LinSeed Oil - Combust?

Operator1975

Operator1975

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Sep 24, 2010
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I have read about how linseed oil rags can supposedly spontaneously combust if you leave them alone for long enough. I have read it so many different places I take it to be true, but I was wondering if anyone has had any first hand experience with that, or know of a situation like that. I have a little sliver of doubt in my mind that it could happen, but when I have 10 to 20 rags in my basement, I guess some reassurance one way or another couldnt hurt.

Just wondering.

Thanks.
 
I have heard the same thing. I never had a fire. I will put them into a metal can or a baggie with water in them and discard. It is not worth loosing your home over. Believe the warnings.
 
If I understand what happens. The boiled linseed oil must give off heat to cure. If you have a pile of rags together where the heat can't disipate you can have enough heat build up to cause combustion. I use raw linseed oil on my handles, because it doesn't dry hard and slick and it seems toget tacky when it is wet out.
 
My approach is to avoid using rags when possible and just put some linseed oil in the palm of my hand and apply it directly. If I use the right amount, it is easy to just wash my hands afterwards. If I overdo it, I wipe the excess of my hands with a square or two of TP and flush it before washing my hands.

I wouldn't want to put modern "Boiled Linseed Oil" in my hands (or on my handles), though, because of the heavy metals (typically cobalt) and solvents being used as drying agents. I use raw linseed oil (aka flax oil) because it doesn't contain any of these chemicals, though it probably takes a longer time to "dry".
 
Steve Tall said:
My approach is to avoid using rags when possible and just put some linseed oil in the palm of my hand and apply it directly. If I use the right amount, it is easy to just wash my hands afterwards. If I overdo it, I wipe the excess of my hands with a square or two of TP and flush it before washing my hands.

I wouldn't want to put modern "Boiled Linseed Oil" in my hands (or on my handles), though, because of the heavy metals (typically cobalt) and solvents being used as drying agents. I use raw linseed oil (aka flax oil) because it doesn't contain any of these chemicals, though it probably takes a longer time to "dry".
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I have Raw Linseed Oil like you mentioned. It says it is a natural product that contains no additives or driers.

Then down below it says that "This product contains chemicals known to the state of california to cause cancer and birth defects or other repoductive harm"

So it says it is pure raw linseed oil, which is flax oil, which I guess is a carcinogen, even though it is a supplement as well.....???? What is in this stuff to do that ?? I take it that it is not "refined" for oral use.....but that just struck me as weird.
 
Operator1975 said:
I have Raw Linseed Oil ...it says that "This product contains chemicals known to the state of california to cause cancer and birth defects or other repoductive harm"...
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I just checked the MSDS for both "Raw Linseed Oil" and "Boiled Linseed Oil". Here are some quotes:


"RAW LINSEED OIL... Ingredients... Raw Linseed Oil"

"BOILED LINSEED OIL... Ingredients... Cobalt Neodecanoate, Cobalt 2-Ethylhexanoate, Mineral Spirits, Diethlyene Glycol Monomethyl Ether, Manganese Neodecanoate, Manganese 2-Ethylhexanoate"


http://www.sunnysidecorp.com/pdf/msds872.pdf
http://www.sunnysidecorp.com/pdf/msds873.pdf


Hmm... Maybe the warning label is on by mistake? or they are playing it safe by saying the Raw oil is hazardous, too? (due to shared production equipment?)

I use food-grade linseed oil (aka flax oil) from the grocery store.
 
Steve Tall said:
I just checked the MSDS for both "Raw Linseed Oil" and "Boiled Linseed Oil". Here are some quotes:


"RAW LINSEED OIL... Ingredients... Raw Linseed Oil"

"BOILED LINSEED OIL... Ingredients... Cobalt Neodecanoate, Cobalt 2-Ethylhexanoate, Mineral Spirits, Diethlyene Glycol Monomethyl Ether, Manganese Neodecanoate, Manganese 2-Ethylhexanoate"


http://www.sunnysidecorp.com/pdf/msds872.pdf
http://www.sunnysidecorp.com/pdf/msds873.pdf


Hmm... Maybe the warning label is on by mistake? or they are playing it safe by saying the Raw oil is hazardous, too? (due to shared production equipment?)

I use food-grade linseed oil (aka flax oil) from the grocery store.
Click to expand...

Mine is probably not food grade - it says on it not to ingest. Tought to say. I found it interesting though. I doubt what I has will do anything bad. Though I dont know.
 
Years ago my Dad own a cabinet shop. He hired a young guy to help put finish on cabinets. The guy piled a bunch of rags with linseed base oil stain in the floor. I was just a kid then. I remember in the middle of the night he got a call that his shop was burning. Luckily the fire dept. was only 2 doors down and got it put out. Left about an 8 feet hole in the middle of the wooden floor where the rags had laid. Always stuck with me. So.... I take care special with it. Same goes for tung oil.
 
At most shops they have rag pails with a lid to keep oxygen down. oils, solvents like acetone or thinners could cause problems. if you had a wood stove in your house or shop or a fire pit or burn ring, you could just burn them. I live where a lot of hay is made and if the hay is baled to green or wet, even wet hay will spontaneous ignite and burn. I have seen barn burn down and big round bale in the field burning. mostly caused by rapid evaporation which cause heat and presents of oxygen and a fuel source (oily rag) fire triangle. poof
 
omniviking said:
At most shops they have rag pails with a lid to keep oxygen down. oils, solvents like acetone or thinners could cause problems. if you had a wood stove in your house or shop or a fire pit or burn ring, you could just burn them. I live where a lot of hay is made and if the hay is baled to green or wet, even wet hay will spontaneous ignite and burn. I have seen barn burn down and big round bale in the field burning. mostly caused by rapid evaporation which cause heat and presents of oxygen and a fuel source (oily rag) fire triangle. poof
Click to expand...

With hay or silage the key to the heat and combustion is the action of bacteria.
 
omniviking said:
At most shops they have rag pails with a lid to keep oxygen down. oils, solvents like acetone or thinners could cause problems. if you had a wood stove in your house or shop or a fire pit or burn ring, you could just burn them. I live where a lot of hay is made and if the hay is baled to green or wet, even wet hay will spontaneous ignite and burn. I have seen barn burn down and big round bale in the field burning. mostly caused by rapid evaporation which cause heat and presents of oxygen and a fuel source (oily rag) fire triangle. poof
Click to expand...

When I made hay I was taught to leave a fist’s space between bales as I stacked, to help prevent a barn fire. I’ve always wondered how they keep those big cylindrical bales from burning.
 
Keep hay from burning, DON'T bail it too green! It acts like a compost pile if you do.

Back to axe handles. I use the food grade flax seed oil. It is intended as a suplement for daily oral use! I read somewhere (here perhaps) that raw linseed oil would not get slick on a handle, and I can see this is the case.
 
Yes, as already stated, linseeed oil (and many other things) can and will start fires. My flooring plant had several caused by such finishes. It is not worth it to save a rag for reuse and burn the house down. All of the listed methods are good to get rid of them. As to the heavy metal/poision thing, the amount of cobalt catalyst used for instance is very small. Do not fall prey to the idea that "natural" material is "safe" because it is natural. Dont eat it!! Universal precautions such as handwashing should be enough protection for most of the products one would use in tomahawk handle protection. Remember the alternative is polyurethane or some such coating which brings its own health hazzards to the table.
 
sharpguytoo said:
Do not fall prey to the idea that "natural" material is "safe" because it is natural. Dont eat it!!
Click to expand...

Well, although I genereally agree with the statement, I have to say there is food grade linseed oil. I buy mine in the food section of the supermarket: it is cheap and it comes in small quantities which suit my needs better.

However, if you bought it at a hardware store, I would never assume that it is safe to eat although it might be labelled "raw linseed oil". As Steve Tall has suggested above, they won't take special care to prevent tainting the oil, if it is to be used as a wood treatment.


Ookami
 
I've seen a dumpster catch on fire from this as well. Good to be careful. If you just set it outside, kind of spread out, you cut the risk of it catching fire and, if it's in a gravel parking lot like mine, the risk of anything important burning if it does.
I think the warning on the hardware store oil is kind of a general one they put on to cover things. As someone else said, it's probably from shared equipment used during the oil extraction process, and the whole deal is probably quite industrial, hence the large and unkind number of contaminants that can get in. I also use the food grade stuff, since it's easier to find and my dog likes it on her food too :-)
 
if I plan on reusing the rags, they get laid out flat or hung on a piece of steel to dry. If not, they go in the wood stove.
 
YES is can and does happen. I used boiled linseed oil to wipe down my shop benches and left the rag in a crumpled pile on top of the table. About 5hrs later I walked back into the shop to a billowing column of smoke exuding from the pile.... the rag was charred completely and I'm positive it would have burst into flames if left longer.


Be careful
 
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