MTFCA Forum

I got a set of 6 volts original wires that i got at a flea market Question Was these wires wrapped with asbestos they have a heavy wrap ,looks like a cloth , i set a flame to the strands and they burn like cloth , but will like to be sure on the asbestos thing , dont wand to expose
Thank you Lorenzo

That little bit of asbestos isn't gonna pose a problem unless/until you cause it to flake away and then possibly ingest it through your nose into your lungs. Even then, there's not going to be enough to kill you. Years ago I was certified in Asbestos hazard control/inspection/repair and from what we were taught, you'd have to really suck a lot in your lungs over great lengths of time to hurt anything or anyone. If you want, just re-wrap them with good electrical tape and forget it.

So there where wrapped with asbestos cloth ???

More likely just cotton covered. The outside could be coated with varnish or shellac.

Asbestos is most hazardous when it is friable. The term "friable" means that the asbestos is easily crumbled by hand, releasing fibers into the air. Sprayed on asbestos insulation is highly friable. Asbestos floor tile is not. If the cable surface is clean encapsulating it with varnish/shellac/paint should be sufficient (similar to what is done for Asbestos Pipe Insulation Encapsulation). But before you go through all that trouble and to alleviate your concerns, you can have it tested for Asbestos

Harry who worked in a brake shop when I was a teen, used to line the brakes with asbestos lining and then grind it down to size to fit the drum. Then he took an air nozzle and blew away the asbestos dust. He also took off the drums before he relined the brakes and blew out the dust with the air hose. Harry also smoked. I went by there many years later and asked how Harry was. They said he retired from the brake shop and was selling real estate in his 80's. He breathed much asbestos and also smoked and did not get lung cancer. One of my wife's cousins never smoked nor worked with asbestos, and he had lung cancer in his 40's.
Anyway, there is some asbestos in the soil in some places and it is only one of many causes of cancer. A person has to be genetically disposed as well as enviremently exposed to get cancer. I don't think you need to worry about it.
Norm

hank you all for helping me decide on the use of these wires
Lorenzo

While it’s good to be a little careful with asbestos, going overboard about being around it isnt called for.
Just try not to breath in the dust or fiber that comes from grinding or pulverizing.
It’s amazing how much companies can make in their abatement business’s. Common sense goes a long way with dealing with it in taking down old houses and buildings when all the safety equipment isn’t called for.
For the guy at home or in his garage just wear a dust mask like you would when spraying paint or using a power saw or working around a lot of dust. And please don’t forget to wear a hood or mask when sandblasting!
Yes I know some folks don’t wear anything and that’s good for them but for me I don’t try to NOT wear a mask just to say it won’t bother me.
It brings back the memory when my Father and me ( I was 10 at the time) visited our neighbor back from throat surgery. He was a smoker like my Father and lost his voice box with the surgery.
He asked my Father on a note pad for a cigarette and my Dad looked at him with a surprised look.
He then wrote down on his note pad he was to old to quit and needed one.
My Father lit one up and our neighbor raised up the cloth cover from the hole in his throat and took a few drags and blew smoke rings through the hole.
My Father soon quit after he saw him do it!!

George Washington Carver once said the nostrils would have been made pointed upward instead of down, if God had intended for them to be used for chimneys.