I called Lowes and was told they are getting $17+ change for a gallon of methanol. I have heard that some people are getting this stuff for less than $3 a gallon.
Any ideas as to where I can get this stuff at a better price?
TIA, Marco.

Try the local race track or a hobby shop that sells rc cars.

As a starting point try one of these:

Ashland Chemical Company
Phone: 888 ASHCHEM

World Wide Racing Fuels
Phone: 800 648-2262

Expect to pay 2 to 3 dollars per gallon when you buy a 55 gallon drum.

Thanks for the replies. I just cant seem to bring myself to pay $17 a gallon at Lowes.
$2-$3 a gallon for a 55 gallon drum is a much better price.
Marco

That's my *****. To make biodiesel you need 20% methanol by volume of the waste oil being converted. Methanol at $3 per gallon and up it gets expensive fast. I wouldn't mind getting it by the 55 gal drum if it was more reasonable.

Try this number for a dealer near you:
Sunoco Racing Alcohol available - 99.95% pure. Please contact the Sunoco Race Fuel Distributor in your area or call 1-800-RACE GAS (1-800-722-3427) for more information.

Let's see, $158 for 55 gallons from Sunoco in the bay area, your price may very, is $2.87 per gallon. That will make 5 gallons of BD. If you get the oil free from Micky D's that works out to about $.57 per gallon. To that you have to add the cost of NaOH or KOH, and the cost of energy to make the stuff.
If you buy Red Devil Lie at Ace Hardware, add about .15 per gallon. Then an hours worth of propane to heat the oil, and electricity to stur it. Add say another .05. Looks like the total is about $.77 per gallon. Then you get the left over soap to use for clean up.

You should be able to find methanol for closer to $2.00/gallon or even less, especially if buying 55 gallon drums. Places that distribute oil products - heating oil, motor oil, diesel, etc usually have it, as do race fuel distributers. If you buy Lye in bulk you can get it very cheap, $.50-$1.00/lb.
Paul


Try this number for a dealer near you:
Sunoco Racing Alcohol available - 99.95% pure. Please contact the Sunoco Race Fuel Distributor in your area or call 1-800-RACE GAS (1-800-722-3427) for more information.

Let's see, $158 for 55 gallons from Sunoco in the bay area, your price may very, is $2.87 per gallon. That will make 5 gallons of BD. If you get the oil free from Micky D's that works out to about $.57 per gallon. To that you have to add the cost of NaOH or KOH, and the cost of energy to make the stuff.
If you buy Red Devil Lie at Ace Hardware, add about .15 per gallon. Then an hours worth of propane to heat the oil, and electricity to stur it. Add say another .05. Looks like the total is about $.77 per gallon. Then you get the left over soap to use for clean up.

I agree, the supplies can be found for less. But, the Ace Hardware store is just a few miles away, and I get what I need at the time.
CH3OH can be found cheaper, but the time and travel expense to get it, bring the price back up. Oh, to live in a big city where stuff can be found cheaper than out here in the tickie boos.

I bit the bullet and bought a 55 gallon rib from my work. I paid $163.00 with tax. $2.96 a gallon was worth it since I did not have to travel to get it nor did I have to pay any shipping on it and they even loaded it into my pickup. Now how am I goin to get that heavy SOB out of my truck.
Has anyone else called Lowes for a price on this stuff? I wonder if I was misinformed on the $17 a gallon price.

Distill your own it ain't hard, plenty of Squeeze here to be had real cheap; Mississippi is known for its backroom spirits makers.

Seriously though this is such a no brainer we pay farmers to not grow crops, when we could get them to eliminate the yoke of imported oil to next to nothing.

Free fuel from corn, soy, linseed,etc, ferment mash drippings from cornfield 1 and squeeze out the oil from cornfield number 2 mix in right proportion and fill up your truck and drive down the highway.

The only real problem wit Bio is that the oil companies didnt think of it first. You can count on one thing for sure. Biodiesel will never really catch on main stream untill the oil companies produce it. So the money savings wont be there.
Wish for once it could be as easy as it sounds.