Electronics > Repair

Antique Machine...I Think I Found Asbestos City

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Cyberdragon:
Bought a really old self-heated "master oscillator" at the antique electronics auction to use as a reference oscillator. I removed the rectifier tube (don't want to blow any bad components) to test the heater. Well it won't start.

I unscrewed the back of the largest chamber (where the heater must be) and found a large slab of a yellowish and fibrous insulating material with white faces. Wearing gloves and a bandanna on my face (already realizing it might be asbestos), I removed this first sheet (about 1/2" thick) and found lots more packed inside. Can't even see any components (except a few tubes sticking out the back), it's solid full. :wtf: I know the heated part has to be insulated, but why everything?

Well now what? Is it asbestos or fiberglass? I have to remove the insulation to get to the circuits (obviously outside), but damaging it may produce toxic dust. How can I remove it without damaging it? If I get it out safely do I put it back in or is there some other insulation I can use? This would have to be a solid insulation, like fiberglass, so it can be easily removed for access to the circuits.

Vgkid:
Pictures pictures pictures.
any brand /model info on the unit?

Cyberdragon:
I didn't want to risk taking the back off again, but you can see some of the stuff through the holes.
https://imgur.com/sAljiY5,R3bhxh4,dsnXw64#2 (once again, can't get pictures to work :( )

Front of unit
https://imgur.com/sAljiY5,R3bhxh4,dsnXw64#1

Placard
https://imgur.com/sAljiY5,R3bhxh4,dsnXw64#0

helius:
You can't see much of the insulation in those pictures.
For reference, asbestos (in its raw form) looks like this:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asbestos_pix/3563807102/in/photostream/

(It's amazing that this was used as tinsel.)
Fiberglass is different in several ways, the most obvious being the length and uniformity of the strands. You can see that asbestos is irregular and has pieces that are planar or ragged. Fiberglass looks more like cotton. There are also other insulating minerals, like expanded gypsum, or mineral wool that might have been used.

Vgkid:
Interesting unit, contains Flintkote. Google says that they made asbestos products.
operating manual
http://www.virhistory.com/tmc/tmc_pages/NorthernRadio/northern_115_operate.pdf
parts breakdown with revision
http://www.virhistory.com/tmc/tmc_pages/NorthernRadio/northern_115_partsbd.pdf
http://www.virhistory.com/tmc/tmc_pages/NorthernRadio/northern_115_partsbd_rev.pdf
Service manual
http://www.virhistory.com/tmc/tmc_pages/NorthernRadio/northern_115_service.pdf
BTW you posted the same pics all three times, unless imgur isnt working.

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