Please do not use this mixture on furniture. It will eventually turn to a dark goo which is very difficult to remove. It has a long history. It used to be used by conservators at Winterthur until they had to start repairing the damage it caused. It ended up being called the "Hershey finish" as it turned into a dark chocolate colored mess.
Good Luck.
I thought that many artists try to minimize the use of tur and use tur substitute to promote healthier studio environment. Although I do love the smell of tur. I didn't know VICKS uses tur. Maybe I should sniff it less.......... ;)
I've seen it touted as a clean in many places. Were they using it as a cleaner or to restore the finish? I assume that when using it to clean, you remove as much as possible and you'd only use it every few years . Ed
As it turns out, the oils of citrus fruits are very similar to turpentine. All of these are in a class of hydrocarbons called turpenes, which have a 2-ring structure and the formula C10H16. Apparently, they are resonably safe if ingested in very small quantities that can flavor things. But I doubt any of them are safe to drink a glassful of, and I have doubts about breathing concentrated vapors for several hours per week every week being perfectly safe.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
Linseed oil, and turpentine to a lesser degree, pose a hazard that not everyone is aware of. These naturally occurring oilss will cause auto ignition; which is often called spontaneous combustion; of rags, wood shavings, sawdust, and other cellulose, cotton, and similar waste that are contaminated with these oils. The decomposition of these oils is an exothermic reaction; gives of heat; that if confined so that the heat cannot dissipate will cause the ignition of the contaminated material. This hazard can be abated by storing such waste in metal containers with tight fitting lids thus depriving the reaction of oxygen and conducting away the heat or by hanging rags up so that the heat will readily dissipate. Materials that are contaminated with such wastes that will not be reused should be stored outdoors away from buildings in metal trash or waste cans.
-- Master Fire Fighter / Rescuer Thomas D. Horne Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department a cooperating agency of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Commission, Maryland
Pinch a bit of citrus peel inside-out near your eye, or next to a flame, for a dramatic demo. Very toxic to insects; must have some defensive purpose.
Volatile organic liquids in general will kill insects if you spray the insects. I have seen insects die in anywhere from a couple seconds to a minute or two after being sprayed with:
Gasoline Kerosene Petroleum ether Ethyl ether Ethyl alcohol Rubbing alcohol Acetone Paint thinner
Caution - All of these are either combustible or flammable, and mists of all of these are flammable. Citrus oils and turpentine will mar some plastics.
- Don Klipstein ( snipped-for-privacy@misty.com)
No kidding. A neighbor just lost his entire 2,300 square ft addition to just such a cause. At least that is the best guess as it started in a small room they were using to keep their paints, varnishes etc in. Yes, I did say 2,300 sq ft. How anyone can call that an addition I don't know. The house was an old one built back in the 40s as I understand it. Probably planned to tear it down when the 'addition' was finished.
Harry K
I store everything like that in the metal cans they come in. That is safe isn't it?! I leave rags opened up on the rim of the trashcan to let them evaporate. That is safe isn't it? Right now I have an entire trashcan full of shavings from 70 bf I just planed. It is pure wood, so that is not a problem, is it?
Yes
Yes. Once cured the oil is harmless. It is the curing stage that generates a bit of heat. Under the right conditions, it will smolder until it gets enough oxygen to burn.
Yes. Just don't pour a pint of linseed oil on them. Ed
Put rags outside in a metal bucket, wood shavings , well, grain dust explodes, if your rags drip on the dust its just a matter of time for
911
Yes
I would keep them off of the trash can and dry them on metal hangers.
Uncontaminated sawdust will not auto ignite but it is safer housekeeping practice to store such waste outdoors in metal cans away from the buildings.
-- Tom Horne
Every Home Depot, Lowes, high school wood shop, woodworking shop, lumber yard, cabinet shop and many others have the sawdust in cloth or plastic bags at the bottom of the dust collector. In the building. Shavings in bags are in every pet shop, WalMart pet department, barn, stable, etc.
They present mo more of a hazard than any typical trash can full of assorted flammable materials. While I do condone good housekeeping, it is not necessary to take extra precautions above normal trash handling. Ed snipped-for-privacy@snet.net
Are you sure about the turpentine? It is not a curing oil like linseed oil. Turpentine is a volatile flammable liquid with a low flashpoint but I don't see that it will evolve heat as it dries. It does not react with oxygen to cure and leave a film or mass.
You would be amazed at the misinformation that is available with respect to finishing, refinishing, and maintaining wood finishes. The conservators at Winterthur are not dummies and even they had problems. The mixture was being used about once a year in many cases as a cleaner. They wiped it down well and still had problems. It does smell nice and as you indicate, it is still touted by the misinformed as a cleaner so I'm sure it will continued to be used.
FWIW, I've heard that about turpentine also. Don't know if there is any truth to it. Natural oils, as opposed to petroleum based products, as supposed to be the problem with spontaneous combustion. Of course, oily rags of any kind have been lumped into this. It may be more hearsay that fact on some of it. Not knowing for sure, I'd err on the side of caution. Ed
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