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Reddit-username_here t1_j7itfpv wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Cool trick by amynoacid

Some varnish and stains will fucking spontaneously combust.

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BuffaloInCahoots t1_j7kndhe wrote

If it’s still the same as it was years ago, a lot of them will. I did stain and lacquer work for a summer. At the end of the day, all the stain rags would go in a metal bucket with water in it. We’d put a lid on it and set it in a wide open area.

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m_i_c_r_o_b_i_a_l t1_j7lqjv9 wrote

Finishes with drying oils like boiled linseed or tung are known for doing this. They self heat as they polymerize so a pile of them could heat up to the ignition temperature because the heat won’t escape. Placing them in a bucket with plenty of water prevents this by the thermal mass of the water and blocking the oxidation of the oil. Laying them flat away from each other also works by preventing the heat from building up.

Putting a flame or heat gun next to the finish isn’t such a great idea either. There’s often flammable chemicals in finishes beyond just the oils.

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