Is this asbestos?

I hope some of the members can identify this wire insulation for me. I got this wire from one of my father's outbuildings that was probably built in the 50's. The wire is a three conductor wire with an outer jacket of a woven material, then a clear brittle plastic like material. The first conductor is uninsulated and wrapped around the other two insulated conductors which are wrapped with friction tape over the rubber like insulation. The conductor itself is a 7 strand copper. I'm concerned that the outer jacket is asbestos. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...510_154454.jpg[IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...510_154519.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...510_154641.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

I doubt it hard to tell from here

Plenty of info if u Google it but the pic from my phone does not look like it if concerned sale as is and move on

when in doubt, I'd leave it. an extra 50 isn't worth the risk, is it?

I'm an electrician and I have seen a lot of old wire but never anything with asbestos. usually asbestos was for fireproofing but the common method is usually rigid pipe. if this came out of a house it is even less likely it would be asbestos containing. if you're really worried about it but want to skin it anyway just soak it in water before you strip it. that'll keep the fibers from becoming airborne which is danger of asbestos exposure. also if you are not a smoker the risk of health issues as a result of asbestos exposure is extremely low.

It looks to me like woven fiberglass, maybe they could spray it and make it fire resistant. Just wear gloves.

What Mechanic said. Fiberglass strand/fabric is used for strength Asbestos is more of a felt or fine weave that would grumble very easily.

Thanks for the replies. I wondered about fiberglass too. Hard to see in my pics but where the outer jacket has raveled it looks like strands of fiberglass. I will take your advice, wear my PPE and wet it down before I strip it. I haven't found anything that looks similar in my google searches although I did find that asbestos was used to insulate wire mostly in ships. Thanks again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Moosehead

I'm an electrician and I have seen a lot of old wire but never anything with asbestos. usually asbestos was for fireproofing but the common method is usually rigid pipe. if this came out of a house it is even less likely it would be asbestos containing. if you're really worried about it but want to skin it anyway just soak it in water before you strip it. that'll keep the fibers from becoming airborne which is danger of asbestos exposure. also if you are not a smoker the risk of health issues as a result of asbestos exposure is extremely low.

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You may be right, but I have seen some stuff from old appliances and wiring for lights and heaters that I was pretty sure could be asbestos. As far as for what the OP asked about, that looks more like fiberglass than what asbestos looks like. Fifties would be pretty late, the stuff I suspected was from the '20's and earlier.