The Thai family I'm staying with have a dangerously steep wooden staircase to the upper floor.

To make matters worse, the steps are finished in a gloss lacquer.

When the steps are wet, you could easily go for a sixer and end up seriously injured.

I purchased a roll of 3" wide abrasive safety tape.

It's pre glued on the back.

I've cut it into 30" strips and will be glueing them to the edge of each step.

Needing methylated spirits to thoroughly clean any grease and impurities from the steps I started my quest at a large chain variety store in the local town. Using both images and English vs Thai translater in my phone the lady kept taking me to the alcohol counter.

Using the same method I then tried a paint store. I showed the assistant both pictures and the written word

of the product as well as phonetically through the speaker but to no avail.

Sorry, no have was the response.

Well, this guy wasn't even trying.

Browsing in his shop I found it myself.

I then pointed to the name on the bottle and the same name I had shown him on my phone.

He smiled.

Back at the house, I was shocked to discover the bottled spirit was not unlike any distilled vodka or ethanol.

I remember back home there's an additive making methanol quite foul smelling and undrinkable.

In the wrong hands this methyl alcohol found in Thailand could easily be mixed into a cocktail without noticing.

Anyway, back to the steps.

im staying indoors today now Ive read this

i always remember many years ago

in ng and png the natives were allowed 1bottle a week

for there stoves

they lined up sat morn for there bottle

it was drank before it got back to the village

always back to wood fire

Dangerous stuff that metho.

I remember it stocked in the outback Queensland corner store fridge next to the orange juice

They must've been worried it would catch alight from the scorching heat outside.

i always remember many years ago

in ng and png the natives were allowed 1bottle a week

for there stoves

they lined up sat morn for there bottle

it was drank before it got back to the village

always back to wood fire

I reckon you could do that only a few times before consequences kicked in.

i always remember many years ago

in ng and png the natives were allowed 1bottle a week

for there stoves

they lined up sat morn for there bottle

it was drank before it got back to the village

always back to wood fire

I reckon you could do that only a few times before consequences kicked in.

Not if you mix it with, Black, Nugget Boot Polish........

For the woman, try it straight with a spoonful of Sal Vital....best Sparkly you ever tasted.....

So they tell me....

the stuff we have in the UK can make you blind, how can this be any worse???

They are both equally dangerous to ingest.

The Thai version smells neutral.

This is what makes it dangerous.

It can be easily mistaken for alcohol.

Any home distilled liquor can be dangerous and cause blindness among other medical problems

Lao Kao or any homemade alcohol from potatoes, corn, rice or even fruit wouldn't be much better than pure spirits...

If your going to drink, pay for a good Irish or Scottish whisky

Yes, even ethanol (drinking alcohol) is a poison at high concentration levels.

But methanol is deadly at lower concentrations.

Mixing ethanol with juice is cool but not with methanol.

For cleaning floor/steps before applying nonskid tape I used acetone, readily available in paint stores. Don't inhale the vapors.

For cleaning floor/steps before applying nonskid tape I used acetone, readily available in paint stores. Don't inhale the vapors.

Good tip.

The tape supplier from the u.s. advised methanol.

I'd use whatever is cheaper.

In LOS you need to watch acetone as it will easily evaporate.

what is the name in thai

acetone is to strong

ethanol close i think

but i need metho for some art works

cheers

Varnish and sprinkle washed fine sand

Straightforward thinners will clean anything from old paint and varnish to the black grease on new steel.

As above...ventilate well ad you will hyperventilate and get nauseaus.