I got a pocket watch today - same as one I already have, only it works.
CRX pointed out some time ago after i washed off some of the old ‘unglowing glow’ that it was Radium and to be careful.
I want to relume the hands of this new one for 2 reasons, 1. they don’t glow…. and 2. they are full of radium.
My question is this - so long as i am careful - wear a top notch mask, gloves, goggles and remove the hands INSIDE a plastic bag (so as not to lose any radium) then wash the remaining off in a small bottle of isopropyl (which worked last time) will I be safe?
This process should only take 20 mins at the very most, probably 5 mins.
Once it’s all off I can fish it out of the bottle with wire and dry on paper towel. Then dispose of the bottle and bag - well I have no idea on that.
So once that’s all done, presumably the radium will leave no major residue? also the face has it on, but it is VERY thin and so little I can’t think It would be a problem.
You think this is safe to do? i have read a few forums on it - they even argue with each other as to whether it’s safe to remove - and even if it is safe ‘as is’ to have near you for any length of time.
Interesting read, thanks BurningPlayd0h. From that I get the impression so long as I am ultra careful it would be fine. I saw a guy on youtube doing it (an expert supposedly on watches) and he didn’t use anything right on his desk, was just careful to mop up the dust with a wet towel.
So long as it’s deep inside a bag, or two, I take the hands off with a puller and gloves, or 2 pairs lol it would lessen exposure to dust by 99% or more. I could even tape the gloves to the bag so it would be 100% sealed or as good as.
I think I would feel happier with it gone altogether from those hands. if I drop the hands into bottle of isopropyl (again, inside the bag) the radium paint should melt off - it did with a dot I tired to clean on the old one, as it’s in some sort of varnish. presumably once in the liquid it can’t escape (dust I mean).
I mean, your radiation dose from exposure to that amount of radium can’t be all the high. Sure, you’d want to take steps to avoid contamination but I feel like nitrile gloves, a particulate respirator such as N95, and due care would be adequate.
Take that for what you will, though, I am no expert!
Where do I go from here to a better state than this.
Well, don't be blind to the big surprise
Swimming round and round like the deadly hand
Of a radium clock, at the bottom of the pool."
In a study by researchers at the University of Northampton and Kingston University, a collection of 30 antique radium-dial watches gave rise to radon concentrations 134 times greater than the recommended safe level when kept in a space the size of a typical box room.
If this is a new watch, one made since the 1960’s, I believe it does not have radium and is safe to tinker with. Confirm that though, I am relying on decades old memory cells.
Smith’s has been making watches for much of the 20th century and I believe shut down in the late 70s or early 80s. It’s likely that Hillary and/or Norgay was wearing one of their watches when they first reached the summit of Mt Everest.
In regards to the watch itself: Since wearing it in the current state is almost certainly safe, personally I’d leave the lume alone and enjoy the rich history of the watch and brand. This is one that to me feels like any restoration would take something away from it.
Yeah, if not Ra, scrape away. If Ra, be careful, but not paranoid.
Me, I’d do it outside. Ra gives off α particles that can be stopped by a sheet of paper. Just don’t eat it or snort it.
If people line their lights with dozens of trits, you shouldn’t be paranoid about teeny amounts of Ra on a watch. Granted, those watches were from back in the days when people with colds were told to smoke menthol cigarettes to clear ’em right up, but still…
Whups, was thinking trits are an α source, but T is a β source, a little more unfriendly.
Trit in the tubes is gaseous and is said to disperse quickly even when they break plus the half-life and overall radioactivity is much lower AFAIK. Would really need to know just how much of the “spicy” isotopes each contains to make a comparison. I do know that radium decays into radon and isotopes of lead and something else which is where a portion of the hazard comes from.
Yeah, I get that which is why I describe all the precautions I’d take , they refer there to just opening it in say your hand with no protection.
I have no idea if it is radium or not sadly, I kinda just presumed it is, because it’s that browny colour - the numerals are not like that, they are more like normal blue gitd and still very very faintly glow (not brownish like hands)
I don’t know why, but I thought that brown meant radium lol!
the watch is around 1960’s, I can’t warrant buying a geiger counter to test a £25 watch. What I will do though is ring around some watch makers in the UK and ask - if anyone knows if it is they will, also they will be able to advise on safety re the hands and reluming.
the danger isn`t the dose of radiation, it`s from inhalation, if a particle gets into the lungs it can cause a lot of damage, especially alpha emitters.
I don`t remember the exact decay chain and daughter products of radium, but I seem to remember Radon is one of them and I think Polonium is another, you Really don`t want to breathe either of those in!
it`s more helpful to treat it as extremely poisonous rather than radioactive.
All this considered, and the fact that wherever you look read the advice is different - I’ll just leave it as it I think for now at least.
I have read up quite a lot on this now, and people can’t agree on anything really other than ingesting/inhaling it would be very bad which was always a given. I don’t think that would/could happen if I am careful.
Largely people across the web can’t even agree if even having the watch nearby is safe long term.
Based in Plymouth- I’m away with work at the moment but once I’m back, and lockdowns are eased, I’m more than happy to meet up and test it with one of my Geigers of you’re interested.
!
