Where to buy denatured alcohol? Before looking at where you can find the stuff, let's first make sure you understand what it is.

Denatured alcohol is ethanol mixed with poisonous substances. Because of those additives, denatured alcohol is unfit for drinking. In some cases, denatured alcohol is dyed to make sure it looks different from pure ethanol. Very often the main additive is 10% methanol, which gives rise to the term 'methylated spirit'. Other typical additives are acetone, isopropyl alcohol, methyl ethyl ketone, denatonium, and methyl isobutyl ketone.

Why denatured alcohol is produced in the first place? In short, the answer is regulation. Societies believe it is in the public interest that pure ethanol (widely known as alcohol) should not be cheap, or else people will be able to buy it easily, mix it with water, and drink the produced spirit casually. As a result alcohol is often excessively taxed.

However, there are many other uses for ethanol than pouring it down the throat. To exempt the production of ethanol intended for uses other than drinking from the heavy alcohol taxes, manufacturers add poisonous substances to make the ethanol they produce not fit for drinking. As the resulted ethanol is not, strictly speaking, ethanol (because of the additives), it is not taxed heavily and thus can be sold cheaply to end consumers.

Denatured alcohol has many applications. Here are some of them:

1. As a fuel for ultra-light backpacking (camping) or marine stoves. Denatured alcohol used for burning purposes is usually dyed, so its flame will be visible when it is being burned.
2. As a sanding aid. Denatured alcohol helps more easily remove excess dust without opening the wood grain as much as water does.
3. As a mild and gentle solvent, especially for shellac and shellac-based products.
4. To exterminate mealybug.
5. To remove ink stains from clothes or upholstery.
6. To clean glass, metal, plastic, and fabrics.
7. In printing (as a dissolvent for stop-out varnish and Aquatint).

Now we've come to our main question: Where to buy denatured alcohol?

There are a couple of ways how you can buy denatured alcohol.

The easiest is to go to the nearest drugstore or, more certainly, paint store. Wherever you can find paint (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.), you can find denatured alcohol.

Another place where you can buy denatured alcohol is the Internet. For example, Amazon offers Denatured Alcohol Quart for about $6, excluding shipping.

Important Note: Consuming denatured alcohol can result in blindness or even death. During the Prohibition in the United States in 1926 to 1933, it is estimated that more than 10,000 people died from ingesting denatured alcohol.

Sources:

Wikipedia: Denatured Alcohol

Newton BBS: Alcohol Differences

EBay: Denatured Alcohol

Amazon.com: Denatured Alcohol

Nextag.com: Denatured Alcohol

Lowe's: Denatured Alcohol