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"Karin Conover-Lewis" wrote:

This raises a question that I've had for a long time -- re "oily rags." I've
always been taught they are a fire hazard, since they can spontaneously
combust. Yet one cannot help but have oily rags on a boat when doing any
kind of work around the engine, keeping tools from rusting, etc. So what's
the best way to SAFELY store them? The lubberly method of keeping them in
buckets of water won't work for obvious reasons.

The oil that causes spontaneous combustion is vegetable type oil like
linseed oil in particular, not mineral or petroleum based oil.
Linseed oil is used in some varnishes and paints. In order to have
the spontaneous combustion you have to have air -that's why storing
them under water works. An air tight container also works. But
what's easier is to lay the rags flat to dry out because that way they
aren't close enough together to let heat build up.

This is a quote about boiled linseed oil from
http://yarchive.net/air/linseed_oil.html


"Boiled" is not what most people think; it should actually be called
"de-gassed" since the "boiling" is done by vacuum at room temperature.
It just takes the dissolved air out (the "boiling" is just the gases
expanding and breaking as bubbles), and makes the linseed oil less likely
to cause spontaneous combustion when oily rags are left wadded up.
(Remember "spontaneous combustion" warnings about oily rags? They never
managed to mention that linseed oil is the *only* oil you need to worry
about, and the only oil you were likely to generate oily rags with that
you were likely to store wadded up overnight for use the next day.)...
BTW, I swear by linseed oil as an anti-corrosive coating. I use it on
aluminum, *especially* externally where there have been white patches- I
sand off the white oxide and then coat with a thin layer of linseed oil
to occlude and passivate pinhole craters. It weathers away and need to
be reapplied, though you can get it off quickly with a little paint
remover when you need too.

Craig Wall




grandma Rosalie