spontaneous combustion - Mineral Spirits

[fin1exp]

I had heard about this but don't know anything about it. When I was reading the Waterlox Tung Oil label it mentions it as well.

So what causes this? What (if anything) can I do to make it NOT happen?

I really don't want to have a rag catch fire in the basement, there is a lot to burn.
TIA,
Eric

[Ken Weaver]

My shop is in the garage, I let my rags stay outside overnight after using them to dry and air out. Then I bring them back in if they are worth saving.

[Jim Boyd]

I believe what causes it is the heat from the curing og the said finish which is compounded if it is covered up or waded up. I always spread out the towel and drape it neatly on a branch outside.

[Whaler]

I don't use rags, only paper towels. The dry much quicker and go into the garbage when dry.

[mudder]

quote:Originally posted by Jim Boyd

I believe what causes it is the heat from the curing og the said finish which is compounded if it is covered up or waded up. I always spread out the towel and drape it neatly on a branch outside.

Jim is correct,

A pile of wet rags in the corner is a fire waiting to happen.
Bring the rags outside if you can.
Spread them out on the cement floor to dry.
Or keep a 5 gallon bucket of water in the shop and put the rags into the water until you can dry iy outside.


Mudder

[paulstenlund]

spontaneous combustion can occur with all sorts of "oily" rags, a house in our neighborhood burnt to the ground from the rags used to stain thier new deck that were tossed in a cardboard box. I have used the water bucket method for years.

Paul

[KBCraig]

quote:Originally posted by fin1exp

I had heard about this but don't know anything about it. When I was reading the Waterlox Tung Oil label it mentions it as well.

So what causes this? What (if anything) can I do to make it NOT happen?

I really don't want to have a rag catch fire in the basement, there is a lot to burn.

I'm not an expert here, but I did read a long, involved post from a fireman, with arson investigation training, who said that the oils involved must be vegetable, not mineral.

It's long been known that rags and tung oil were created an "instant arson kit". Tung oil is the most famous of the culprits, but the fireman reported a case of a man finding a smoldering paper napkin in his truck seat. He had used the napkin to wipe the potato chip oil from his fingers, crumpled it and tossed it on the seat, and went into a video store for some rentals. When he returned, the napkin was smoldering.

Of course, this *was* Texas in the summer, so the reaction had an automatic assist by way of the ambient temperature inside a parked car.

I've never worried about rags soaked in mineral spirits. But I'm extremely careful with tung oil or BLO. I take any such rags (or newspaper, drop-cloths, or anything else that the substance has had contact with), and lay them on the driveway overnight. Once they're dry and stiff, they're safe. The heat-producing reaction is over at that point.

Kevin

[fin1exp]

Thanks for the info. I find it very interesting. Makes me want to do some chemistry experiments.
I will make sure and air the rag outside then.
Thanks,
Eric

[boblon]

Ok, obviously the SAFEST thing to do is the water bucket or the outside flat on the driveway thing, but, I tend to just shake them out flat and lay them over the edge of a garbage can (not touching each other if there is more than one) in the garage until dry, then flip them into the trash after they dry. Is this really a dangerous situation?

BobL.

[WayneJ]

I take mine to my old fireplace out back and put a match to em.that way I don't have to worry about them.
Wayne

[dkhoward]

Vegetable oils will spontaneously combust as will any hydrocarbon contaminated rags. As a side note, hay will spontaneously combust when stored tightly.

OSHA requires that contaminated materials be stored in OSHA approved containers until they are disposed of. THese are usually airtight, spring loaded lid metal containers. The water trick will work also unless you work in a shop where water is a problem.

In 24 years as a professional fire fighter, I only saw two cases of spontaneous combustion that could be positively confirmed. One was in a restaurant where greasy rags were tossed into a cotton laundry bag and left over the weekend. The other was in a home workshop where the owner had tossed three or four rags that he has soaked in laquer thinner to wipe down some projects. The rags were laying in an open metal trash can and had sawdust and chips tossed in on top.

[MPod]

I soak my rags in water and then put them in a zip lock bag before putting them in the trash. Is this a safe alternative?

[MarkK]

A major fire at Philadelphia's One Liberty Plaza (right in back of city hall) that claimed the lives of two firemen was traced to rags used for staining tossed into a bucket. As they dry they generate heat and if the heat can't dissapate it builds up. I think I once saw a video from UL showing how it can happen.

Like several others, I spread them out to let my rags dry before tossing.

Does anyone know if this is an issue with water based stains? I just happened to use some.

[charliex]

Any oily rag, sawdust,wood chips etc. can and will combust if left piled up and faster if in an enclosed space like a cardboard box. A metal fabrication plant I worked at some years ago had a large paint room where sometimes they wiped parts with rags to remove oil not removed in the parts washer. I was working 2nd shift (I also had a day job) and it was my task to make sure that all the doors were locked before I left. I checked the two in the paint room and as I was leaving I had to turn around to get the switch. That was when I saw smoke, just a thin wisp comming from behind a 55 gal drums of paint. What I found was a cardboard box containing a bunch of smoldering oily rags I picked them up with a pliers and was going to throw them in the sink and douse them with water. I took about 10 steps and they the burst into a large ball of flames. It took less than a minute and there was nothing left but ashes. Fortunatly by then I was in a place where no harm was done other than my heart rate was about 150. I'm very carful with anything that has ANY kind of oily substance on it. I tend to go with WayneJ and combust them in a safe place.
Chas