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I worked at gas station and my buddy worked across the freeway at another. The owner there insisted on using gas to clean up. I went by one night and one of his cousins was there cleaning with gas and had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
I left quickly. Never blew up the place but I don't know why.
I imagine the well water in that area has a tangy taste to it as all that gas just ran down the drain either into a drain field or the river with the rest of the runoff.
Reminds me of the time I almost burned down my truck and maybe the new barn I just built in 2023.
Winter solstice, sun sits low and long, and no leaves on the trees. I had installed these beautiful mouth blown bullseye glass panes in the transom above the doors. The glass was so thick and perfectly focused/aligned- South facing. It took me a week to figure out what was happening. It had been getting worse and worse every day burning more and more of the bench seat. It went through the acrylic canvas cover to the wool upholstery underneath.
Everything got changed out in the truck and window shades were eventually installed to prevent this happening again.
Now, I have two very large extinguishers on each side of the barn. I always throw away any solvent or oily rags immediately after use.
December 15th I thought it was just a burn mark from a work light, I tried to wash it off. December 20th mark had gotten larger and darker
For as fast as gas/lacquer thinner/etc evaporates when open to the air...it's amazing how long it stays "wet" when in a balled up rag. Glad that all worked out well!
I admit to using gas for degreasing, but never inside my shop. That’s outside only, and no wire brushes for scrubbing. The gassy, greasy rags go into the firepit, and introduced to a match.
Last edited by 1952henry; Jun 14, 2026 at 10:04 AM.
I had a linseed soaked rag smolder in the middle of the night. Woke up to smoke in the house, luckily the rag was on the tile floor I was treating and no fire started. Lesson learned.
I have heard of the possibility of fire when using some oil finishes on my woodworking projects. When applying this type of finish, I use rags to apply and later to remove the excess.
When I am done, I take the rags outside and lay they out on the gravel driveway to dry. Far away from the shop.
Terry
I use gas to clean spray paint off my hands and fingers. I lay out the paper towel to dry before I throw it in the trash can. Then I go in the house and wash with Dawn soap
But my wife says I smell like gas even after that.
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