davaroo
Lovin' The Homestead
Suggestions? GO for it, and sell them on ebay!freemotion said:
I've seen mention that linseed oil soaked rags are known to spontaneously combust. However, I believe that refers to leaving them lying around the wood shop in a heap. Check this out:
Rags soaked with linseed oil are considered a fire hazard because they provide a large surface area for oxidation of the oil. The oxidation of linseed oil is an exothermic reaction which accelerates as the temperature of the rags increases. If rate of heat accumulation exceeds the rate of dissipation, this reaction may eventually become sufficiently hot to cause spontaneous combustion of the rags. Linseed oil soaked rags should never be stored, least of all in an enclosed container. Instead, rags should be washed, soaked with water, or incinerated. A fire that destroyed the El Rey Theater-Golden West Saloon in Albuquerque, New Mexico in February 2008 was ignited by the spontaneous combustion of linseed oil soaked rags left in a plastic container.
In the open, circulating air, linseed oil coated cloth is unlikely to cause a problem... after all, they made plenty of it back in the day. Once the stuff is cured, it is more like a polymer plastic and loses it's flammability. I mean, I cannot imagine grandmas table cloth randomly bursting into flames over Sunday dinner, you know?
I'm certain oil cloth is combustible if exposed to open flame, but then, what isn't? This is one of those things where a little digging into the facts dispels the mystery.
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If you are really keen to try making it, there is plenty of information on how to do so on the 'net. Here is just one item I found:
"Making your own oilcloth is quite possible, you know, and kind of a fun experiment.
Start with a piece of heavyweight cotton cloth. Pick one that already has a print that you enjoy, or you can tie-dye it with fabric dyes, or even stamp it with colored oil paints.
Now you need to stretch it on a frame, just like you would an artist's canvas. You want it smooth and you want it to hold still. So staple it to a square wooden frame.
Next apply linseed oil with a paintbrush. There are two kinds of linseed oil:
- Raw linseed oil.
This is what it sounds like, squeezed from flax seed to extract the oil. It is painfully slow to dry, but it is all-natural and "food grade." It is probably the thing to use anywhere it may be exposed to food.
- Boiled linseed oil. This isn't boiled at all, well not anymore. Instead it has petro-solvents and driers added to speed drying time. You may not wish to use this for any food related items (although I don't know that once cured, there is any reason not to...)
Just paint the stretched cloth in long strokes, all over the "good" side, and set it aside where there is good air circulation. It will take at least several days to dry.
Once it is dry, give it a few more coats and let those dry.
After you have a nice thick coating built up and it is thoroughly dry, remove your oilcloth from the frame and trim the unpainted edges, or better yet, turn them under and hem or glue them."
Interestingly, oil cloth was originally used not as tablecloths or for making foul weather garments - but as a floor covering! Heavy canvas was soaked in linseed oil and stretched until cured. Then it was applied over a wooden floor, much like today's rolled vinyl floor coverings. It protected the wood on top and and kept out draughts from below.
The canvas duck could be painted or printed before hand, too, so it could also be decorative. When it became foot worn, it could be refinished and when it got really worn, it might be converted into water shedding garments or tarpaulins.
Whod've guessed?
