i found out the useful solvents have been removed from many stores in the US because of toxicity and its use as a solvent to make drugs.
online is probably the only place to find it.
strangely concentrated sulfuric acid in a bottle and crystal lye can still be found in stores.
[Edited on 28-9-2011 by symboom]Bot0nist - 28-9-2011 at 13:45
I get all three at shermin Williams and finishes masters with no questions asked. They sell qaurts, gallons, and 5 gallon jugs of each.symboom - 28-9-2011 at 15:58
I get all three at shermin Williams and finishes masters with no questions asked. They sell qaurts, gallons, and 5 gallon jugs of each.
ill get it from there.
ah thanks so why at ace home depot lows and walmart they dont have it.bbartlog - 28-9-2011 at 18:24
Lowe's still had MEK and Xylene last time I looked (granted that was some months ago). Toluene though does seem to be missing from all of the big box
places. CaliusOptimus - 28-9-2011 at 22:16
i heard something about a VOC tax causing everything accept acetone to triple in price. i dont know if theres any truth to that, though.S.C. Wack - 29-9-2011 at 12:46
Perhaps a local tax in CA, but that isn't what is going on here. Toluene was removed from the above chains and regional chain Menard's here and across
the river months ago, but the others are still available here. At the moment, without a comprehensive survey. Obviously I suspect that this is at the
behest of fedgov. Toluene-containing mixtures do not seem to be affected.jamit - 30-9-2011 at 01:35
I don't know if this is a local or state issue but where i live -- somewhere in the midwest of USA -- I can find all the solvents, acids, and bases at
either ACE, Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, Sherwin Williams, Walmart, etc.
ACE hardware has all of it: toluene, MEK, Paint-stripper, acetone, Xylene, sulfuric, lye, potassium permanganate, etc.
However sodium nitrate is no longer sold -- discontinued, probably because of federal regulation. However if you get lucky as I did last year, I was
able to secure an old stock from ACE -- five 4lb bags of Nitrate of Soda. That was awesome! So you need to search around which can be frustrating
but also rewarding when your persistence pays off, as it did for me. Well good luck you guys!
bbartlog - 30-9-2011 at 12:19
Just checked out the solvents at Lowe's and indeed, rather than MEK they now carry 'MEK substitute'.Bot0nist - 30-9-2011 at 13:20
What is it, I wonder.
Pretty Good Idea Where
Takron - 30-9-2011 at 21:50
I actually work at a Sherwin-Williams and over the last few years, state by state there have been VOC crack downs on solvents, coatings, and pretty
much anything chemical coating related for emissions reasons, not drugs. As a result a lot of states have either outlawed the sale of some items or
some companies won't sell to some places anymore for fear of the 20,000 dollar fine that accompanies unlawful sale of non-VOC compliant chemicals. I
live in the midwest as well and it is slowly taking over the states here. Oil based paints for the normal consumer are near but extinct so if you need
solvents and you are near a sherwin-williams get it, because sherwin-williams is one of only I think 2 or 3 companies that still deal and produce the
chemicals, for the general public, that are on the chopping block.symboom - 1-10-2011 at 13:21
Just checked out the solvents at Lowe's and indeed, rather than MEK they now carry 'MEK substitute'.
yeah
thats what i saw at ace it was a substitute for MEK toulene xelene and a few others i dont remember its supposed to be a safe alternative.
also what does that mean for people selling it online for the publicS.C. Wack - 4-10-2011 at 03:05
I could not find VOC regulations on consumer products in the statutes of my state, so there is yet no explanation why toluene would be unavailable
here while the others are still available, except at walmart which is closer to the CA regs; they only have high boilers, acetone, and denatured. From what I could find it seems to be a blue state thing, at least in 2008/9/10, I
guess we might get dragged along with them.Steve_hi - 4-10-2011 at 03:20
I went to our local renodepot dealer a building supply store where I had previously bought sodium hydroxide pure crystals They no longer sell it. The
replacement is a mixture of NaOH NaCO3 and NaCl it seems like all the sources of cheap chemicals are disapearing what a nuisance the war on drugs is.
it's a futile waste of taxpayers money drugdealers dont give a shit about their products theyll just use whatever crap they can get their hands onMeSynth - 4-10-2011 at 11:46
toluene has never been at the home depots and lowes where i live oh and they never have concentrated drain cleaners. I have to go clear across town to
an old hardware store praise the lord.. :xS.C. Wack - 4-10-2011 at 12:27
BTW these agencies are responsible for VOC regulation in at least 14 states, separately from the EPA. The federal government has no problem with
states usurping a federal agency in this case, unlike the subjects of immigration enforcement and marijuana non-enforcement. They seem to be
all-powerful in CA and the Lakes/NE states, and will presumably have new restrictions added to business and to consumer products by rubber-stamp
politicians until the end of time: http://www.aqmd.gov/ http://www.arb.ca.gov/ http://www.otcair.org/
