chase out old lime plaster

[newt]

Being electricians, how do you guys cope with chasing out for new cables in old buildings with lime (usually with horse hair in it) plaster.

Even hitting a nail in can cause sizeable chunks to fall out in my house.

Any tips for limiting damage ?

 

[Steve]

i saw someone using an angle grinder or similar to mark the edges of the chase once. Then just chisel out the middle. But i guess this makes a lot of dust.

 

[Qedelec]

Get the apprentice to cut the plaster with his craft knife before you chisel it out.

Some times wetting the plaster can help.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Never encountered the stuff.

How thick/hard is it? Would a Stanley with a new blade cut through it, and, more importantly, the horsehair?

Also, does lime plaster attack cables?

And a definite issue - how do you propose to patch it? You cannot use anything other than lime plaster, and that's a specialist skill...