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

[@Forest-iv5vm]

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.

[@haping1]

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.

[@Bruhmoment21345]

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!

[@mattshort2916]

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

[@darkshadowrule2952]

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

[@BernardoSilva-ex9gc]

the story is dont paint you lips with radium

[@jamesgreig8796]

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 KZbin. 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. 👍

[@quaarjet]

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]

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

[@quaarjet]

@@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]

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

[@grabkor]

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

[@quaarjet]

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]

pocket watches rarely have radium-benver seen anyone

[@williamevans9426]

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).

[@LouisGiliberto]

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. ;-)

[@adfpv1153]

Excellent advice Kalle thanks my friend.

[@quaarjet]

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

[@TomRaine]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Regarding Radium-226?

[@quaarjet]

@@TomRaine Yes, that's the one.

[@owenlaprath4135]

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!

[@francisco461]

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

[@tomholloway7566]

Thanks Kalle

[@samsullivan9701]

Kalle! Thank you for making this video. Very interesting you were once an inductrial radiographer. Were you also once a CSWIP? I am in the USA working as a CWI with a background in xray inspection of welds as well. I am currently training to become to a watchmaker through AWCI. very interesting to see someone in a similar field with similar backgrounds. Very rare. Cheers mate

[@markgardiner5150]

Great information, thank you!

[@ElderPinto254]

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]

Die heb ik ook besteld 😂

[@ElderPinto254]

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

[@quaarjet]

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

[@pisotones2348]

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

[@jeff11oo]

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

[@ferguscosgrave7510]

Thanks

[@larryscott3982]

Some old compasses, aviation sextants, several instrument types. The big deal is working with a lot of vintage watches on a daily basis. My watch guy told me when it’s no longer glowing it’s depleted. I just shook my head, sent him a link, but I’m sure he thinks it’s ok.

[@Trippin36t5]

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.

[@josbtje5953]

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?

[@watchhunter]

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?

[@Zorakandme]

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.

[@MichaelMitchell-vk9lk]

Good information to know

[@Omega30t2RG]

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

[@lionellosacchi2334]

I was going to write the same thing.

[@ericreither3666]

Yes, and the amount of radon produced by even a couple of vintage watches with radium lume is not trivial. I measured this before and after storing a couple of vintage watches in a bedroom. Before, radon was detectable but relatively low. After, the amount of radon increased fivefold and easily exceeded 4 pCi/l, which organizations like the WHO and EPA regard to be unsafe.

[@iancarnell5020]

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]

radium watches are rare.

[@oscarleedefur]

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

[@pisotones2348]

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

[@larryscott3982]

Yeah, when it no longer glows the misunderstanding is the radium has decayed. But the past has a fluorescent component. And only the fluorescence has oxidized, the radium is still young.

[@oscarleedefur]

@@pisotones2348 Whatever you do, don't eat it!

[@donot2592]

@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.

[@gioc4596]

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]

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]

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]

@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

[@openclockclubarchive325]

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

[@manuelcorreia6448]

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?

[@TomRaine]

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]

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.

[@davodavo1782]

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]

he passed away with wich age?

[@davodavo1782]

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

[@francishagen8508]

The picture is taken some hairs ago😂❤

[@philparkinson462]

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

[@bigpig9562]

OMG, "Don't worry too much about the gamma radiation going straight through you because the half time is a long time ago." 😱😱😱

[@soumyabiswas928]

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

[@pisotones2348]

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.

[@MexicoBeachFloridaLiving]

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...

[@TonyNL87]

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.

[@spankyharland9845]

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.

[@amandagelien9612]

NO worries it will be SAFE IN 200,000 years

[@SideWalkAstronomyNetherlands]

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

[@CaptainJerry-]

Glow in the dark? Why?

[@SianaGearz]

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

[@aldob5681]

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

[@eded8045]

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🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelgreenhalgh3369]

Incredibly hairy 😂

[@eded8045]

thanks for that niggling back of mind question X-ray

[@TonyNL87]

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]

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]

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

[@keirraabdiaziz]

you’re literally my comfort person i love you #nkuwan !