Chemists & household chemicals

According to the news, the bombs used in London were constructed from chemicals obtainable from high street Chemists.

Well, of late I've tried to get stuff like ammonia for cleaning and, more optomistically, dilute HCL for de-scaling and just got a look of bemusement from behind the counter. I came to the conclusion that the old fashioned Chemist doesn't exist any more -they are now Pharamacies selling drugs, cold cures and the like but not household chemicals.

Does some Chemists actually still sell old-fashioned cleaning agents, meths, paraffin, ammonia and the like thesedays?.

Egremont

Reply to
Egremont
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Paraffin I've managed to get from (some) garages, not chemists though. No idea about other agents... Isn't most nail varnish remover ammonia, though, or is that too dilute (or expensive) a solution for cleaning?

Jon

Reply to
Jon

Nail varnish remover is acetone I think.

Reply to
Alastair

Have you tried buying citric acid for descaling recently - you get a right dirty look because apparently it's used for cutting drugs...

Reply to
PC Paul

It's also used to make kiddies bath bombs (whatever they are) so no need to look sheepish.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

everything is available online and if you have a proper reason you can buy anything that isn't illegal. people tend to forget that in a parliamentary (faux) democracy if it's isn't specifically illegal, you can do it :D

Reply to
news

I don't have any bother getting isopropyl alcohol, but from a real pharmacy rather than an in-supermaket one.

You can readily buy meths from outdoor accessory/camping shops.

Reply to
Frank Erskine

I bought a litre of IPA from maplins 3 weeks ago.

Reply to
news

Probably from supermarkets even. Combinations of branded household goods can be pretty lethal IIRC. Pointless looking for evil Egyptian chemists when it appears any bloody fool can make a bomb. Detonating it might be more difficult and possibly the London bombers didn't get that bit right. Why carry ID unless you envisage walking away from the scene? Interesting that caustic soda cannot be sold over the counter by my local plumbers merchant, so I was forced to go to Focus and get it off the shelf.

Reply to
Stuart Noble

I don't think my local Chemist ever did sell meths or paraffin - that was the hardware shop.

If I tried buying Citric acid from my Chemist (Pharmacist) I wouldn't get a dirty look, just a look of 'why do you think we'd sell that - we sell cough mixture!". Specific examples elude me but now and again you see a suggestion to use some chemical for some cleaning or DIY job and whenever I've tried a Chemist I've drawn a blank.

It just made me want to ask - do Chemists/Pharmacists (e.g. Boots) really sell chemicals as suggested on the news?.

Egremont

Reply to
Egremont

rec.woodworking people are always suggesting using 'mineral oil' for finishing food related items such as chopping boards, salad bowls etc. and getting it from a pharmacy.

Nobody over here (UK) has any idea what it is...

Reply to
PC Paul
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Of course. And "chemicals" are, as we all know, utterly evil.

Meanwhile, in the real world, making explosives sufficiently energetic to cause the damage seen in London whilst being transportable in a rucksack is difficult and dangerous. Easily manufactured explosives are not very energetic and hard to initiate, whereas energetic ones are difficult to make without blowing yourself up and require chemicals not often stocked in a High St. chemists; "5 litres of fuming nitric acid, please, my man."

The media are, as usual, full of shit.

Reply to
Huge

smelling salts, or use caustic, or try a wood finishing place.

brick acid, fernox, tesco bog cleaner

rubbing alcohol, surgical spirit, rectified etc, tape head cleaner, all similar but not same. Try a paint shop for real meths

sold at gararges. aka lamp oil

just a case of knowing whats what. Its not labelled as obviously as it used to be, and most products are now proprietary mixes rather than single chems, and one tends to have to get this here, that there etc. Theres not the demand for those kind of things there once was. Guess bom making just isnt as fashionable now. It used to be a popular sport among teenagers.

NT

Reply to
bigcat

Isn't it liquid parafin?

Reply to
S Viemeister

Yes.

Reply to
Rob Morley

No problem round here. One place refused to sell me more than two packets at once, mind, and got very huffy.

Reply to
Bob Eager

I get IPA from CPC.

Old fashioned ironmongers (not that easy to find, but...). Same for ammonia.

Reply to
Bob Eager

All our local chemists sell it - apart from Boots, who are always bemused anyway. They keep it in the pharmacy.

Reply to
Bob Eager

On 15 Jul 2005 14:09:15 GMT,it is alleged that "Bob Eager" spake thusly in uk.d-i-y:

Wow, the things you miss by not being a druggie. I use citric acid and/or HCl for descaling regularly.

BTW, places that deal with swimming pools should be able to source hydrochloric acid fairly cheaply. Better deal than 'patio cleaner' (It'll need dilution before use for that purpose though).

Reply to
Chip

I wanted some IPA for cleaning purposes and got the third degree from my local chemist. Eventually he sold me a 1/2 litre bottle about 1/4 full.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

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