Just got a nice selection of radium hands in PM me for more info if you are interested. I do trades as well as cash.. Some of the hands are 20's to 30's hands.
JP
In reply to I just sent you an email with by JP
By today's standards, a card like this would have to carry a warning. That's a fair amount of Radium, and the cards of hands came in boxes of what, say 100? Watches we had for Regimental stores, despite being the 'softer' Tritium, had to be marked with the appropriate Radioactive hazard rating, the sheer number of watches in one box bumped up the rating.
Yes and they have all been stripped now and I am re-blueing them and re-luming them. My watch room would likely set off a gieger counter to go crazy, The half life alone is 900 years. I took all of the appropriate measures according to my training in hazmat handleing to be sure I don't glow or get sick or cause problems with my wife or visitors.
I did it once, for a customer's car clock while I was still at watchmaking school. I wouldn't do it again due to the fact that I contaminated a lot of tools and myself. After this, the clock was still radioactive, as the metal in the dial and movt still registered 'hot'.
Not to nitpick, but half life of Radium is 1600 years, for the most stable isotope, which is apparently what is used in Radium paint. My Grandfather, also a watchmaker, suffered from serious Radium poisoning he got from exposure during the war. He was fixing watches and Aircraft instruments, and he suffered a lot in later years. The body sees Radium as Calcium, and imports it and it settles into bones, creating a terrible ache as one ages.
Just for anyone who is interested, Radium, despite its hazards being well known, was used well into the 70's, mostly on clocks. I see a lot of 60's clocks with gobs of Radium on the dials and hands. I even used a piece of the paint in high school to put into a Cloud chamber in Physics class.
edit: I'm not trying to dissuade anyone from buying your hands!, if they are handled carefully and ingestion is avoided, they are fairly safe. It is when there is flaking of the paint and ingestion that trouble starts, unless you are working with large amounts of it. The particles are ejected through the front of the watch, but blocked to the rear, in case anyone is getting nervous. Again, not to cause any kind of panic, but it is always good to know what you're dealing with, and I'm sure your HAZMAT training left your shop cleaner than my desk at school.......
Yes, I hope so. The hands were soaked in a solution after removal of the radium and then etched for re-blueing before re-luming with a current safe material. I stand corrected on the half life issue.
I have been very lucky in dealing with radium and have not experienced any ill effects. I worked on military gear for many years and never knew it had the radium until after the project was finshed and the government was ice enough to inform me. I guess being 70 years old and having joint problems anyway has kept me from developing any other symptoms.
I got two pairs from JP for a great price. The hands are very nice. The old radium had been removed w/o any cosmetic alteration of the hands themselves. The new redium glows nicely.
Question regarding "color" of the radium. Are there different "colors" or "shades" of the new/safe lume?
I've seen some new lume which is a different "color" or shade than what I believe the older original lume. Since I'm replacing parts which wear out w/ time, I'd like to replace with something as close to "original" as possible. JP matched original color nicely- Thanks!
It is usually a pale green. New lume is of course, not Radium, and comes in a variety of shades. I find the green is usually too green, and the yellow not green enough. It is possible to mix shades together to get a better match. I was talking to a guy at a Flea market and he was saying that it was possible to rejuvenate Radium by applying a thin layer of Zinc Sulfide to the lume on old hands. I have not been able to confirm this, although it sounds like it might be possible. The old Zinc Sulfide becomes depleted and no longer glows under the effects of the radioactivity. The Radium, still strong, would bombard the ZnS, and a constant glow would result, just like it did when new. If anyone has any experience with this, maybe they can chime in here. It's a fascinating idea, because that would mean you'd get the original look, and it would last many years.. Interesting, eh?
In reply to It is usually a pale green. by Reverend Rob
Yes, very interesting. I will chedck with my chemist and see what he has to say and maybe get some zinc sulphide and try it on the radium hands I have that are still original. I did not touch the straight hands and may be they will be a good test bed. I will let you know
I tried to match the color as closely as possible and I think it turned out pretty good and they glow nicely. You are very welcome Will. Thanks for the nice comment.
Thanks a bunch. I am pleased to know I'm not creating a problem. I took all of the precautions I learned as a hazmat instructor and I guess they paid off.
I still have hands left, if any one needs them please PM me.
By the way, do you have the GS or BB or SUC or WC numbers for the 33 Oakley, preferably in glass. I will need two since I acquired my second Oakley earlier this week.
John
In reply to Thanks a bunch. I am pleased by JP
Yes quite a while ago. I think I have had it for almost two months, I bought it to use for the balance and hair spring on my Oakley and it turned out to be just what I needed to get mine running. Now I have anothert Oakley but it is in great condition, just want a glass crystal for it.
Let me know what he says he needs and I will send it to you.
John
In reply to John, Sorry for the delay on by Daca102090