Potgpourri starting Jan 27, 2010

[------------------------]

Hey Honeywell!
Though U.S. auto makers say they no longer use brake or clutch linings that contain any asbestos, such is NOT true for many aftermarket suppliers of replacement brake pads and shoes, and clutch linings.

Friction products such as brake pads, shoes and clutch linings containing asbestos are NOT labeled as such because there is no law that requires manufacturers to do so. Consequently, since there is no way to know if a vehicle has asbestos brake linings or not, it is wise to treat every vehicle as though it might have asbestos linings. And even if a vehicle does not have asbestos linings, there are still concerns that other fibers used in NAO linings may pose the same long term health risks as asbestos!

That is why OSHA recommends using some type of wet cleaning (aerosol or a brake washer) or enclosed high efficiency vacuuming to keep brake dust to an absolute minimum. Wetting down the fibers with a liquid prior to wiping or washing them off prevents them from becoming airborne. The maximum permissible exposure limit (PEL) is now only 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter of shop air over an 8-hour period.
Mark

[a1gutterman]

I was putting air in my wife's car tires. When I took off the hubcap so I could reach the tube, I notice black powdery dust. I think this is from the brakes. The car has disc on the front. It was only on the front tires. What would cause this? Should I be conserned?

Do knot be concerned; it is normal.

[reible]

Hi,

Some of you are old enough to remember how brake shoes went through a process called re-arc'ing until back in the '80s. If you ever saw how it was done by the town mechanic they must of all died early from that process alone.

Ed

[robinson46176]

When we did brake work we always blew the dust all out with compressed air. My grade school had a huge steam boiler covered about 6" thick with the stuff laminated with chicken wire. Many of the pipes ran through the cafeteria and were all wrapped with about 2" of the stuff. Some of them were fluffy and fuzzy from some of the guys jumping up and swinging from the pipes. The stuff went everywhere when they did that. I stripped it out of several houses that had steam boilers. My first store had a big steam boiler covered with it (1974) that was shaggy. We used it for a ton of stuff. My father sided one house he built with it and he sawed it to install (Transite)(sp?) We used to saw it (sheets) and drill it for stuff like hog house roofs etc. We used it to seal furnace ducting before the days of duct tape.
I went to the doctor Monday for the first time in about 40 years. I was not sure but he swears that I am still alive.