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- This topic has 26 replies, 17 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 4 months ago by gakinme.
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January 29, 2010 at 12:56 pm #988372
The topic of fires, safety, mishaps, and prevention came up on the Oily Rag today. I thought it might be good to re-post some of the info, especially for new painters who might not be aware of this.
Please dispose of your oily rags/paper towels responsibly.
Remember it is the linseed oil that heats slightly as it dries (oils dry via a slow combustion process) and if the heat is trapped fire is a possibility, especially combined with highly flammable substances such as solvent. Whether you use solvent or not, soak your oily rags/paper towels in water or spread them out to get air.
Whether it is paper towels, oily rags, phone books etc, it’s just one of those things we have to be aware of and can very easily prevent.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
January 29, 2010 at 3:18 pm #1131542Very good advice Jess, i tend to use mainly old face washers for wiping my brushes with and i wash then also to reuse them, and babywipes also but i’m not so sure thats a good thing as the wips may already have some type of solvent on them they are wipes after all….and i just usally bag them, tie them up and bin them….
January 29, 2010 at 4:21 pm #1131545Are there any known instances of this effect causing fires?
(beautiful plant and flowers btw. Somewhat stinky though.)
"I will stop up all the windows and doors with earth."
-Pablo PicassoJanuary 29, 2010 at 4:41 pm #1131527Are there any known instances of this effect causing fires?
(beautiful plant and flowers btw. Somewhat stinky though.)
Yes, there are known instances. Someone in this forum had it happen.
You know about stapeliads, awesome!
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
January 29, 2010 at 4:46 pm #1131535Yes, I experienced such a fire a few years ago. I do use a fairly volatile medium which probably enhanced the probability of fire, but it can and does happen. Careful handling can prevent such mishaps.
Becca “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.” ........ “Not till we are completely lost or turned around... do we begin to find ourselves.” ........ “All good things are wild and free.” ........ “This world is but a canvas for our imagination.” ...... "Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.” Henry David Thoreau
Becca's Fine ArtJanuary 29, 2010 at 5:34 pm #1131543Scary stuff Becca…….:D
January 29, 2010 at 5:44 pm #1131546A friend of mine had their entire newly build house burn to the ground, all got out safely, because of oily rags in a pile in the garage. This is nothing to take lightly. I ‘spread out’ my rags and paper towels outdoors, away from trees or anything combustible, so they get fresh air and even in the rain overnight. Do not put them in a ‘clump’ or pile where spontaneous combustion can occur.
Be extra cautious everyone.
January 30, 2010 at 9:14 am #1131536This sounds like something for the Myth busters(;
Its hard to believe. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oilit is paper towels, oily rags, phone books etc
soak your oily rags/paper towels in water
My phonebook too? Where do i have to store it?
Remember it is the linseed oil that heats slightly as it dries
What is the temperature for spontanious combustion
Whether it is paper towels
Can you throw toiletpaper (with paint) in the toilet? Where else?
Thnx for warning Stapeliad
ALL COMMENTS WELCOME:thumbsup:
January 30, 2010 at 9:33 am #1131524Can you throw toiletpaper (with paint) in the toilet?
No. Absolutely not. Do not dispose of paint waste down the sewerage system.
This sounds like something for the Myth busters(;
Its hard to believe.No. It is accurate, and true. Furthermore, the post immediately above yours is from someone with direct personal experience of it.
The “drying” process in oil-paint is exothermic. It creates heat. When paint is drying on a canvas this is not a problem because the heat is dissipated by the geometry, and a significant temperature rise does not occur.
However, in paint-rags bundled up, the temperature rise can be sufficient for spontaneous ignition to occur. This is not a theoretical hazard, but a real one.
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2009/07/oily_rags_believed_cause_of_pu.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/30/AR2007103000400.html
http://www.westmetrofire.org/index.cfm?main.page=article&catid=15&detailsid=86January 30, 2010 at 9:38 am #1131526Jessica, this is a great reminder which is good to post regularly afresh on the forum. :thumbsup:
It does depend on how much medium you use, too, wetbob. I use a phone book to wipe brushes on (thus Jessica’s reference :D)…but I don’t use any added medium. So, I crumple the pages very loosely, and especially since I don’t paint everyday, the thin smeared paint *is* dry by the time it reaches a point in my little open-top oil-paint-only trash where it is at all compacted where the build up of heat could be a problem. If you have oil-soaked wiping things, then either lay them out where they have air circulation, or many people will submerge them in a water-filled bucket with rocks or something of that nature.
Probably the sanitation people would not thank you for putting them down the toilet.
I don’t know what the temperature point is (and how you would even know if it’s building up, really, because no one gauges the temperature changes of their trash :D), but when you have them bunched up in an area (such as in the trash, or even if it’s just bunched in a pile), then the heat from the chemical reaction of oxidizing oil can build up. If you submerge in water, the oxidation process is slowed and the heat is absorbed by the water. Or, if you give them enough air to breathe, then the heat cannot build up.
~!Carey
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"...I wished to live deliberately...and not, when I came to die, discover that I have not lived." ---Henry David ThoreauJanuary 30, 2010 at 10:07 am #1131537No. Absolutely not. Do not dispose of paint waste down the sewerage system
Where?
It does depend on how much medium you use, too, wetbob
Very, very little
I use a phone book to wipe brushes on (thus Jessica’s reference :D)…but I don’t use any added medium. So, I crumple the pages very loosely
Thats a good idea, but a guarantee?
Thnx Carey and DcorcALL COMMENTS WELCOME:thumbsup:
January 30, 2010 at 2:33 pm #1131534Where?
Have you check your municipal waste system? Many municipals have a waste disposal system in place, whether is basically put your paint waist in a container, take it to the disposal centre, and drop off it off there.
For example, in BC, there is a website called Recycling Council of BC, which offers a database of what to dispose of (paint, solvents, etc).
There are often drop-off points for them, and they deal with the safe disposal of them. It might be a hassle to do all that, but it keeps the water safe.
Laurie Landry
laurielandry.comJanuary 30, 2010 at 3:24 pm #1131544Have you check your municipal waste system? Many municipals have a waste disposal system in place, whether is basically put your paint waist in a container, take it to the disposal centre, and drop off it off there.
For example, in BC, there is a website called Recycling Council of BC, which offers a database of what to dispose of (paint, solvents, etc).
There are often drop-off points for them, and they deal with the safe disposal of them. It might be a hassle to do all that, but it keeps the water safe.
This is a very good point to make about this subject….its not always as simple as just disposing of it in the bin, and with the world becoming more eco friendly this should be a priority….
January 31, 2010 at 5:57 pm #1131533Thanks for this, stapeliad! Although I’ve not been doing much art for too long now (and not posting much either, although I sometimes lurk), last weekend I carted home a metal container with snug-fitting lid that I found at a garage sale. I had read previously that such a can was the proper way to store used oily painting rags. I wondered later however, what to do to dispose of the rags once I was done painting.
It would seem, from what’s been posted in this thread, that the metal can method would concentrate heat and therefore the rags would be more inclined to ignite. I suppose it wouldn’t be as much of a problem, since any fire would be contained, but still, I’d like to avoid any fires, whether inside or outside of my storage can.
:sigh: So now I have to revise my methods once again, before I ever manage to use them in an actual painting! :laughing at self: I had thought though, that the most risk was as a result of solvent use. So this is extremely important and useful information that you’ve provided. Many thanks.
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January 31, 2010 at 7:31 pm #1131528Sure thing Annie. I’m glad it helped. And you can still use the new storage can, just put some water in it.
Lady Mars Orange Marmalade Stapleford
Moderator: OIls, Pastels, Plein Air
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken. -Oscar Wilde
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