How to buy Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS)

[MagiKelly]

OKay there has been lots of talk about IMS being better to burn in your Trangia etc but ther has always been the problem of how to get it. Most chemists will not let you buy it. On a thread on BB someone found out you can get a licence to but IMS and that it is free and fairly straight forward. So I did some searching and here is what you do.

Go to this page

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_PublicNoticesAndInfoSheets&propertyType=document&columns=1&id=HMCE_CL_000263

Download the PDF file. Print out and fill in page 34 and send it to

HM Revinue & Customs
National Registration Unit
Portcullis House
21 India Street
Glasgow
G2 4PZ

And you will recieve permission to buy IMS.

For further information you can contact the Meths Team on 0141 555 3466 For some reason over on BB there was no surprise that the Meths team would be based in Glasgow

 

[Goose]

Well thats cleared up any questions I may have had!???

 

[innocent bystander]

Do you think they'll be curious when they get a tonne of forms arriving on their desks ?

 

[Bardster]

apart from the small detail that you cant use IDA for heating, lighting or the preperation of beverages as per section 10.1

 

[AJB]

If anyone goes through the process, please can they post their results.

Ta ever so

 

[scruff]

apart from the small detail that you cant use IDA for heating, lighting or the preperation of beverages as per section 10.1

i've just read the document a little. section 10.1 does not state that it cannot be used for these purposes. it does however refer to "Previously Approved Uses" which are still permitted and goes on to list them in section 17:

"8. For use in small quantities (no greater than 20 litres per annum) in any specialised hobby or pastime where:

- Use of IDA (IMS) is specified in technical or trade literature (Trangia Instruction/ manual??) and;

- The quantities recieved are reasonable having regard to the nature of the pursuit involved"

basically the uses are very wide ranging so they are covered generally in this section.

hope that 'clears' things up

 

[MagiKelly]

I posted my application yesterday. I have applied to use IMS in my Heat Pal 5100 which is designed to burn Denatured alchohol. I put a link to the manufacturers web site on my form. As it burns up to 1.5 litres I think my request for up to 20 litres a year for camping use is quite reasonable. On the phone I did say that I knew quite a lot of people who would be interested in getting permission.


Also you will find that IMS will be starting to be called Denatured Alchohol not sure of the reason for the name change. Probably just to take us in line with the rest of europe.

I'll let you know when I get my reply.

 

[scruff]

john - cheers for this tip n link by the way

i wasnt thinking of sourcing some 'denatured alcohol' but now i kno its so easy n free to get a licence then i'll be sending my application off this week too.

i'm hoping it will not only leave less residue but also give off less of an odour when burning.

 

[ESpy]

Daft question - does IMS have that irritating purple dye?

 

[scruff]

its additive free ie. without the stupid dye

 

[ESpy]

Cheers... That'll make it ideal for use with leather dyes then

 

[j.roberts7]

looked at the form do you need to reg as a company with vat number first as it asks for this

 

[wanderinstar]

probably another stupid question.
but whats the difference between IMS and ordinary meths. Does it burn hotter or something?
Ian.

 

[MagiKelly]

looked at the form do you need to reg as a company with vat number first as it asks for this

No, just put "not applicable" in these boxes. The form covers both companies and individuals.

 

[MagiKelly]

probably another stupid question.
but whats the difference between IMS and ordinary meths. Does it burn hotter or something?
Ian.

IMS does not have the purple dye in it and burns cleaner with less smell. Less soot on your pots and not such a bad smell if you are cooking in an enclosed space (tent).

 

[Eric_Methven]

What's it like mixed with blackcurrant cordial?

Eric








(It's a joke for goodness sake!)

 

[MagiKelly]

What's it like mixed with blackcurrant cordial?

Blinding, literally!


As they say, don't try this at home kids.

 

[BorderReiver]

Blinding, literally!


As they say, don't try this at home kids.

He's not joking either.The methanol destroys your optic nerve,or if you drink enough,kills you.
The dye is put in to stop accidents,so please be carefull with the clear stuff.

 

[Culicoidis]

Just to add to the gruesome image, methanol when broken down by the liver forms methylaldehyde, commonly known as formaldehyde. Instant embalming of all your vital organs.

 

[Doc]

Apart from the lack of purple dye, the other advantage is that it is cheaper (when youu buy a 5 litre container anyway).