Just a reminder that woodworking can be dangerous.

[eweber]

I woke up early this morning and couldn't fall back asleep.
I decided to go down to the shop.
I decided against using any cutting tool to be on the safe side.
I started a small session of oil rubbing on some cabinets I just finished.
When my wife woke up I got called for breakfeast.
1/2 after that I started smelling something like fried food in the house. I suddenly realised that I forgot to properly disposed of my wiping rag.
I rushed to the shop which was under a small cloud of smoke by now to discover a nice small burning rag on one of my bench.

Lesson learned.

 

[Eli]

Why was it burning? I'm no scientist.....

 

[eweber]

When the oil cures on the rag it heats up and can self combust.

From General finish website:
When using oil based finishes, take careful  precautions when disposing of waste products.  Rags, steel wool or other waste soaked with these products may spontaneously catch fire if improperly discarded.   Immediately after use, place rags, steel wool or waste in sealed, water filled, metal container.  Dispose of in accordance with local fire regulations.

 

[Eli]

Thanks for the heads up. My last workshop was outside, I never had this problem. I might drop some money on a fire can. How do you usually deal with the rags, E?

 

[eweber]

I usually soak them in water and put them on the side of a metal bin spread out (the rags gets much warmer if they are folded).

 

[Fred West]

I have spent years doing nothing other than lying them out flat away from each other and have never had an issue but I like the idea of the fire can. Fred

 

[TahoeTwoBears]

The soak in a can of water is the super idea here. Solid metal can with a tight fitting lid comes in second. Can't tell you how many fires I went to in 30+ years caused by oil in rags. Not petroleum oil, mind you, but animal or vegetable oil based products.

Soaking in water gets my vote.

from an old fire chief.........

Mike

 

[semenza]

Hi,

      O.K. So oil on a piece of cloth or paper towel, etc. Naturally gets hot enough to self combust? Whats the science behind this ???

Seth

 

[Dan Clermont]

Friend of mine oiled his project, went for dinner with the wife and came home to a shop full of smoke.

Can happen to anyone. Get a metal garbage can with a lid or take the rags outside and leave them in a pail full of water.

Dan Clermont

 

[eweber]

Seth,

The oil (boil linseed oil in my case) polymerized through oxydation which produce heat.
Also the more heat the faster the oxydation happens which in turn produce even more heat...

Emmanuel

 

[Trevor H]

I've seen this happen to a wood flooring crew before in a paper. They stained a floor then threw the rags in the back of the van. Obviously there is dust everywhere when your in this field. The windows were up and it was a nice sunny day and all of a a pile of rags turned into a blazing van fire. I've also known painters that have started fires in houses because their employees didn't understand the concept of self combusting rags.

I always dip em in water then lay them out flat.