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Message board > Care & maintenance > Teak oil / linseed oil dangers of Oxidizing agents

Message 3 of 3
Posted by member Anthony Purnell on Saturday 24 February 2018

* Clive, thanks for getting in touch and sharing your experiences.
We should aim to make people aware of these dangers and this news feature from ABC News illustrates the very real dangers here.

https://youtu.be/9yq6VW-c2Ts

If you haven't watched this please cut and paste into your Web browser
Safe sailing everyone
Anthony
Dark Ivy

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Message 2 of 3
Posted by member Clive ffitch on Saturday 17 February 2018

Hi Anthony,
I must admit I get a bit neurotic with teak oil... we use if for treating the hand rails and nav mast, but use cotton rags. I still do not like just keeping them aerated or just thrown away, due indeed to said properties of self ignition and "spontaneous combustion". I won't even have them on the boat, and chuck them in the dinghy. I get round it by putting them temporarily in a bag and taking them home to put straight in my outside incinerator, and take a light to them. Once thoroughly carbonised, I finally feel happy that they will no longer have the capacity to self-combust.

I have never seen a case of teak oil rags doing this but do feel well advised to heed all warnings!

Does anyone know of or use a good teak oil substitute for the woodwork (woodwork that already has a dose of teak oil treatment ingrained in it), or is this just one of those little inconveniences that we have to live with?

Thanks,
Clive

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Message 1 of 3
Posted by member Anthony Purnell on Tuesday 13 February 2018

Did you know that if these are left to come into contact with lint or a material containing a lint like substance such as worn canvass the oils can and do cause an ignition source. This is because these oils act as oxidising agents which can cause combustion to occur. I oiled a new teak table for storage over the Winter period, unfortunately I cover the table with a canvass cover. When I returned a week later it looked as though someone had burnt the canvass with a cigarette. Be warned, I was very lucky!

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