Thread: Fire warning and linseed oil!!!!

I worked in paint laboratories for many years and we were always paranoid about rags with paint on them and the risk of fire. All rags had to be disposed of in a bucket of water and the buckets were taken out each night.

Linseed oil and the other drying oils polymerise by oxidation. This is an exothermic reaction, it gives off heat and the hotter it gets the faster the reaction goes.

As Hugh said, you sometimes have to be reminded of these things.

Michael

I always spread mine out to dry.

While we are on the subject of how easy it is to burn the workshop down, here are another couple of 'gotchyas'.

1. I have never had an oily rag start smouldering but I have had a batch of epoxy get so hot it started to smoke.

It was a 5:1 West system & I suspect it was mixed closer to 5:2 in cup that was too narrow.

Shallower flat mixing trays are better 'cos the heat of the reaction can escape across the surface area.

I was using a plastic disposable cup with about 150ml of mix in it.

The reaction ran away on me, got too hot to hold & then started steaming & then started to smoke.

I poured it out as quick as I could but the heat damaged it, it just went all lumpy & set before I could spread it.

2. I have started a fire in the shed with sparks from my grinder landing in shavings on the floor.

I have started at least 4 fires with sparks from the cutting disks in the angle grinder, 3 of them were in dry grass on the ground.

Like Cliff and some of the others, I hang mine out to dry before disposing of them. I have an old steel 12 gallon drum that I use as my bin, I hang the rags flat around the top until they dry an then just drop them into the bin. If I have too much other crap around or in really hot weather I drop them into a bucket of water. Steel wool will ignite also if it has been used to polish wood with oils. Again, let them dry on a non flamable surface (concrete/metal etc) before discarding. Had some similar experiences with epoxy as Cliff too. Melted containers and have had to drop them because they got to hot to hold

Originally Posted by smiife

hi rod,
i must be one of the dumb ones
cos....i didn't know that,thanks for the heads up ,
now i must go check the sheds not on fire
cheers smiife

I, too must be one of the dumb ones. I know about hay bales and the like but am confused about products like Shellawax.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards

Peter

Well, I for one have always stored my mummies piled like cordwood in the sheds corner. They don't stack very well. If you snap off the arms it's a little easier.

They make great BBQ fire lighters. Other than one or two pesky cursed ones, none have spontaneously burst into flame (although my towels did that once in the bathroom. I put that down to ordinary demons).

I do think, however, that one of them is DEFINATELY moving my tools around some nights. After I've had about 27 beers, some things are DEFINATELY not where I left them.....

Funny you should mention that, my Dad uses roo poo (yes roo shyte) soaked in linseed oil, dryed, and stored in a tin as firelighters. If no linseed he uses diesel. Gets some laughs around the bbq.

Originally Posted by Evanism

Well, I for one have always stored my mummies piled like cordwood in the sheds corner. They don't stack very well. If you snap off the arms it's a little easier.

.....

You need to wrap them tighter.

I know any oil with any kind of accelerator in it will combust. I wasn't sure if the untreated oils would or not. I have used walnut oil for years, and purposely left the rags in piles out in my gravel drive to see what would happen. No heat at all. I generally will leave my other rags out flat, outside the shop in the gravel. That won't burn. I have heard of the metal buckets, and water filled buckets, but that is too much work. I have heard of putting them in the wood stove. Makes some sense. I have heard of rags on the floor, out flat combusting as well. Best bet it to get them away from your shop, and have fire insurance.

robo hippy