Making Wood Alcohol/Methyl Alcohol

[‡brandon]

Something I've been wondering a lot lately is how would you make your own wood alcohol? It seems somewhat simple and I can't find any decent things on google about it. Anyone know how to make? Or have a step by step process on it.

Edit: Actually I think I am looking for ethyl alcohol. But both would be nice to know :p
Ethyl alcohol is what they use in rubbing alcohol, right? I am just wondering if there's a cheap way to manufacture this so I can save a dollar or two

 

[jim mcnamara]

wood alcohol is methanol or methyl alcohol. It was originally made by the destructive distillation of wodd in the absence of oxygen (pyrolysis).

ethanol or ethly alcohol is usually derived by fermenting grain and then distilling out the alcohol. This alcohol is also drinkable as wine, beer, and distilled spirits.

rubbing alcohol is usually iso-propanol.

Making any of these at home is not economical unless you live where there is
a large excise tax on ethanol, like in the US. Google for 'home brewing' or 'wine making' if that is what you're looking for.

 

[‡brandon]

Well I am not exactly looking for that, I am just wondering if there is any way on making these alcohols at home. I heard you can get some alcohol from boil vegetables or anything like that.. So i was curious to know if there was a cheap way of making useful alcohol at home.

 

[Fly_High]

You can make Ethyl Alcohol simply by fermenting corn, p otatoes, sugar cane, barley & hopps, grapes, etc and then distilling the alcoho l and purifying it.

 

[Integral]

You can make Ethyl Alcohol simply by fermenting corn, p otatoes, sugar cane, barley & hopps, grapes, etc and then distilling the alcohol l and purifying it.

In some areas this is an illegal activity, without appropriate licenses. Check your local laws.

 

[Jacquesl]

Hell, in today’s life everything is starting to get illegal one of these days getting married will be illegal, not to say making your own alcohols for drinking or driving

 

[Crf45or]

Wood alcohol is pretty bad stuff and could blind you so I try to keep away from that but from what I know you get ethenol the alcohol you can drink from fermentation basically it's just yeast sugar and water. The yeast eats the sugar for energy and let's off a byproduct carbon dioxide and ethenol. Yup that's pretty much the basics

 

[turbo]

Methanol can poison you and must be handled with care. The molecules are small enough to pass through your skin and get into your bloodstream.

 

[eurynome]

methanol will not actually cause problems if it gets on the skin unless there is allot of repeated exposure. (I work in emergency services.)

 

[Borek]

Necropost, locked.