Abstract: String-like agglomerates of chrysotile asbestos fibers are recovered from crude asbestos by first forming a stable gel structure of asbestos and dispersing agent, diluting the gel structure dispersion with water in a first dilution step to form a readily pourable dispersion without dilution of the concentration of dispersing agent to a level insufficient to maintain the asbestos fibrils in a dispersed state, and then, in a second dilution step, rapidly diluting the dispersion with water to reduce the concentration of dispersing agent to a level insufficient to maintain the dispersion, thereby forming agglomerates of the fibrils. Preferably, the dispersion is subjected to an orienting flow during or immediately after the second dilution step to form string-like agglomerates.