Harbor Freight Shop Towels - Flammable!

[Jagmandave]

I've been using these for years, I use them up and throw them away as it would cost more to clean them than buy new ones. (I have a red safety can - they go in there till they go to the landfill)

Lately the towels I've been getting - at least the red ones - have had a funny waxy feel to them. They seem to work just fine on oil and grease tho.

Yesterday I was welding an O2 bung in an exhaust header and a spark must have landed on one of the towels on the workbench. When I lifted my helmet the rag was burning pretty well - I grabbed a corner and threw it onto the concrete floor away from every thing where it continued to burn well. My first inclination was to stomp it out - but that did NOT work, it only seemed to encourage it more. I was about to grab an extinguisher when I thought It's almost done, I'll just let it finish. It can't hurt the concrete and it's not close to anything else. But it seemed to want to go on quite a while so I grabbed a wide blade scraper and scooped it up and threw it on the concrete apron, outside.

It burned for a good 10 minutes! In fact, it kinda reminded me of one of those waxy fireplace logs, the way it burned.

So, I don't know what these are made from but when they go they go pretty big and carry on for a while.

So, just a PSA - these rags are extremely flammable it seems. I don't know how water would work to extinguish one either.

 

[lonestardiver]

I've been using these for years, I use them up and throw them away as it would cost more to clean them than buy new ones. (I have a red safety can - they go in there till they go to the landfill)

Lately the towels I've been getting - at least the red ones - have had a funny waxy feel to them. They seem to work just fine on oil and grease tho.

Yesterday I was welding an O2 bung in an exhaust header and a spark must have landed on one of the towels on the workbench. When I lifted my helmet the rag was burning pretty well - I grabbed a corner and threw it onto the concrete floor away from every thing where it continued to burn well. My first inclination was to stomp it out - but that did NOT work, it only seemed to encourage it more. I was about to grab an extinguisher when I thought It's almost done, I'll just let it finish. It can't hurt the concrete and it's not close to anything else. But it seemed to want to go on quite a while so I grabbed a wide blade scraper and scooped it up and threw it on the concrete apron, outside.

It burned for a good 10 minutes! In fact, it kinda reminded me of one of those waxy fireplace logs, the way it burned.

So, I don't know what these are made from but when they go they go pretty big and carry on for a while.

So, just a PSA - these rags are extremely flammable it seems. I don't know how water would work to extinguish one either.

One way to find out about the water...fire one up outside and see what happens.

 

[58Yeoman]

Are they cheaper than the fire starter mini logs I use to start fires in mywood stove? LOL.

 

[unslow1]

I use them to start leaf burning and bonfires.

 

[p00p]

sooooo, no go for using those rags as a face mask? AFAF.

 

[toyotadriver]

Can you test one by lighting it on fire intentionally? Be curious what results you get

Could it have been the stuff on the rag that was burning?

 

[CJM8515]

I stopped buying those when I found out certain chemicals turned them blue. whatever the hell they are made of it aint good. i get white ones from sams club now

 

[toolin' around]

The waxy feel of those red rags really put me off... I never bought them a second time, in fact, still have some left.

I agree, they seem ok for oil and petroleum type fluids, but they are **** for wiping up water spills.

Not surprised to learn they are flammable. Might put the remaining ones aside as fire starters!

 

[3rdgendslmech]

We use Cintas for our rags at work, we turn them in and get cleaned ones back. Usually after getting cleaned they have a diesel like smell to them, and even when we get new ones they kinda smell like diesel. But yeah they'll burn for a good little while

 

[metaleltr]

Red rags always seemed to me to be treated with some sort of petroleum product. The fact they won't soak up water only seems to support this. They always smell slightly like kerosene to me.

 

[strutaeng]

Yikes. Glad you didn't panic and handled the situation well.

I had a similar experience when I was welding some handrails in my house a few months ago. Cleaned the rail with solvent and left the saturated shop towel a few feet away. As I stated welding I saw some light on the corner of my helmet. The sparks caught the towel on fire.

I stopped and kicked to the middle of the room. The opened the nearby door and kicked it outside. We have ceramic tile and would have left it extinguish itself.

I realized I did not have my fire extinguisher on hand as I typically do when welding, so I went and grabbed it from garage.

At least I was wearing my work boots and jeans and not flip flops and shorts, LOL.

 

[F451]

Damn, always learning new and interesting ways to kill myself while out in the garage.

I had some HF red shop rags that I threw out. They were very thin, waxy feeling, didn't seem to soak up anything. I got frustrated with them and threw out the whole package. Usually I won't throw something like that out, I would find a use for them, but they annoyed me so much I ditched them.

Picked up a package of normal feeling, cotton I think, red shop rags at O'Reilly's, seem to be the exact same thing as when I had one in my back pocket at the gas station I worked at in 1977.

I suspect my O'Reilly's rags are flammable too if they are made of cotton and smell chemically, but at least they do what they are supposed to do.

 

[Jagmandave]

I was just surprised A) how quickly it went up B) how high the flames were C) how long it burned D) that I couldn't stomp it out, in fact that just seemed to encourage it!

Anyway, I also buy the white cloth towels from HF and they are not treated or whatever like these red ones.

also, in the past i have bought red shop rags from HF that felt just like the white ones, just a different color. But these are completely different - they do work on oil and grease OK and for wiping my hands, and I always throw the soiled ones into a red safety can, but next time I weld indoors I'll make damn sure there are none of them within 20 feet of where I'm welding.

This rag was about 5 feet away on a workbench, that's another reason I was surprised it caught fire - I was using a gas shielded mig which doesn't usually throw off much in sparks, or throw them very far when it does.

It left a weird stain on the concrete floor too.....

I may take one outside and light it to see if it was the rag or something on it that caught, but it definitely seemed like it burned due to the composition of the rag. Like the rag is coated in wax or something. If I do, I'll have a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher on hand, tho I would hate to use up a fire extinguisher on a test burn rag.

Edit: One other comment about the HF shop rags, the red ones leave a TON of red fuzz on anything you wipe - I rebuild small engines and transmissions (for classic Mini Coopers) and I only use the red ones to wipe up oil and grease, or to clean my hands. The white ones don't seem to leave the fuzz but I don't let the red ones get anywhere near the inside of a motor I'm building.

 

[ZRX61]

My keeper rags are either 50ct terry towels from Costco or the blue Huck (surgical) towels.
I do have some old red HF shop rags, but they get used on dirty work & thrown out. Only ever bought the one bag of them (years ago) & wasn't planning on buying more.

 

[strutaeng]

Are they made in China by any chance?

They are probably made from fake cotton or something like that. You know, from all the tons of recycled empty bottles were sending their way for a long time?

Still don't know if these are paper towels or cotton rags?

I was having a super hard time last time at the park trying to light my chimney starter. Was using newspaper and had to use a good, dozen matches to get the darn thing to light up. Usually lights up no problem. Maybe I should try these, LOL.

Can you post a link?

 

[Wrench97]

I usually have a old soap spray bottle refilled with water near by when welding. Works well when needed and not to messy.

 

[Jagmandave]

That's a good idea, I almost ran into the bathroom and grabbed one, but they were all empty. Now I keep one full all the time.

Link: https://www.harborfreight.com/mechanics-shop-towels-14-in-x-13-in-50-pk-63365.html?_br_psugg_q=shop+rags

Also, I checked the new package I just bought and they seem to be like the white towels, not slick or waxy feeling. So, it varies....description says "Cotton blend"

 

[PugetDude]

Roll them up tightly and keep them in your car to use as road flares.

 

[laser3kw]

I stopped buying those when I found out certain chemicals turned them blue. whatever the hell they are made of it aint good. i get white ones from sams club now

When I was a young shop rat, I was told that battery acid is what turned them blue - on purpose. I don't know if it was to let the user know that it had acid on it or if it was to key the handler / washer to handle them different.

 

[CJM8515]

When I was a young shop rat, I was told that battery acid is what turned them blue - on purpose. I don't know if it was to let the user know that it had acid on it or if it was to key the handler / washer to handle them different.

Ya know your right. They did turn blue and I recall mopping up battery acid at least once with them

 

[Mr onetwo]

I stopped buying those when I found out certain chemicals turned them blue. whatever the hell they are made of it aint good. i get white ones from sams club now

Plus 1 on the white Sam's Club rags.....pretty good and not waxy like the HF ones.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Interesting, I'd like to know the results if you take a "clean/new" one outside and light it.