Oily rag storage

alfatipo · Post by **alfatipo** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 7:18 pm

Having just been woken up by several articles on spontaneous combustion I have a question.

Background- I use Danish oil, applied with a rag. Been using the same rag for weeks, maybe 4-5 days between applications. The rag seems fine, still absorbent and works as it always did.

I kept it in a glass jar for the last week or so thinking that would reduce VOC contamination of the air while 'resting'. Today I filled the jar with water. Looking into metal cans.

I have never found the rag temperature to be elevated compared to the surroundings.

So the question is, does anyone here keep on using the same rag between applications rather than disposing of it or cleaning and reusing?

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:14 pm

I also use Danish oil quite a bit. Rags are never re-used. I use those blue paper towels that come in rolls. When finished using a rag it is laid flat outside and held down with a rock. The next day it is stiff, but I usually wait a few days until garbage day to dispose of the rags.

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 9:02 pm

Those oily rags tend to get warm and possibly catch fire spontaneously if they are crumpled up, rather than laid out flat. Something about heat building up in all of the crevices. I did notice one rag I used with linseed oil a number of years back getting hot, so now I generally spread them out flat on the concrete shop floor with nothing around, so if the do ignite there's no danger of a fire. Other times I just put them outside in a large tomato or juice can. I don't think you can be too cautious with these oily finishes.

alfatipo · Post by **alfatipo** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:47 pm

Chuck, I was using the blue paper shop towels (actually towel, I reused that too!) for awhile but I found traces of blue lint on the workpieces. Maybe I should just use a fresh sheet everytime. Hate to just dispose of stuff. I'm into recycle/reuse.

Do you smuggle Danish oil into California? I thought it was banned there. Oregon allows 1 gallon cans but many states limit quantities to a quart if they haven't banned it completely.

I'm leaning toward keeping the rag in a container of oil so it is always saturated although the water it now sits in will probably be shrugged off leaving a useable, still oily, rag.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:52 pm

I also just spread them out and drop them on the concrete floor where they are not near anything that will burn.
I have also done the same thing in the farm shop about forever. Note that only vegetable based oils do the spontaneous combustion bit. Petroleum based oils do not. The reason I toss rags out on the concrete floor overnight in the farm shop is that in the farm shop I frequently am using grinders, welders, cutting torches and other spark making equipment. Rags there, especially oily rags around sparks or hot chunks can smolder for hours then break into flames.
Before we retired from our store we serviced a large number of vacuum cleaners and used a LOT of the heavy paper towels. We would use one first for scrubbing the outside of the cleaner with cleaning sprays like Fantastic etc. Then they were laid aside to dry. The second use was typically cleaning the internal parts. Next their last use was to wipe away heavy globs of grease from pressure lubing the bearings. That constant recycling kept our paper towel cost down by at least half. Since we averaged servicing 2,000 vacuum cleaners (all brands) a year the savings was at least decent pocket change. It was quite rare for one to get discarded after only one use.
Some got an extra use in the winter. We would carry a batch home and use them to help start a fire in the woods stoves.

In very cold weather the fires never went out but in fall and spring we usually started the fire new every day. A metal wastebasket of greasy paper towels carted home from the store made good fire starter.

.

Gene Howe · Post by **Gene Howe** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 8:18 am

About 30 years ago wife and I were using a Watco/Poly mix to wipe on a large order of toys. We went through lots of rags. We stored the used one is a plastic bucket which was outside the shop, in the

sun.
It never flamed, but it began to melt the bucket. By the time I got a hose hooked up it was smoking.
Now we use a bucket of water to hold the used rags.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Jul 09, 2012 8:41 am

Spontaneous combustion is a scarey thing. While in the Air Force I participated in a safety seminar where they presented a number of demonstrations on spontaneous combustion. That seminar made a paranoid believer of me.

No Oily Rags left in the shop overnight. No Oily Rags left in the shop overnight. No Oily Rags left in the shop overnight.

I used to have a real nice trash can with a hinged lid and step pedal. It was painted red and was approved for the storage of oily rags.

But even it was not left in the shop over night. It was left outside by the trash containers. Someone else liked it to. I no longer have that trash container.