bought concentrated hydrochloric acid from a local hardware store
and from my local chemist in recent years, no problems.
At the hardware store it was sold as a drain cleaner. Hydrochloric acid
appears to be a major (or only) part of brick cleaner (for mortar stains).
Small bottles of acetone and low-strength hydrogen peroxide used to
be commonplace in chemists. I think I've seen the acetone recently,
I just haven't checked for peroxide. "151 Car-Pride Brake Clean" from
the local discount store (400ml aerosol, £1.50) has a very strong
acetone smell, may contain alcohol too, "eats toner for breakfast"
and leaves no residue but might be too aggressive on plastic-bodied
components to use as a solder flux remover except with caution.
(Acetone is also highly inflammable, worse than petrol, take care.)
>Its like what you americans call 'lye'(caustic soda), you cant buy it
>off the shelf here etc,
It's a long while since I've bought it at Boots: it's deliquescent as well
as corrosive and reacting with atmospheric CO2, so it's not the kind
of thing you want to keep much of as shelf stock.
>IPA, drugstore only (chemist) and then its 20
>questions to see why you want it and if you can get more than 20ml you
>have won a the grand prize.
Maplin, shelf stock, aerosols and 1 litre tins. Also Farnell/CPC or RS
by mail order. I don't see any restrictions displayed.
>I dont know why our country is like this, its ''health and safety'' rules mad.
Yes, it makes you wonder how we can kill thousands of people
with motor vehicles and get away with it but handguns are banned ;-)
Can't even carry a can of paint home from the shops on the bus now!
>Only solvent I can buy in a bottle is methlated spirit, then its got a
>blue dye in it that tastes awful to stop the bums drinking it instead
>of french wine.
Also surgical spirit, AKA rubbing alcohol, but that has 2% castor oil
and the refreshing smell of oil of wintergreen, neither of which will
enhance your cocktails. Nice smell of gun-cleaning though :-)
One type of barbecue lighter fluid (not the methanol gel stuff) is
hydro-refined petroleum distillate, a better grade of white spirit,
which itself is also available off the shelf. Both quite good as a
first wash for greasy contamination but tend to leave a slight
oily film which evaporates much slower. (Useless on flux.)
><snip>
>Its like living on an island..........
"Mainland cut off", as the Isle of Wight paper said one foggy day.
Regards, LenW
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