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A bit of a reminder

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A bit of a reminder

Postby Blackswanwood » 19 Jan 2021, 20:10

I saw some pictures of a house fire today.

The homeowner had spent the weekend fitting out a bay window with a window seat. Having applied an oil based finish he threw the balled up rags he had been using into a pile of wood shavings and vacuumed it all up.

The vacuum was put under the stairs ... it was raining so he didn’t fancy emptying it in the bin outside.

In the early hours of the morning smoke alarms went off.

The proximate cause is all fire damage emanating from the vacuum cleaner following spontaneous combustion of the rags. The flames didn’t actually cause that much damage ...as usual the smoke did though. His insurance policy will make sure the house is put right but it won’t stop his four year old daughter trying to not sleep in case it happens again.

I had never really believed it could happen but in future will take a lot more care of how cloths are left/discarded after being used when finishing with any oil based product.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Mike G » 19 Jan 2021, 21:11

Yeah, it happens, and it's real. However, I have tried everything I can to get it to happen, and it just doesn't want to perform for me.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby novocaine » 19 Jan 2021, 21:16

Works better with fake wood Mike. Especially with added cardboard.

Ikea had a spat of them when people kept chucking wood stain and oils in the compactor.
Carbon fibre is just corduroy for cars.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby sunnybob » 19 Jan 2021, 21:16

The cloth needs to be sodden, and tightly scrunched to catch fire.
The evaporation process produces heat, which speeds the evaporation, which produsces more heat, and on, and on, until the temp is high enough to ignite the cloth.

I have seen spontaneous combustion inside compressed bales of shredded waste paper, and that was just with water soaked, not even flammable liquids.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby novocaine » 19 Jan 2021, 21:19

Same principal as a haybarn fire.
Carbon fibre is just corduroy for cars.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Trevanion » 19 Jan 2021, 21:23

Not a wood finish such as BLO, but massage oils in a towel:

[youtube]8OG6dXEHuLw[/youtube]

Terrifying how it goes from the flashpoint to engulfing the camera in flames in an inferno in just about four minutes.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby novocaine » 19 Jan 2021, 21:24

Trevanion wrote:Not a wood finish such as BLO, but massage oils in a towel:

[youtube]8OG6dXEHuLw[/youtube]

Terrifying how it goes from the flashpoint to engulfing the camera in flames in an inferno in just about four minutes.


Well that isnt the happy endomg i was hoping for.
Carbon fibre is just corduroy for cars.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby billw » 19 Jan 2021, 22:43

An earlier post said that the cloth has to be sodden and now I'm wondering how much massage oil was on that towel!

On a relevant note, I hang all my used rags outside on the washing line for a few days before I bin them. I don't mind if they set fire to the lawn.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby RogerS » 19 Jan 2021, 22:45

Easily done. I was renovating an old cottage. The oil tank needed replacing. I did everything right. I drained it. I vented it. I cut it in half. I dragged the two halves down ready to be collected by the scrapman. I noticed that at the bottom of one of them there must have been a pint or two left. Ahah...I thought. I'll make a wick and burn it off like a candle and went back indoors.

As luck had it, I needed to go outside and saw the flames from the central heating oil burning like a good 'un and starting to lick the soffit.
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby droogs » 19 Jan 2021, 23:23

A few years a go one of the YT wood gurus caught it happen in his nice new wksp build on hte cctv. cant remember who though
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Trevanion » 19 Jan 2021, 23:39

It's not just oily rags though, it's people too!

[youtube]wyqTkak1-_c[/youtube]

P.S. A powder fire extinguisher is a very wise investment for a workshop, you've got to think "If a fire were to happen for any reason while I'm in here, how am I going to put it out quickly?" For the sake of ~£20 for a large 6KG unit its a good bit of peace of mind especially if you're messing around with MAPP torches and grinders in a woodworking workshop.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Blackswanwood » 19 Jan 2021, 23:54

One of the most memorable claims I have seen was for an HGV tractor unit. The driver was coming back from Eastern Europe and pulled over for a break from memory in France. He had invested in some black market hooch and stashed it in the bunk area. Whether it had leaked or he was having a quick snifter we will never know but he lit a cigarette and went up in a big blue flame. Apparently once lit the human body really burns.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Andyp » 20 Jan 2021, 07:48

Mike G wrote:Yeah, it happens, and it's real. However, I have tried everything I can to get it to happen, and it just doesn't want to perform for me.


I've tried too without success
I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Dovetaildave » 21 Jan 2021, 19:56

Seems to be quite a few on youtube;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDPLFoWNlV8
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby thetyreman » 23 Jan 2021, 13:30

I always put my oil soaked paper towels in a metal incinerator bin that's outside.
'Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Cabinetman » 24 Jan 2021, 07:54

Andyp wrote:
Mike G wrote:Yeah, it happens, and it's real. However, I have tried everything I can to get it to happen, and it just doesn't want to perform for me.


I've tried too without success

Happened to a friend of mine in America outdoors on a really hot day, so maybe that’s why it doesn’t happen to us cold damp Brits – I’m including Normandy in that ha ha
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby droogs » 24 Jan 2021, 12:06

@cabinetman but not Brittany? :o
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Chris101 » 24 Jan 2021, 17:46

Old biscuit tin gets left under the shed step. (I do move the tin first mind btw!).
I just set fire to the few I use. I am fastidious about it though, why take the risk with fire even if it's minimal?
I will never ever forget seeing a neighbourhood house go up in flames. The sheer speed of the spread was truly terrifying.
I might get an extinguisher for the shed thinking about it, so thanks for the reminder BSW.
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Re: A bit of a reminder

Postby Chris101 » 24 Jan 2021, 18:14

droogs wrote:@cabinetman but not Brittany? :o

I don't think Brittany is currently in danger Droogs. Brittany is presently an N.T.O.F state as far as I understand.
Link here





























Non. Touring. Oil. Free. State. :lol:
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