Radioactive paste in vintage watches, how dangerous is it?!

Рет қаралды 5,464

2 ай бұрын

Luminous paste in vintage watch hands and watch dials, is it serious?
Radium, Tritium, Luminova.
Look through the eyes of a watchmaker and share the passion of Kalle Slaap from team Chronoglide!
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Пікірлер: 74

@gagemoore4781 2 ай бұрын

Bought a 100 usd Geiger counter the other day and measured my antique clocks and watches for several minutes each at close range and got little to no readings so I feel very safe now thank you for the helpful information!

@Forest-iv5vm 2 ай бұрын

Radium decays partially into radon gas, which is slightly heavier than air, and as a result a collection of old watches especially in something like a lidded tin can may end up as a pocket of radon gas given enough years. Open something like that outdoors, and a slight breeze will take the built up gases away. The gas produced in a given day or week is minuscule, more is probably coming up through the ground into your house many times per day, but sealing it in a container and giving it years to collect is something you don’t want to sniff.

@mattshort2916 2 ай бұрын

There is a wonderful story about the girls that did radium paint of dials. Radium Girls by Kate Moore. Very good historical read.

@darkshadowrule2952 2 ай бұрын

There's also a great song by the same name by Rachel Sumner, very haunting, very interesting history

@BernardoSilva-ex9gc 2 ай бұрын

the story is dont paint you lips with radium

@haping1 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Kalle, When hands comtain radioactive paste and the watch hasn't run for a long time, you will notice a discolloration on the dial in the shape of the hands.

@manuelcorreia6448 2 ай бұрын

Interesting would be to understand, which effects such radioactivity would have had on older watchmakers, who stored greater quantities of pastes in their workshops for repair purposes...? Has there actually ever been documented a case, of a watchmaker becoming ill (or worse...) due to many years of exposure to such radioactive pastes?

@owenlaprath4135 Ай бұрын

Radio-active watches can be repaired very easily! You will need the following: trumpet shovel 5 Litre steel cooking pot bag of concrete 5 litres of water fill the pot half full of concrete and water, stir the mix, and let harden lay the watch on the hardened concrete fill the pot with more concrete/water mix, making sure the watch is covered and the pot is full to the top with concrete let the concrete harden completely PAINT the pot and top of the concrete in yellow warning paint, preferrably radio-active glow-in-dark paint, and put a radio-active sticker on it take the shovel and dig a hole in your back yard stick the pot in the hole, cover the hole with the excavated soil now use the trumpet and play "Taps", then give your watch a final salute!

@grabkor 2 ай бұрын

Wow! Very interesting, Kalle! But how do you get rid of those radioactive particles after removing them from the clues, dials, etc.?

@Omegaspeedmaster69 2 ай бұрын

Radon gas is another product of radium that people need to be aware of.

@lionellosacchi2334 2 ай бұрын

I was going to write the same thing.

@francishagen8508 24 күн бұрын

The picture is taken some hairs ago😂❤

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

The problem with the radium dust is that your body treats it as calcium as it's chemical make up is similar and deposits it in your bones. This in turn irradiates you constantly as radium half life is 1200 years or so which can increase your chances of cancer. Bottom line is that, as Kalle said, the proper precautions need to be taken.

@BernardoSilva-ex9gc 2 ай бұрын

so when someone finf your bones it still glows ?? intresting

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

@@BernardoSilva-ex9gc No, you won't glow as you don't have any material for the neutron to strike to emit an electron. It just keeps damaging your DNA.

@simonclegg5301 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Kalle. Always good to be reminded of safety aspects in our practice.

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

Wrist watches versus pocket watches is all about the dose. Even wrist watches, very early ones, the radium that was mixed in can be very 'hot' and the dose can be quite high.

@BernardoSilva-ex9gc 2 ай бұрын

pocket watches rarely have radium-benver seen anyone

@LouisGiliberto 2 ай бұрын

Love the pic of Kalle in his natural habitat! Bro, I had long hair, now I'm over 50 and just happy to have hair. On the plus side, with less hair, less chance of me getting one in the watchworks. ;-)

@iancarnell5020 2 ай бұрын

Don't be fooled about old radium paint being expended. It may not glow in the dark anymore but the radium hasn't gone away. The half life of Radium is 1600 years ! It's a strong Alpha, Beta and Gamma emitter.

@BernardoSilva-ex9gc 2 ай бұрын

radium watches are rare.

@smiletrainofficial Ай бұрын

@@BernardoSilva-ex9gc Not really. Radium was commonly used in watches made before 1963.

@pisotones2348 28 күн бұрын

@@smiletrainofficial I've got a 50's watch and my geiger counter goes crazy with it!

@donot2592 2 ай бұрын

@chronoglidewatchmakers thanks, what of you have a watch with all the uranium paint on the face and then you put it in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. Like, you are hovering the band in the water and accidentally dip the enclosed in for a few seconds. I think some of the lettering started to wear, can taking it on a flight also affect the lettering. Mainly wodering what happens if you put it in the cleaner ultrasonic.

@williamevans9426 2 ай бұрын

Many thanks for this particular video. I asked about how you deal with this issue in a recent comment, so this content is very well timed (for me, at least).

@jamesgreig8796 2 ай бұрын

Hi Kalle, excellent video on radioactive dials. I have done quite a bit of research on this subject and concur with your opinion. Not sure if you know of the Omega Enthusiast on KZfaq. He is a watchmaker and deals with vintage watches. He is very knowledgable and has done a really good video on radium dials and backs up his findings with results. Well worth watching. 👍

@Trippin36t5 2 ай бұрын

Ir-192 & Co-60 bring back any memories? RT tech from Houston here. Still crazy to me I picked a channel half the world away and you used to do what I do now.

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

The US NRC has a whole PDF article about radium, its a very good read.

@TomRaine 2 ай бұрын

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Regarding Radium-226?

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

@@TomRaine Yes, that's the one.

@adfpv1153 2 ай бұрын

Excellent advice Kalle thanks my friend.

@openclockclubarchive325 2 ай бұрын

Great video. If you own these watches please do not sell them without disclosure.

@davodavo1782 2 ай бұрын

My dear old dad had a leaden pot , egg cup sized on the work bench with this luminous paint in it . He rarely put the cap on it and as kids we used to get excited to turn the lights off and be amazed at how intense the glow would light up the bench area. Another danger, probably even more serious was the loose mercury in an old coffee cup that came from broken thermometers on barometer stations that came in for repair. We used to handle it and roll the balls around the bench till bits of it disappeared down cracks or fell on the floor.

@BernardoSilva-ex9gc 2 ай бұрын

he passed away with wich age?

@davodavo1782 2 ай бұрын

@@BernardoSilva-ex9gc He had a stroke aged 83 years , linked to tobacco smoking, must be 15 years ago now.

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

You need a geiger counter to measure the radioactivity and all 'affordable' meters only measure gamma using a geiger muller tube.

@pisotones2348 28 күн бұрын

....and beta. Alpha counters are more expensive.

@jeff11oo 2 ай бұрын

once again great video kalle thanks .also superbikes @ assen was fab always great racing @ assen 😊

@gioc4596 2 ай бұрын

Very interesting. I was looking into this Vintage military Hamilton and I saw the dial had the radioactive mark. I was like humm no way.

@24hourgmtchannel64 2 ай бұрын

While I understand how Radium was mixed with zinc sulfide, I never understood how tritium was mixed as it is a gas. Some thought it was infused in Styrofoam and the mixed with zinc sulfide though I've never been able to confirm this.

@SianaGearz 2 ай бұрын

My understanding is that tritium is used as inserts, not as a paste lume. The gas is in a tiny hollow glass vial which is also coated with a luminophore on the inside walls.

@24hourgmtchannel64 2 ай бұрын

@SianaGearz in the early 1960s, many Swiss watch producers like Rolex agreed to phase out much more radioactive Radium applied based lume with Tritium as noted by the T

@Zorakandme 2 ай бұрын

The geiger counter is the most important tool for me now. You have to differentiate between opening and just wearing the watch. I witnessed how brutal the dying from lung cancer is, I will not service watches with active radioactive paste in it.

@francisco461 2 ай бұрын

Excelente información, muchas gracias, es un placer escucharte y ver tu trabajo

@watchhunter 2 ай бұрын

I once gave a watch to a watchmaker who looked at me questioningly when I asked him, whether he takes in watches with Radium lume for repair. He took it and I think he doesn´t have any safety precautions. Am I right to assume that someone like that, must be really lousy at his profession?

@MichaelMitchell-vk9lk 2 ай бұрын

Good information to know

@tomholloway7566 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Kalle

@ElderPinto254 2 ай бұрын

Net een goede nieuwe geiger counter uit Canada binnen gekregen ct008-f aanradertje... bedankt kalle dit is toch wel belangerijke waar veel mensen niet bij stil staan...

@haping1 2 ай бұрын

Die heb ik ook besteld 😂

@ElderPinto254 2 ай бұрын

@@haping1 de beste ik heb hem via CP..

@soumyabiswas928 Ай бұрын

Why did old watch companies use radium instead of phosphorous? Whereas phosphorus is much more readily available than radium or tritium.

@pisotones2348 28 күн бұрын

They used Radium AND Phosphor. The radium excites the phosphor to make it glow. With the years the phosfor decays and the watch won't glow anymore but the radium is still there as strong as new.

@spankyharland9845 2 ай бұрын

anything that is radioactive is dangerous to the human body. I wouldn't mess with old radium painted watches or clocks at all, it is too risky.

@ferguscosgrave7510 2 ай бұрын

Thanks

@josbtje5953 2 ай бұрын

Hey Kalle, leuke foto's 😅. Sinds 1 jaar ben ik aan uurwerken aan het sleutelen. Nu heb ik een font 34-21 21 jewel uurwerk. Na wat liefde loopt die weer prima. Wat zijn jouw bevindingen over dit uurwerkje?

@philparkinson462 2 ай бұрын

Excellent and informative and humorous..thanks. I'm not sure which is worse, old lume or 'wrist cheese' 😂

@TomRaine 2 ай бұрын

I got told by a professional that alot of the radiation will be emitted already. But like you say, the dust or particle seems a problem. Wondering how approach this now as i'll be working on vintage watches over the next few years... Anyone can share any tips? Will geiger counters be able to assess the alpha radiation particles?

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

See one of my responses, regarding what a cheap geiger counter will detect. As far as alpha and beta, this is fairly low energy radiation. Gamma is penetrative and will go through everything and is the most damaging.

@MexicoBeachFloridaLiving 2 ай бұрын

I have over fifty years of old vintage wrist watches-don't do pocket watches-in my junk boxes and I have never tested the radiation level. But, considering the thousands of parts and movements I have I suspect it may be a problem. Time for me to start a serious investigation...

@LSZOE2001 2 ай бұрын

You can test it without special tools or opening them. Keep those old watches in the dark for a few days or a week and check if they still glow without exposing them to any light. If they still glow they are radioactive.

@amandagelien9612 2 ай бұрын

NO worries it will be SAFE IN 200,000 years

@eded8045 2 ай бұрын

ah great backgrounds people have...from dangers of X-Ray man on oil rigs you became a watchmaker but still with hidden dangers Alpha, Beta, Gamma🤣🤣🤣

@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands 2 ай бұрын

So when I see a watch maker with three arms...I should not hire him?

@CaptainJerry- 2 ай бұрын

Glow in the dark? Why?

@SianaGearz 2 ай бұрын

People want to be able to read their watch in the dark! Besides it just looks pleasant, matter of taste.

@aldob5681 2 ай бұрын

so you lost the hair because of radiation? mine are gone by themself

@ozicryptoG 2 ай бұрын

Nobody, ever, would put clear varnish on a watch dial. Ever. And if they do? Never take your watch to them. A professional will know how to deal with these things properly and safely without damaging your watch dial.

@michaelgreenhalgh3369 2 ай бұрын

Incredibly hairy 😂

@eded8045 2 ай бұрын

thanks for that niggling back of mind question X-ray

@LSZOE2001 2 ай бұрын

I want a watch with radium paint for so long now!😅 And I know a lot about radiation so I'm not worried at all. Those watches are only dangerous to the people who painted them in the factories and people who open up the watch and don't have any idea what they are dealing with. I would never open a watch if I know for a fact that it has radioactive paint. I know a lot about radiation but as a hobby... I'm not qualified to work with radioactive materials. And if you know it has radioactive paint and the crystal breaks.... Never touch anything that is under the crystal! And it's pretty easy to find out if a watch has radioactive paint. Just keep it in the dark for a few days and check if it still glows without exposing it to any light. If it still glows... it's radioactive paint.

@quaarjet 2 ай бұрын

The statement that if a Radium watch glows after being in the dark is a misnomer as it can still be very radioactive but not emit any light as the salt that was used to emit the light is used up. The only sure way is with a geiger counter. Good luck!

@SianaGearz 2 ай бұрын

@@quaarjet If luminophore is degraded, it wouldn't glow even after being exposed to light though, would it...