can't find Toluene in Canada

[drifter420]

I tried 2 crappy Tire and home Depot.. not able to find any toluene.. help

In Ontario Canada..

I didn't know where else to post this.. sorry mods and admins..

 

[va3ux]

Toluene is pretty nasty sh*t. Not a carcinogen, but highly flammable, volatile and the vapors are heavier than air. The average consumer has no use for it: hence the demand is low and that's why you don't find it at CTC or HD. Poeple wanting to tinker with their gasoline blend are not average consumers.

Try an autobody paint shop or autobody supply store. Toluene can be used as a solvent for lacquer. A good wood working supply store may also carry it in small quantities. In fact commonly available lacquer thinner may actually be toluene - check the fine print on the cans at HD and CTC.

Good luck. And be careful with it.

Phil

 

[drifter420]

Thanx va3ux for the heads up.

I just want to use it for fuel injector cleaner basically as I read thru here that it seems to be the best.. I have used that STP and CTC home name stuff and didn't really notice a difference.. maybe once in a blue moon when I do use it

 

[Shannow]

as mentioned, you could try a paint supplier for toluene or xylene.

Down here, it's available from shell service stations (some) as Methyl Benzene.

 

[turbodevil]

Do you guys have Sherwin Williams paint stores? They sell it in 1 gallon jugs here. Good luck to you

 

[Pablo]

Yes most paint places or good hardware stores sell toluene and xylene

 

[drifter420]

I will try Sherwin Williams there's some albeit a lil far.. but I will call them and see if they carry it and how much..
If I'm able to get it.. how much would you recommend to put into a 60Litre/18Gallon tank for fuel injector cleanin purposes??

 

[Crashbox]

I have found xylene considerably easier to obtain than toluene, though such was not the case several years back. I believe that toluene is used in illicit drug manufacture, hence it is "watched".

Purchasing large quantities will likely raise the eyebrows of law enforcement. If xylene has similar results it should possibly be considered instead just for the sake of availability if anything...

 

[drifter420]

xylene.. err.. sorry.. chemically dumb.. lmao.. wat is it use for? Hopefully I can find that @ a more local place like HD or CTC

 

[Crashbox]

Xylene is a special-purpose solvent/thinner like toluene is. Should be able to get it at a paint supply store. Exactly which paints/varnishes/coatings, I just ain't sure.

Great stuff for removing postal-meter ink- used it many years ago on a carpet. The major problem was that the can didn't have a flight number on it! Watch the vapors!

EDIT: I just realized what HD (Home Depot) and CTC stood for (Coast to Coast)- yes, I do know HD carries xylene and CTC probably will too.

 

[Shannow]

drifter,
Benzene, Toluene and Xylene are from the same family of hydrocarbons.

Benzene is a ring shaped hydrocarbon molacule, while Toluene is the same ring, with a methyl (methane) haning off the side of it (thus the name "methyl benzene").

Xylene has two methyl groups hanging off the ring (di-methyl-benzene if you will).

It will be easier to find at paint shops, and nearly as effective as toluene.

Crashbox's comments WRT law enforcement and Toluene are that it's the major ingredient in TNT.

 

[jaj]

Crashbox

I believe that "CTC" actually intended to mean "Canadian Tire Corporation".

Shannow

Toluene is used in making methamphetamine, or "crystal meth", a HUGE and fast-growing drug problem in Canada and the USA. Hence the official interest in "ordinary people" buying it - it keeps turning up in "meth labs" in basements, warehouses, and rented apartments. Gives law enforcement and fire departments fits having to do the full hazmat thing just to execute a search warrant!

Cheers
JJ

 

[Shaman]

Last time I bought Xylene it was much cheaper at Sherman Williams than the same size Toluene.

 

[Crashbox]

Oh, that's right- there is "Canadian Tire Corporation"- forgot 'bout that one.

Since we're talking about aromatic hydrocarbons, I wonder how aniline and nitrobenzene would work? IIRC aniline was used in Moroso Octane Booster years ago. Nitrobenzene is probably much too toxic, however- but it sure smells good...

 

[bkrell]

I know when you by chemtool at wallyworld, your ID is checked. However, I think that's b/c toluene is also "huffed" by kids.

 

[Torino]

If you live near a steel producer that has a coke plant--pay them a visit. They will probably give you all the toluene you can handle. Just handle it with reasonable caution. When I worked in one of USS coke plant, I ran the company Cushman scooter on a high % of benzene and toluene. Has to be warm weather tho as both freeze up at relatively high temperatures. John---Las Vegas.

 

[drifter420]

sorry.. don't live near a coke plant of drinkin kind or otherwise LOL.. Is there any difference between toluene and xylene other then the chemical itself? ( refering to how well it will clean the injector via gas tank ).

I never thought bout the freezing part.. will that affect the chemical if they freeze then thaw? ( ie absorb lots of water? ) as I can't store it in the house and it will probably freeze in the garage during winter

 

[peterr]

As others have suggested try a paint store but one that deals with trade professionals.

Your sig says "Ontario" which is a bit vague. Here in Toronto, I have not seen toluene in any Canadian Tire or Home Depot stores in the last couple of years, however I did see it recently at a paint store in downtown Toronto that deals as much with the trade as with retail. Not your basic "color your world" or whatever. But it was expensive and in small quantities.

It is likely that some of the paint thinners sold at most stores are partially toluene, but the pure stuff is more difficult to find.

Toluene falls into the category of chemicals that used to be available in bulk quantities but are now much more restricted in most of North America due to potential uses in improvised explosives and/or drug processing. The reason that it is harder to find is that the "authoritays" are suspecting that you want to make TNT or crystal meth, not clean your fuel line.

I would suggest just using a good fuel additive like FP60 from LCD, or even Chevron Techron (i know a place in Oshawa sells it and you should be able to mail order it either from Alberta or BC or direct from the US)

 

[rp855T]

As stated earlier in the post, toluene is very nasty stuff. It is considered a carcinogen as defined by the CDC/NIOSH:

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npotocca.html

 

[Quest]

Toluene is a controlled chemical that cannot be bought casually off of, say, CTC store.

You need to get someone who owns a legit business and/or a tradesman who deals with chemicals such as Toluene or Xylene on a regular basis to get you some.

I still don't know why you wanna go to such extent in trying to get some Toluene.....Is all the effort playing with Toluene, Xylene, etc. >?

I guess I can never have the same kind of passion/mindset like some BITOGgers do (*sigh*) and age is certainly coming my way...

p.s. If you want good FIC, get Techron/Pennzoil Regaine or even FP and be over with it. Why fuss with chemistry when we don't know the proper "magic" combination of the fuel and FIC elixir?!