Blue Amberol record reamer........

[JohnM]

In the mid-1990's I was working as a facilities manager in the Los Angeles area. During this time i contracted for asbestos removal and abatement on a number of occasions. During the removal of asbestos tile flooring at one building, I gave the abatement contractor a sample of Blue Amberol plaster for analysis and it came back positive for asbestos. I was the one who posted this information on the board administered by Dan Gitmo several years ago, and as was usual on that board, endured all sorts of slings and arrows from those who believe that asbestos can't hurt you, etc. In the classes that I was required to take so that I would be qualified to manage buildings that contain asbestos, it was explained that the proportional size of an asbestos crystal to a human hair is the same as a pencil to the Empire State Building. It literally can penetrate in and between cells and it doesn't dissolve or go away. Asbestos used to be considered the cheapest substance on earth and it was used as a filler in plaster -- it is in walls, ceilings, pipe insulation, etc., and in old fire brick and mortar. My dear friend, Dick Stubbs, with whom I spent countless hours playing banjo, died from asbestos cancer. When I knew him, he was 60 and prosperous, an executive at a company that sold industrial kilns and chimneys; but when he started with the company, he was a kiln-builder and he recounted dumping 50-lb. bags of raw Johns-Manville asbestos into the cement mixer to make refractory cement. No shirt, no respirator, confined space. I watched Dick die a horrible death. So, ream your cylinders with caution. I wet the insides with a spray bottle and try to keep the dust down when I ream mine. Rinse the slurry off the reamer when it builds up.

[scullylathe]

Wow. Thanks for the information John. Didn't realize the ins and outs of how asbestos can affect those around it or how easily you can be exposed to potentially dangerous levels of the material. Scary thing is at the school where I work one of the buildings had the old "cake frosting" asbestos ceiling material years ago (it has since been removed) and students used to scratch their names in it.

[max_phenol]

Hi,

I am wondering why nobody here seems to be interested to get certitude if asbestos really is in Blue Amberol's plaster core or not. Given that there is asbestos in, any B.A. collector should know about this to be careful when reaming out the plaster core (I guess I don't need to explain again the risk to get cancer when inhaling the dust, right?).

I checked the costs for testing any material sample in laboratory for asbestos. It is quite expensive, at least here in Germany, where one test of one cylinder costs at least $160. And to get a slightly reliable result, there should be several B.A. cylinders tested from more or less all 17 production years (1912-1929). So, if let's say a cylinder of every second year will be tested, it's 9 tests = $1440. Perhaps a laboratory gives discount on multiple tests, I don't know. But it will be a huge amount anyway.

So, my question is, does anyone know somebody or a company or whatever that is able to pay for this? Or does anyone know a laboratory where perhaps the boss is a talking machine collector, so he gives us special discount or does the tests for free? Any other idea about how this can be done? What i.e. if many collectors do his together and everyone pays a small amount of the bill? Just rough ideas - let me know what you think!

Cheers
Helmut

[Kenjifujima]

If you tell me that there is asbestos in bottles, I got bored over 50, without any protection. I should be dead!

[max_phenol]

Bottles? What have bottles to do with BA cylinders? However, please google for more information on how asbestos influences health and you'll find out that it takes a long time before the cancer starts ... but then it's too late because this is very agressive kind of cancer!

Cheers
Helmut

[hillndalefan]

I have my comments on asbestos on another chain in this website, but as far as the removal of asbestos in buildings, the best thing to do is to seal it [in paint or epoxy] and leave it alone! Removing it puts enormous amounts of it into the environment.