While I’m a huge fan of hot hide glue, it is one culprit in many examples of death and disfigurement when combined with shavings. Perhaps we can blame handplanes for the problem.
Jeff Burks sent me the following grisly gallery of news accounts involving shavings, fire and sometimes glue pots.
I feel a Titebond/Festool PSA coming on.
— Christopher Schwarz
The great Seattle fire of 1889 was started by a glue pot.
MOHAI even has a song about it where the glue pot speaks!
I recall my first introduction to the idea of hot hide glue, about age 5, was the somewhat grisly display of artifacts at the Seattle Historical Museum. Electric glue pots are awesome.
I am thinking I am glad mine is electric
So, whom or what to blame, The Shavings? The Glue Pot? or, The Inattentive Worker?
I know an area of the city near me where the boys are ‘unlucky’. I know now not to go there carrying shavings . . .
How many rabbits and other household pets go up in flames that we dont hear about?
Ban the wood shavings!!!
The hand plane amnesty will begin at my house, please bring all your planes and hand them in ASAP. No names will be taken, anyone hiding Veritas or Nielsen will be detained.
Next…
After cleaning up those shavings, tend very carefully to the oily rags. This one is a modern story, not one from when “f” was a substitute for “s.”
Definitely. Rapid oxidation occurs with those oily rags. And if they are in a pile or in an enclosed area with air available, the heat can build up to the point they combust. There are lots of good resources on the web about how to deal safely with oily rags.
Soak your plane shavings in canning wax to make amazing, waterproof campfire tinder.
Welp… Time to clean the shop.
I’m pretty sure this is why they stopped building houfes. Houses have a far higher flash point.
Well I am discarding my hot plate and using titebond hide glue.