On Wed, 10 May 2006 18:03:43 +0000, Roger Long wrote:

We all grew up hearing about the danger of oily rags. It was linseed
oil they were talking about, not motor oil. Now that I (hopefully) will
be rubbing oil on teak for the rest of my natural life, I expect to
producing a lot of these little incendiary bombs.

How much of a danger are these left over rags? Is it something that
happens just once in a blue moon when a bunch are left in the corner of
a shop for a long time in hot weather? If the phone rings and I forget
to take one to the dumpster, is it "Good by" boat? If I do toss them in
the dumpster, am I at risk of starting a big fire in my favorite marina
or boatyard.

Is there an approved way of storing or disposing of linseed oil rags?

Inquiring mind wants to know.

It's definitely a danger. Standard practice is to store them in a metal
container with an airtight lid. Personally, I never store them aboard,
and I'm very careful to account for all the rags and paper towels anyone
else could be using.

Matt O.