Asbestos heat insulation

[Herald1360]

Dunno.... it's supposed to be non melting up to 200C but not recommended above that (formaldehyde fumes!), so I guess a temperature check of the inner surface of the asbestos would be sensible.

[emeritus]

Re #13, I still have an almost full tin: it was made by Philplug, not Rawlplug, and was called "Screwfix", no connection with the current well-known hardware suppliers! I only used it once, circa 1977, and it has been sitting at the bottom of my box of traditional fibre Rawlplugs for decades. AFAIR I mixed up some in the palm of one hand and moistened it with spit! Nothing on the tin or instruction leaflet as to what it is made of. It certainly worked well. I remember that it did come with a pricker, but that has got lost

Nowadays I use a polystyrene filler such as Plastic Padding or Ronseal wood filler (as no-one seems to stock Plastic Padding at present) to fill enlarged holes, and use the technique for tapping machine screw threads: drill a hole of slightly larger diameter than the root of the woodscrew, and then screw in the screw.

Having got to 70 despite living with lead paint, asbestos cement bunsen burner mats, and having used asbestos string as a gasket to extend the length of the chimney liner of the gas central heating I installed in the mid-1970's (when it was legal to do so), I am not overly concerned at the low levels of exposure that I might have had. AFAIK the real danger lies with inhalation of fine dust of the blue and brown varieties; a relative who was a garage mechanic is now very ill with lung problems, probably as a consequence of brake dust inhalation years ago. I think they used to use brown asbestos in brake linings.

Not something I have tried, but thinking of asbestos cement roofing and water pipes, would a wash of liquid Portland cement work? It ought to withstand high temperatures.

[bluepilot]

Let's not get carried away by this. How many of the people reading this thread drink alcohol? Hands up, be honest. Alcohol is a class 1 carcinogen. A study in 2011 found that 1 in 10 cancers in men are caused by alcohol, so why ignore that and worry about a small piece of thermal insulation?. The chances of dropping down dead due to a bit of asbestos in an old radio are negligible. Probably a bit less that being hit by a meteorite.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/scie...meteorite.html
(Note that this was a "space" meteorite which distinguishes it from um er well what other sorts of meteorite are there actually?)

Restore the asbestos in the same way you would any other part. If it looks tatty replace it with some modern equivalent. Otherwise vacuum the dust off and leave it where it is. You'll do far more harm poking it about than leaving it safely hidden away in your old radio.

Originally Posted by emeritus

Not something I have tried, but thinking of asbestos cement roofing and water pipes, would a wash of liquid Portland cement work? It ought to withstand high temperatures.

Yes, a bit of "Eternit" might work. In Germany they have houses covered all over with it and it doesn't seem to have any ill effects.