asbestosceiling
At my workplace, right above my head, I have noticed a broken hole in the acoustic plaster ceiling (see pic1 below). As can be seen in the attached closeup (see pic 2 below) it has couple of inner layers where in the middle there is a broken edge with a perturbing fibers. Workplace building has been constructed in between 1996-1999 and the ceiling tiles are probably even newer. And yet, could it be Asbestos up there?
There is a category of power tool called a multi-tool that is basically a very small saw usefull in cutting in tight spaces.
After you cut the initial hole, this tool could be used to trim away the area in the uper section on an angle to make room for your retaining arms.
The tools come in corded and cordless version, and at various price points. The are very handy and can do other things, such as spot sanding and grinding.
While it looks like fiberglass, you probably don't want to be wrong if you are going to be doing any work on that area. The easiest thing to do is get the material professionally tested. When I was looking into scraping the nasty acousitcal gunk from our ceiling, I sent a small sample to a local testing company (http://www.asbestos.org/sampling/samples.html) and got a pretty quick response (it was asbestos). It's worth the money to be completely sure. It's your (and your family's) health after all.
If you are not going to be dong work on that area, just leave it undisturbed. If asbestos stays where it is, it isn't normally a problem.
Good luck.
Best Answer
I don't know what "acoustic plaster" is, but that looks like run-of-the-mill drywall (gypsum panel) to me--probably 5/8". What you're calling "fibers" is simply the paper facing. It would be truly remarkable to see asbestos in a building constructed in the last 40 years.