A caveat for younger members...

I noticed something recently in an old 1940 Philco AA6 cabinet that should be brought to the attention of younger antique radio hobbyists. The bottom and the sides of the inside of the cabinet were lined with thin sheets of asbestos. They were designed to cover the bottom and the open ends of the chassis when it was installed in the cabinet. The bottom sheet (approx. 10” x 3”) was stapled to the bottom of the cabinet. The side sheets (approx. 3” x 1 ½”) were glued to the sides of the cabinet. Younger people may have heard of the dangers of asbestos, but may never have seen it because its use has been banned for decades, at least in the U.S. As I understand it, asbestos fibers, in the form of dust, are what cause medical (lung) problems. A person who had no idea what the sheets were made of might just rip them out – and raise dust. And who knows how much asbestos dust it takes to cause a problem?

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Banned pretty much everywhere.

The safest solution might be to soak in fine window-sill/step fast setting repair cement. It comes in small boxes and is a very fine texture. It works without additional sand and can be used to replace flaked off cement on wire wound droppers. More expensive heat resistant mats were cement impregnated for durability which makes them "safe" if you don't cut, file, sand or drill them.

The asbestos is safe if not able to produce dust. ANY asbestos dust can create lung problems but one type of asbestos is worse than the other.

It's a similar issue with "Radium" based paint on Wartime equipment. It's safe enough if varnished over, trying to remove it is far more dangerous.

If in doubt with any hazardous material there will be local officials who can give advice (The local Council in UK & Ireland).

There are special procedures for disposal of Cadmium, Lead, Beryllium (safe solid in transistor thermal mounts, only dangerous as powder due to sanding, filing, drilling or sawing), Asbestos, Transformer Capacitor oils (especially if PCB based as fire retardant) etc.

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