29 Jul
2026
29 Jul
'26
2:08 p.m.
it's much more likely asbestosnis in the walls and building structure than
a dec computer
b
On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 5:58 PM Martin Bishop via cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
IIRC the Feranti Pegassus computer which graced the
London Science Museum
until about 10 years ago was blackballed and moved into storage as some
electrical distribution switchgear (fuses ?) "contained asbestos".
https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co62559/ferranti-pegas…
A sad end, but I guess it failed the can the "acompanying adults" explain
it test ...
Martin
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Koning via cctalk [mailto:cctalk@classiccmp.org]
Sent: 29 July 2026 21:17
To: cctalk(a)classiccmp.org
Cc: Carey Schug <carey.schug(a)gmail.com>om>; Paul Koning <
paulkoning(a)comcast.net>
Subject: [cctalk] Re: DEC and Asbestos
On Jul 29, 2026, at 12:12 PM, Carey Schug via
cctalk <
cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
i wondered, and ai confirmed, that vacuum tube computers likely
contained asbestos, but suggested in the vacuum tubes, so probably not
available unless there was destruction of vacuum tubes involved.
I don't believe that. I have never seen and can't imagine a vacuum tube
with asbestos. What you will find in many small vacuum tubes is mica --
typical receiver tubes (which is what you'd see in a computer) have the
elements mounted between two small sheets of mica. But asbestor is porous
and fibrous, there isn't any use for that in tubes I can think of.
Just another AI hallucination.
paul