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205 Posts
I wanted to post this under the general section and maybe should have to reach more individuals but here goes. I have seen on this forum from time to time brave souls that have risked appearing stupid in order to make others aware of dangers via there own mistakes and personal experiences. Here is mine...
I use BOILED LINSEED OIL on many of my projects. I admit that when it comes to chemicals I read the "directions" only and tend to skip over the "safety warnings". I would guess that many here already know where this is heading.
I tend to wait till I have multiple projects that need finishing so I can do them all at once. I use paper towels to apply the oil. This is done in a dedicated spare bedroom and the paper towels are discarded in a kitchen size garbage. I have done this for quite some time now. A week ago I had just finished about 10 projects, watched some TV, and went to bed. My fiancée works 2nd shift and came home. No problems yet...
She watched TV for several hours. It has now been at least 5 hours since I used the oil to finish my projects. As she was getting ready for bed she smelled something burning. I was woken up by her yelling that the garbage was smoking and smoldering. I got up immediately and took control of the situation. An actual fire had not yet started but was VERY close. In no time the smoke filled the house and made it difficult for us to breathe.
Before this happened I had believed that flammable chemicals needed a source of ignition to ignite...WRONG!!!
A spark or heat source is NOT required.
This occurrence has really opened my eyes. I have since read every single label on every liquid container in our home. I had been storing the containers correctly and my only mistake was not reading the precautions and properly discarding the used paper towels.
This is very important for anyone that has any chemical in their home. As I look back, I was lucky many times. I was again very lucky this last time. We could have lost everything and died to boot. I feel so stupid about what happened but if it helps one person this post was worth it.
I use BOILED LINSEED OIL on many of my projects. I admit that when it comes to chemicals I read the "directions" only and tend to skip over the "safety warnings". I would guess that many here already know where this is heading.
I tend to wait till I have multiple projects that need finishing so I can do them all at once. I use paper towels to apply the oil. This is done in a dedicated spare bedroom and the paper towels are discarded in a kitchen size garbage. I have done this for quite some time now. A week ago I had just finished about 10 projects, watched some TV, and went to bed. My fiancée works 2nd shift and came home. No problems yet...
She watched TV for several hours. It has now been at least 5 hours since I used the oil to finish my projects. As she was getting ready for bed she smelled something burning. I was woken up by her yelling that the garbage was smoking and smoldering. I got up immediately and took control of the situation. An actual fire had not yet started but was VERY close. In no time the smoke filled the house and made it difficult for us to breathe.
Before this happened I had believed that flammable chemicals needed a source of ignition to ignite...WRONG!!!
This occurrence has really opened my eyes. I have since read every single label on every liquid container in our home. I had been storing the containers correctly and my only mistake was not reading the precautions and properly discarding the used paper towels.
This is very important for anyone that has any chemical in their home. As I look back, I was lucky many times. I was again very lucky this last time. We could have lost everything and died to boot. I feel so stupid about what happened but if it helps one person this post was worth it.
- Read the entire label, not just the directions
- Follow the precautions!
- Take safety measures...fire alarms and fire extinguishers
- Always remember that tools and machines are not the only dangers in a shop or home