Originally Posted by Peda

Where do you get lye (what do we call it in Australia).
-i have been doing a lot of research on the net for about 5 months now and Lye can be NaOh which is caustic soda sometimes sold as drain cleaner in hw shops apparently, or it can be KOH , potassium hydroxide. The use of these require different amounts to be added so you have to use the right method in relation to which chemical you use. So far I have found a supplier in Brisbane , Ajax Chemicals 07 38599455 and sell 25kg bags of both for about $6 kg plus gst. That is a lot of chemical and I am not sure if I want to buy that much first up until I have this process mastered.

Where do you get methynol from.
Here I am lucky as I have been using methanol for years in my model aeroplane engines. It can usually be baught from model aeroplane hobby shops and they will fill your container for about a dollar, maybe more per litre. It can also be supplied in the big bulk 200ltr drums from racing fuel suppliers.
See my posting regarding a source of 20 ltr drums. If you want I can give you some.

What sort of Oil do you use, clean or used.
I plan to use waste cooking oil and am yet to pluck up the courage to approach the local asian restaurants. I beleive that the oil they use is still liquid at room temp which would be easier to handle I would think, rather than the deep fry stuff from fish and chip shops which goes hard when cold. However since you need to heat the oil during the mixing process this is probably not a deterent from using it but I would like to filter it before starting the process and I just think if that can be done with a cold product it would safer to handle plus if left to sit for a while any water would settle out.

What do you do with the glycerine.
Don't know yet havent made any. I read though that if you use caustic soda for the lye then the glycerine is slightly toxic, whereas if you use potassium hydroxide the glycerine is more environmentally friendly and safe to use in the garden or compost. There are other uses for the glycerine such as a degreaser for engines and hand cleaner but you have to distill out any residual methanol before use.