Are Sorbent Sheets Safe?

Wanted to thank everyone for your input, but decided to scrap the idea altogether as I decided it wasn't worth the risk, especially for something that isn't a necessity. It was one of those ideas a friend brought up because he's a marine surveyor, but he did tell me to check into the product before I do anything. It sounded reasonable at first, but safety is more important. I posted mainly because I didn't have any to use as a test and what I did read online was either vague or over my head.

McMaster sent me a reply last night... yes, they responded at 10:03 PM on a Sunday night... and said "Our polypropylene sorbents are not considered flammable but may burn at high temperatures. I attached the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the oil-only sorbent, which shows specific information on page 3 about the flammability properties for this product."

I'm going to upload the file in case anyone wants to take a look, but not only did they include the SDS sheet, they actually put a red border around the appropriate section on page 3 (that company never ceases to amaze me). The product is odorless and appears to be highly stable with a melting point of 350-F and a flash point of 1157-F, but that's just the product itself and my concern is having it within fairly close proximity of the cutting tool while being partially saturated with oil. But GG has a good point about having only chips in the tray. So I plan to wipe up any fluids each time I use the machine and dispose of the rag in a proper fire container.

I'll still post if I get a reply from newpig or find out anything else interesting.
 

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Ended my previous post and received a reply from newpig...

Our mats are designed to melt in a fire rather than burn so you may just have some melted mats to deal with. For high temperatures I recommend the Recycled Fiber Mats as they can handle higher temperatures.

http://www.newpig.com/pig/US/pig-recycled-fiber-absorbent-mat-roll-mat276?cm_cat=shop_by_product

I noticed those mats are made from Polyester so I did a little more searching but there were too many variables I didn't understand... which really means my brain has reached it's capacity.
 
Nice to have vendors respond in a timely manner. Thanks for passing it on.
 
In that section though they're referring to sorbents which have absorbed hazardous materials. But the bottom line is no matter what liquid it absorbs, it won't suppress the properties of that liquid. So if the liquid is a fire hazard, it's still going to be a fire hazard. That document was an interesting read by the way. Thanks for the link.
 
I've got some out in the shop, I'll do a little experiment. I think 65cobras right. If you soak oil up the oil will burn

Thanks ron
 
Now that I have most of my tools, a roll around tool cabinet is around the corner. I noticed McMaster sells Work Surface "Leak-Resistant" Sorbent Pads (These pads combine a paper surface with a coated underside to protect work surfaces from stains and harsh chemicals. Color is white.) Not thrilled about the white color, but thinking of using them to line the bottom of a couple drawers in the cabinet. I'd think this would be safe... as long as I keep the drawers closed when using the machines... but figured I would check in case anyone thought otherwise. Thanks.
 
Couple of thoughts.
I am with GarageGuy, nothing in the chip pan but chips. I occasionally lose a paper towel into the chip pan and it just makes cleaning the chips up even more of a chore. I put a large aluminum baking sheet under the ways on my lathe and it catches pretty much all the oil and the majority of the chips. I do not have to worry about oil going down the drain in the pan and onto the floor and clean up is simple.
On the mill I just use a brush and sweep everything into a box. I do have a hose and an old gallon can under the drain to catch the oil though. I just sweep the chips into the box, vacuum up the rest, and use the brush to sweep the oil to the drain.

Fire safety is something to be concerned about, but it should not be a concern on the mill/lathe. Sparks from grinding is something worth devoting worry over though. I've seen a few people set themselves or their surrounding on fire using a grinder...
 
Thanks for the info Joshua. Every little bit of information I get helps prepare me. Both machines are up and running after several fixes and safety upgrades here and there. Purchased a lot of tools over the past month so I'll be getting a tool cabinet in the next couple days. I read about the baking sheet under the ways before and one is in place already. The room is next to the laundry room which has a fire extinguisher in one of the cabinets, but thanks for bringing them up. I added 3 more to my list for the next time I head out. I'll place one each along the far right wall, far left wall, and on the back wall between the lathe and mill. Also forgot about oil drainage on the mill so I'll take care of that as well. I'm getting there, ha. Thanks.
 
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