VE 9-55 Amplifier AP-951 - a possible warning!

[phonosandradios]

I am just starting work on my VE9-55 taking the components out so that I can have them overhauled by someone who knows what they are doing. I decided before I did so I would take the cover off the amplifier which consisted of undoing 10 small bolts (they really didn't want to make it easy to get inside this thing!). Once I had undone them and lifted off the cover I saw something I wasn't expecting and that was that all the electrical components are sat on a grey cardboard like material.

Given the age of this I stopped what I was doing as I am concerned that the material could contain asbestos and have ordered a testing kit on line. I have today taken a sample of the material using the equipment in the test kit and posted the sample back to the company for testing. It may be a false alarm and the material may be harmless but once I get the results back I will post the results here so that if anyone else is working on an amplifier of this vintage they are pre warned about any possible issue with asbestos. The amplifier model number is AP951 and I have put some photos below that I took today whilst I was taking the sample.

Sorry about the upside down photos - they were all taken the right way up but have rotated when I uploaded them to the forum for some reason!

[VanEpsFan1914]

Interesting!

Asbestos is dangerous to manufacture & to breathe, but I don't think you are in danger for working with it briefly. I live in a vintage house with asbestos siding on it and have for the last 14 years. I've got a camera flash from the early 1920s that is lined with asbestos fiberboard (it's the old-time Kodak flash you have to light with matches) and used to have asbestos wiring on an Edison electric iron from 1926.

It's fairly inert if you don't snort lines of it, or roll in it, or whatever. Getting rid of it is a good idea but keeping it won't hurt anything either. It's the airborne fibers that cause lung diseases.

A good way to keep the fibers from getting airborne is to mist them with water and then work (wearing long sleeves & gloves and breathing through a wet handkerchief, if you are planning to be very safe.) But do replace it with fiberglass or your amplifier won't have its heat shield & fire protection!

(I'm still using asbestos insulation on a 1929 or 1930 Landers, Frary & Clark heater. It has a 1940s power cord that was lined with asbestos. The ends are sealed and the old insulation is still in excellent condition so on these chilly winter days I light that up and stay warm. Asbestos is actually a fascinating material and if its safety dangers are understood I see no reason not to use it.)

[phonosandradios]

I agree with all you say. My concern is to be able to warn (if necessary) the guy who is going to restore it to make sure he is happy to still work on it if it is lined with asbestos. Restoration may involve removal of components which are bolted through the suspect material and into the metal base. There are also small areas of damage on the corners which I have already treated with water / pva mix.

I agree that the best thing for asbestos in good condition is to leave it alone and not to disturb it. My test is a precautionary measure only at this stage but a necessary one particularly as this material is very soft and has a cardboard like texture which when it gets wet goes a bit pulpy. It is very easy to damage and then potentially release fibres.

[VanEpsFan1914]

Varnishing it with polyurethane would probably work! It could still do its job but it wouldn't get loose & possibly get someone sick.

If the repairman is the true old-school type he probably grew up when people smoked asbestos filter-tips...which is a nasty habit.

I hope you get your phonograph fixed. Those are really getting hard to find intact--the audio-fools seem to think that "wArM TubE soUnD" only comes from playing decent modern records through a 90-year-old, non-equalized amplifier, and pat themselves on the back for preserving history as the rest of the phonograph goes to the burn pile.

[edisonclassm]

I'd be wearing a Hazmat suit when restoring this one!

[phonosandradios]

I'd be wearing a Hazmat suit when restoring this one!

I was, and also a high grade face mask when I took the sample. I also sprayed the area I was disturbing with a mist of water before taking the sample and then again with a pva / water mix afterwards to seal any fibres in.

[edisonplayer]

I'd be wearing a Hazmat suit when restoring this one!

That's like working underwater.

[JerryVan]

Just don't do anything to aerate it, so that it can be inhaled, and you'll be fine.

[startgroove]

Are you certain it is asbestos? I just checked two of my similar amplifiers, an AP-997Y and AP-952Y, and neither of them have asbestos on the bottom. Instead they have a thick layer of fish paper.

Normally, asbestos is a temperature barrier and since heat rises, it is mostly found on upper inside surfaces, or on cabinet walls that are close to a heat source. Asbestos on the bottom does not makes sense, as there are no heat sources to insulate. In addition, the base of the amplifier acts as a heat sink/disperser, so temperature insulation would not be proper. Check to be sure it is actually asbestos.

Cheers, Russie

[Victrola-Monkey]

My money is on that it is not asbestos. I base that on that it looks more like treated cardboard than the material I know is asbestos that lines the surrounding cabinet walls that additionally has sheet metal covering it. Nonetheless, I am so happy that Phonosandradios is taking the smart initiative to have that material tested. Last year I restored my first amplifiers, two for the VE 9-25 and two for the 9-55 Electrolas. See link below. I assumed it wasn’t asbestos, but you know what they say about doing that. At least I did all my unsoldering and soldering outdoors with a fan blowing the fumes/smoke away since the solder contains lead.

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