The Armour Archive

The fire inspector that examined Josh Warren's house said it was his Arming Doublet that started the fire (which burnt down his house).

Apparently Josh used olive oil to prevent rust on his armour, and the combo of what rubbed off onto his arming doublet, spontaniously combusted while he was out of town, and burnt his house down.

I know a bunch of folks that store their armour in oily bags, and such... just thought I'd post a note about what, could, in a rare possiblility happen as a result.

Word of warning and all...

What I'm wondering is whether or not there's an ambient temperature up-to-which such a thing is unlikely to happen, and then an ambient temperature above-which such a thing becomes a real risk or threat...

Or, could it be really cold and still happen?

OMG. I'm NOT picking on Josh here.. but uhh.. that's one of the first things you learn about things like wood finishing.

Linseed oil absolutely WILL burst into flame if you spread it on a rag and then crumple the rag. Olive oil less so, but apparently it will.. _most_ vegetable based oils like that are exothermic.. they generate heat when they dry.. I had never even thought about it in conjunction with armor before.. but it is a good thing to keep in mind!

Anyone who does woodworking also.. get yourself a fire-can.. you can find them from online safety supply houses.. ALL rags that have finish or oil on them should be spread out to dry, and then put in the can.. or in a bucket of water, until they can be disposed of.

My last "safety check" on the way out of the shop at night is to make sure A) everything is unplugged that needs to be and B) all rags have been moved outside to dry.

Maeryk

This is why I use WD-40 on my armor.

Olive oil belongs in the kitchen.

WD-40 is too messy.

Apparently, olive oil also, over time, removes rust safely and without damaging the metal underneath.. (unlike all abrasives and most so-called "rust eaters") and is used in museum curation.

Josh.. what was the doublet made of? I remember way back in the dusty mists of time hearing once that certain things (long fiber cotton? wool? I don't remember) act REALLY badly to certain oils.. something about cellulose and non-petroleum oils creating serious issues.

Maeryk

Was there a thread about his house burning down that I missed? I searched and couldn't find it.

Yes, it was posted by 'Josh Warrens Brother' in Armour Design and Construction.

(Edited because I originally said it was post in Off Topics)

Url: http://forums.armourarchive.org/phpBB2/ ... hp?t=49705

Maeryk wrote:OMG. I'm NOT picking on Josh here.. but uhh.. that's one of the first things you learn about things like wood finishing.

I had never heard about this danger. So Josh, when you read this, know that there is at least one other guy in the world that could easily have made the same mistake.

So I guess his armour is probably toast then. But imagine the spanky new stuff that he will buy with the insurance money. I'll bet it will be real pretty.

Hrogn

I use paint thinner to clean my stainless steel helm to take off the scuff marks. Now, I'll do it outside.

Mord.

Sir Mord wrote:I use paint thinner to clean my stainless steel helm to take off the scuff marks. Now, I'll do it outside.

Do that outside anyway. Paint thinner fumes eat brain cells for breakfast.

he's a knight...that's what they have squires for...THINKING! LOL

Yes, you should use the paint thinner outside.

D. Sebastian wrote:

Sir Mord wrote:I use paint thinner to clean my stainless steel helm to take off the scuff marks. Now, I'll do it outside.

Do that outside anyway. Paint thinner fumes eat brain cells for breakfast.

So, if you do want to use olive oil on your mail, what's a safe way to store it? Not in contact with fabric, obviously -- maybe in a metal bucket or something?

I'd think that a metal container of some sort---locker, trunk, gun cabinet---would be a good idea.

My mail is painted or blued, not oiled, and my other armour is waxed, not oiled. No worries, and I find that wax is more durable and works better than oil anyway.

Flammable liquids and rags used with them that I keep in my garage are on a plastic stepstool in the middle of a galvanized steel washtub half filled with water. If they ignite, they will just melt the plastic platform until it dumps them into the water which will ( hopefully ) extinguish them.

Man, that's awful. Hopefully this won't cause him any problems with the insurance claim. It probably won't, but being in the business, this is a concern.

Josh, count me in amongst the folks who did not know this until now. I'm thinking that maybe SS will be the way that I go...

Adriano wrote:So, if you do want to use olive oil on your mail, what's a safe way to store it? Not in contact with fabric, obviously -- maybe in a metal bucket or something?

The problem, as I understand it, is not with what you use on the steel harness, but what you do with the cloth that was used applying the oil to the harness. Or the clothing that comes regularly in contact with said harness.

There are some sneaky surprises in the world waiting to bite us. Let's hope that we all learn from Josh's experience here and manage to avoid this one.

Josh, best wishes in recovering from your loss.

Gavin

If you check your clothes dryers owners manual you will see warnings about drying clothing that has been contaminate4d with organic oils. I hadn't realized that there could be spontanious combustion from olive oil saturated rags.

Morgan wrote:he's a knight...that's what they have squires for...THINKING! LOL

Yes, you should use the paint thinner outside.

D. Sebastian wrote:

Sir Mord wrote:I use paint thinner to clean my stainless steel helm to take off the scuff marks. Now, I'll do it outside.

Do that outside anyway. Paint thinner fumes eat brain cells for breakfast.

I have one squire. He lives in Texas. I live in Philadelphia. I have to take care of my own equipment, and in the cold of winter this become painful. Not imposible, just painful.

Mord.

You misunderstood me. I didn't say squires were for cleaning. I said squires were for THINKING.

Who's your squire and where does he live in Texas? Does he play actively?

Morgan, Ansteorra

Sir Mord wrote:
I have one squire. He lives in Texas. I live in Philadelphia. I have to take care of my own equipment, and in the cold of winter this become painful. Not imposible, just painful.

Mord.