Ira,
The asbestos is there as a heat shield for the more heat-sensitive components. You can find it in many small sets - usually attached to the inside top of the cabinet to hinder warpage. I did an article on asbestos in radios for the American Wireless Association several years ago. It is beyond the scope here to go into health details - but you definitely don't want to breath in the fibers. If the material is intact, there is less worry - but when it begins to crumble and flake, it is probably best removed. All work should be done with a respirator (mask) and gloves. Wetting the material keeps it from aerosolizing - and pressurized air should never be used around it. There are limited readily-available materials that come close to the physical properties of asbestos - plumbers use a thin mat to protect adjacent surfaces while soldering with a torch. Perhaps you can acquire one at a hardware store or plumbing supply and cut it to size.
I think the modern thinking is treat asbestos like a bee hive. Leave it alone, and try not to think about it.
Lewis
P. S. I also think I heard that you make asbestos a lot more safe to live with if you spray it liberally with clear polyurethane or something like that to keep all the little cancer causing fibers glued to the original insulation.
Lewis
When in the Navy, I served for a time in the fireroom (boiler room) of an old detroyer, orginally built in '43. When the main guns were fired, the whole ship shook, and fine particles of thermal insulation rained down on us. I wonder what that was?
Doug
:Hi,it's me again.I have some old small bakelite radios that use what seems to be asbestos inside to dissipate the heat from the tubes.I was wondering if there is anything to replace the asbestos or just leave it in place.Thanks again for any info.
Doug,
That was most likely asbestos in that ship. Although asbestos is banned from most consumer uses, the government is exempt from many mandates. I'm told they still use lead paint on ships. The bad thing about asbestos is the lag time between exposure and the development of problems - which can be up to 20 years or more. If you are a smoker and exposed to asbestos to boot - your chances of getting lung cancer are dramatically increased. It would be good to discuss this with your doctor and perhaps have rountine chest x-rays to pick up any problems early.
T.
Agree with Thomas.... If it is intact and not deteriorating - it is best left alone. Coating it with lacquer, poly, etc. can indeed make it a fire hazzard. The asbestos will not burn - but it will act as a wick for the coating as it melts and burns.
A real concern comes when you try to sell these radios online / out-of-state - you may be breaking certain hazzardous material codes/laws that you weren't even aware of. Same goes for components containing mercury.
Lastly, it only takes a single HEAVY exposure to asbestos to later develop asbestosis (lung fibrosis). Some people work in it for years and seem to do okay - while some develop disease simply from the low level exposure we all encounter. Why take the risk? Avoidance is the best policy.