[kb3lms]

Open source all the way! The only reason I said PM was in case someone was uncomforatble asking for whatever reason. Surely, though, we would find a vehicle to publish.

any neutral grain spirit of high alcohol content like 180-190 Proof will work

And therein will lie an issue for some. Nothing more than 150 proof is available here any longer. It sure was when I was in college :-) but you can't get it now. The closest thing I could find to straight ethanol was 100 proof (50%) Nikolai vodka, which fotunately was not all that pricey. You can treat it as "half-strength" ethanol and remember to adjust for the water content. In my case I found that a neighboring state, Maryland, sells the real thing. So when we go down there for away games a bottle or two comes along home.

Also, don't be afraid to hunt on eBay for chemicals. You need to watch (buyer beware!) what you are buying but there is an amazing array of things available. I've gotten stung once (and I don't think it was intentional on the seller's part) but otherwise have had very good experiences. Artcraft also sells through eBay and sometimes their prices there are better than from the website or different quantities offered - for example 50g of AgNO3 instead of 100.