Caution regarding an aspect of our hobby.

[Scanker19]

http://www.gazette.com/articles/fire-122819-firefighters-house.html

Basically a linseed oil soaked rag started a fire and burnt a house down. I love using linseed oil to refinish stocks and almost all other types of wood. If you share my passion for the flax based fun of linseed oil make sure you:

Lay rags out to dry completely after using linseed oil then dispose of.
Or soak in water to clean them prior to disposing.

Wadded up linseed oil rags as well as other types of wood oils, i.e. Pure Tung Oil, can spontaneously combust causing a fire.

[rondog]

Yessir, a common problem that's not commonly known these days, but the old timers knew all about it. This is the main reason for steel rag buckets with the spring loaded lids that open with a foot pedal, for putting oily rags in so they don't spontaneously combust and burn places down.

[DFBrews]

Yessir, a common problem that's not commonly known these days, but the old timers knew all about it. This is the main reason for steel rag buckets with the spring loaded lids that open with a foot pedal, for putting oily rags in so they don't spontaneously combust and burn places down.

Yup all the mechanic shops have to have these for OSHA's requirments.

[DSB OUTDOORS]

Thanks for that!! I keep linseed oil around the shop to use on my trailer beds on the wood. GOOD to know!!

[rondog]

Yeah, it's wierd how an oily rag can generate enough heat on its own to burst into flames, but they damn sure will!

[DFBrews]

Yeah, it's wierd how an oily rag can generate enough heat on its own to burst into flames, but they damn sure will!

We had hay stacks do the same thing growing up.

[Irving]

What causes them to combust?

[Half Live]

What causes them to combust?

IIRC, there is a chemical reaction when the oil breaks down that causes heat to be produced and when it gets hot enough, bam, fire.

[BushMasterBoy]

The phenomena is called "spontaneous combustion"!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion