If your clock happens to be a westclox here's a website with dates of production as most made before the 1960s' will have radium paint (clockhistory.com/0/westclox/page1.html)
When I was a kid, around 10 years old, I took a bedroom clock apart and remember I removed the interesting green glowing coating on the dials. I don't remember what I did with that powder but I surely didn't know what it was at that time. It was likely produced in the 1950s or 1960s and I still remember how it was quite easy to peel off.
@@ashish_sh I just wonder where that powder went. I might have just taken my hand and swiped it on the floor without washing my hands. I was sleeping in that room as a kid. But at that age I also disassembled a lot of other different things to explore what was inside of it. I collected a lot of electronic components and often broke those in pieces to explore the inside of them. No doubt I was making my room a toxic mess. Eventually I went to college in electrical engineering and started to learn about the matters of toxicity in products.
I remember biting an old thermometer with the old school mercury liquid in it got it all threw my mouth and pritty shure swallowed some and i walked away unharmed sometimes we jus get lucky with these things and some people jus gata touch it once not even ingest amd get sick crazy how chemicals can do somethen so bad to one person and absolutely nothing to anothet
The women who painted the dials literally ingested the radium paint as they twirled the brushes between their lips to make a point. They did this for hours a day and for long periods of time, like a year or more. The people who assembled the clocks were not affected. These old clocks are harmless unless you are licking the dials of several hundred clocks. There is more radiation from Radon in your basement.
This is a great piece of educational advice, coming from someone who likes to collect and repair old alarm clocks, are usually stray away from the radium ones, but I do have a few. I think the scariest thing is these all these clock dials being sold on Etsy and eBay without people knowing the dangers behind the radium paint (yes, bare painted dials!) i’ve even seen listings go as far as to say they can be worn as cosplay!!!
Here is the danger! After learning about radium watches and clocks, I bought a Geiger counter and checked out my watch collection. I picked out the ones that looks like having radium painted hands and hour markers. One by one I set them aside. However, one day I opened a watch, played around with it and accidentally read the marking at 6 o'clock, 'RA Swiss RA'. That sent the chill through my spine. It turned out it's indeed a radium watch. But there was no sign that it contained radium, the hands and markers are clean metals and it's of mid to late '60s style. They had stopped using radium in that period. What comes to mind is the white dial face must contain radium; that I would have never thought of. I found one other similarly contained radium. Lesson learned, treat any vintage watch or clock as though it's radium; and also, any vintage objects. You never know. I saw another YT video, where a pressure gauge dial having 32,000+ CPM!!!
Collect old clocks and you'll quickly learn which models and styles came with radium paint on the dials and hands. The radium clocks are harmless... you can stack a dozen of them in a pile, walk back just ten-feet or so and your Geiger will only record normal background radiation. You don't want to eat the paint of course, and since a lot of the paint is crumbling to dust, it's wise to wear a quality filter mask to avoid inhalation. This is especially important if disassembling them for repair. You'll find a lot of the paint broken off and laying at the bottom of the dial, so removing the glass cover can expose you to quite a bit of dust. The current government dose standards are designed to make you feel as though just walking by such a clock will cause death years down the road. That is complete bullshit. I'd have to calculate how long it would take to equal the dose of a medical x-ray if you slept in a bed of clocks.
I have a 1925 Ingersoll radiolite pocket watch. The radium girls painted it. It has VERY little glow as the ZnS is depleted. My Geiger counter, however, assures me it is Radium 226.
My tip: use a black light and look for signs of light. If the clock’s Luminescence fades quickly, it’s possibly radium. Another tip is to search the watch or clock for “Ra Swiss Ra”. I would also avoid buying radium clocks or watches that aren’t in good condition. Your welcome!
However, one must also add that the UV test is not absolutely reliable. Because it is not the radium that causes the dial to light up, but a chemical that is mixed with the radium. And this decomposes over time under the influence of radiation from the radioactive decay of radium. The Geiger counter is therefore a much more reliable method.
the third clock you took away with the white plastic face may have had radium, as its similar to one i have, that was back painted to illuminate the whole face, and its one of my most radioactive clock faces.
I've never seen a clock with the whole dial painted with radium, do you know the model, or can you post a pic? that's really interesting, i would love to see it!!!
@@WheelerScientific yes it had metal backing, it was a water damaged clock i got in a box lot, not sure of the brand but will have another look and see if there is any marking. it really seems the face is infused with radium and its seriously hot, so lives in my Rad Box, definitely too hot to have as a bed side clock as it was originally intended.
@@antiquesandclocks.inc.8368 Another thing that you need to be aware of is radon gas. If you have one clock its fine, but if you have ten clocks like this, its better to keep them in well ventilated area.
My grandma had a clock in her room made in the 1930's more likely it is a radium clock. She bought it at a yard sale. If not mistaken that clock my aunt has.
I just bought an old watch peice with radium The lady who got it out of the case for me touched the radium but I didn't want to tell her so she wouldn't freak out and kick me out of the store
The newer baby ben may still have radium but the glass is thicker so that's why it's rating lower on the geiger counter. I had the white travel clock and the radium paint was flaking outside the clock, I got rid of it at the waste disposal site, was too scared lol I also have the leather finney travel clock. These are interesting!
Hi Mate! I have a west Germany clock, what is made by Ruhla in the 1960's. It has green color on the dial and on the hands. It was my grandfather's and my parrents are gave it to me. I remember this clock's face glass was easily came off, and unfortunately i thouched the green paint. I dont really remember what i done after the "accident" but when i heard about the radium clocks i sceard.... I keep it in a plastic small bag in my room. Can i be in danger?
Interesting subject. Very hard to have an opinion on that topic. On one hand the hobby is not worth the risk. But all things considered, it’s not that dangerous if handled correctly. I myself have handled and repaired radium clocks and watches without knowing the risk beforehand, which I regret. I won’t be buying any more of these old clocks and watches. But I can’t resign to sell the one I own…
I just discovered that I have owned, for about 4 years, a most likely radioactive Soviet tank clock. The watch was WITHOUT GLASS. I kept the watch mostly in a cardboard box, in a wardrobe drawer, near the underwear and clothes I wear every day. I don't know what level of radiation we're talking about because I don't have the instrument to measure it. What about the other wristwatches (without radio) that were kept in the same box, will they be contaminated? Should I worry? Do you have any general advice for me?
Can radium still look green or does it have to be brown on color?? I see sellers advertising there watches as radium, but the green is pretty green and has not darkened. Thank you!
@@WheelerScientific Thank you! But will it be any sort of green? Im asking because i read that it should be decayed ans brown, and if its not, then it was modernly applied to fool us
I have found an alarm clock "Blessing" West Germany from the 1900s, do you think it can be dangerous ? It is not cheap, beautiful but it has the green color on the dial
Those are absolutely gorgeous, does it have the glass front plate? If then it should be fine. The glass will hold in and protect the radium, just be careful.
I have an old alarm clock. It's a travel clock. Looks like the brown one you have here. I don't know if it contains radium. omg. Is it safe idk. I just love it so much.
Yes, I sleep next to one every night. I still have at least 4 feet away at all times. Just don’t break the glass or hold your face to it for multiple hours. It’s okay to be close for a short period of time.
I just bought a vintage alarm clock from a local thrift store yesterday. I'd assume it probably has radium in it because it looks to have been made in the 50's, and has glowing green numbers on the clock face. It's a sturdy metal clock from Kienzle, made in Germany. It still works just fine and since I needed a new alarm clock and love all things vintage, I couldn't resist it. As for the dangers... yeah, I assumed that as long as I'm not picking it apart or otherwise come in direct contact with the paint it's probably fine. Fyi I'm not the kinda person who tosses my alarm clocks against the wall in the morning. I treat them with care. There doesn't seem to be any findings of people just owning and using these kinda clocks getting sick, as far as I've been able to find. It seems, as you say, that the real danger was/is in making and restoring these clocks. I've read up about it before and heard about the Radium girls. Learning about radioactive substances is just fascinating in general. So I already had some background knowledge about it. So I'm definitely gonna be careful with this clock, and I've no intention (or reason) to open it up, but I'm also not gonna panic about it just existing in my home now. The amount of radioactivity these clocks typically omit from just standing about is actually quite far from the truly dangerous levels. It's not like standing in Chernobyl.
I've been trying to figure out how to tell radium clocks from fluorescent clocks without using a Geiger counter for some time. Do clocks with radium-painted hands react to light? So do radium hands light up brightly after you shine a regular LED flashlight on them? It would be great if someone could help me out. Otherwise I'll probably just have to lick the hands to test it. ;)
I can tell you it's pretty nice. I have a small desk clock from the 1920's. Really high quality make. The radium still glows barely, 100 years later. At 3am if you wake up to pee, you can read the soft glow of the dial and hands.
@@avnostlga Get a UV light. I sleep with a yellow bulb lamp next to me, it will be relatively bright after a few hours. Not really worth it to charge it because it doesn’t last long.
The first couple of clocks he puts away as non-radium looks like having radium paint hands. There is no way for sure it is non-radium without a Geiger counter, unless you are 100% it was produced way pass the radium clock/watch era. See my later comment.
Can you really discard cheap Chinese clocks? The Chinese are actually mixing radioactive waste in the crap they export. Even children's toys you buy from aliexpress or amazon often contain nuclear waste... You should really buy a Giger counter to be sure :P
Either that or Tritium. If it says “H3” then it’s Tritium. If your compass has Brown discolored paint then it’s more than likely Radium and can be quite spicy. I have a vast collection of these clocks and dials. You can use a Blacklight to excite the Phosphor in the radium paint. Only way to tell for sure is with a Geiger counter.
@@edword1321 instead of imagining you can look it up!!! most of them died from crap like that but this one got super powers!!! the only reason they got sick is because they would lick the paint brush to give it shape, like artist do with watercolors. They had not a clue that there was any danger!! the girls, im sure some people high up knew!!! also old people loose teeth in general so that would be nothing out of the norm!!! but maybe other later effects.
@@edword1321 My sister told me. If it fades quickly (and it’s old), it’s radium. Anything made past 1960 or 1970 is safe, don’t quote me on that though.
If your clock happens to be a westclox here's a website with dates of production as most made before the 1960s' will have radium paint (clockhistory.com/0/westclox/page1.html)
When I was a kid, around 10 years old, I took a bedroom clock apart and remember I removed the interesting green glowing coating on the dials. I don't remember what I did with that powder but I surely didn't know what it was at that time. It was likely produced in the 1950s or 1960s and I still remember how it was quite easy to peel off.
You're gonna die young X|
Same here 😳😳 I used to do this on all on broken old clocks
@@ashish_sh Bruh, me too!
@@ashish_sh I just wonder where that powder went. I might have just taken my hand and swiped it on the floor without washing my hands. I was sleeping in that room as a kid. But at that age I also disassembled a lot of other different things to explore what was inside of it. I collected a lot of electronic components and often broke those in pieces to explore the inside of them. No doubt I was making my room a toxic mess. Eventually I went to college in electrical engineering and started to learn about the matters of toxicity in products.
I remember biting an old thermometer with the old school mercury liquid in it got it all threw my mouth and pritty shure swallowed some and i walked away unharmed sometimes we jus get lucky with these things and some people jus gata touch it once not even ingest amd get sick crazy how chemicals can do somethen so bad to one person and absolutely nothing to anothet
The women who painted the dials literally ingested the radium paint as they twirled the brushes between their lips to make a point. They did this for hours a day and for long periods of time, like a year or more. The people who assembled the clocks were not affected. These old clocks are harmless unless you are licking the dials of several hundred clocks. There is more radiation from Radon in your basement.
Watchmakers also dealt with consequences due to inhalation, it just took longer for symptoms.
there's a book about them it's called The Radium Girls
This is a great piece of educational advice, coming from someone who likes to collect and repair old alarm clocks, are usually stray away from the radium ones, but I do have a few. I think the scariest thing is these all these clock dials being sold on Etsy and eBay without people knowing the dangers behind the radium paint (yes, bare painted dials!) i’ve even seen listings go as far as to say they can be worn as cosplay!!!
Here is the danger!
After learning about radium watches and clocks, I bought a Geiger counter and checked out my watch collection. I picked out the ones that looks like having radium painted hands and hour markers. One by one I set them aside.
However, one day I opened a watch, played around with it and accidentally read the marking at 6 o'clock, 'RA Swiss RA'. That sent the chill through my spine. It turned out it's indeed a radium watch. But there was no sign that it contained radium, the hands and markers are clean metals and it's of mid to late '60s style. They had stopped using radium in that period. What comes to mind is the white dial face must contain radium; that I would have never thought of. I found one other similarly contained radium.
Lesson learned, treat any vintage watch or clock as though it's radium; and also, any vintage objects. You never know. I saw another YT video, where a pressure gauge dial having 32,000+ CPM!!!
Collect old clocks and you'll quickly learn which models and styles came with radium paint on the dials and hands. The radium clocks are harmless... you can stack a dozen of them in a pile, walk back just ten-feet or so and your Geiger will only record normal background radiation. You don't want to eat the paint of course, and since a lot of the paint is crumbling to dust, it's wise to wear a quality filter mask to avoid inhalation. This is especially important if disassembling them for repair. You'll find a lot of the paint broken off and laying at the bottom of the dial, so removing the glass cover can expose you to quite a bit of dust. The current government dose standards are designed to make you feel as though just walking by such a clock will cause death years down the road. That is complete bullshit. I'd have to calculate how long it would take to equal the dose of a medical x-ray if you slept in a bed of clocks.
I have a 1925 Ingersoll radiolite pocket watch. The radium girls painted it. It has VERY little glow as the ZnS is depleted. My Geiger counter, however, assures me it is Radium 226.
My tip: use a black light and look for signs of light. If the clock’s Luminescence fades quickly, it’s possibly radium. Another tip is to search the watch or clock for “Ra Swiss Ra”. I would also avoid buying radium clocks or watches that aren’t in good condition. Your welcome!
However, one must also add that the UV test is not absolutely reliable. Because it is not the radium that causes the dial to light up, but a chemical that is mixed with the radium. And this decomposes over time under the influence of radiation from the radioactive decay of radium.
The Geiger counter is therefore a much more reliable method.
the third clock you took away with the white plastic face may have had radium, as its similar to one i have, that was back painted to illuminate the whole face, and its one of my most radioactive clock faces.
I've never seen a clock with the whole dial painted with radium, do you know the model, or can you post a pic? that's really interesting, i would love to see it!!!
I just went and double checked, sadly no radium, does the one you have, have a metal backing, as mine is a white plastic.
@@WheelerScientific yes it had metal backing, it was a water damaged clock i got in a box lot, not sure of the brand but will have another look and see if there is any marking. it really seems the face is infused with radium and its seriously hot, so lives in my Rad Box, definitely too hot to have as a bed side clock as it was originally intended.
@@PedroHenrique-xm1yt i woul post a pick but theres no option to do that here
@@noelandrew3600 Yeah, if you get any information about your clock, let me know, I would love to find one for myself.
They’re also usually labeled Radium clock. Because everybody thought radium was great it was usually well advertised.
Excellent information - I now a bit nervous that I just bought a Westclox from the 1960s (should be ok :) )
Great video and good review of the NRC regulations!
Some of these Radium girls where here in Connecticut at the Bristol, New Britain and Waterbury clock makers
I have a radium watch on my desk 😬 and that's the hole reason I'm watching this video
Thank you so much! Your advice is invaluable ❤
Is having a radium clock dangerous? Because my grandparents have one and it's pretty old and I really don't want to get rid of it
The danger of radium comes from when it gets into the body so as long as it remains on the clock hands and face it will be find.
@@WheelerScientific ok good thanks
@@antiquesandclocks.inc.8368 Another thing that you need to be aware of is radon gas. If you have one clock its fine, but if you have ten clocks like this, its better to keep them in well ventilated area.
@@princeethanol97 no
how much
My grandma had a clock in her room made in the 1930's more likely it is a radium clock. She bought it at a yard sale. If not mistaken that clock my aunt has.
Hello, if a clock should need repair, how should one proceed when handling the dial? Thanks
I just bought an old watch peice with radium
The lady who got it out of the case for me touched the radium but I didn't want to tell her so she wouldn't freak out and kick me out of the store
😳
Did she touch the glass?
The newer baby ben may still have radium but the glass is thicker so that's why it's rating lower on the geiger counter. I had the white travel clock and the radium paint was flaking outside the clock, I got rid of it at the waste disposal site, was too scared lol I also have the leather finney travel clock. These are interesting!
Hi Mate! I have a west Germany clock, what is made by Ruhla in the 1960's. It has green color on the dial and on the hands. It was my grandfather's and my parrents are gave it to me. I remember this clock's face glass was easily came off, and unfortunately i thouched the green paint. I dont really remember what i done after the "accident" but when i heard about the radium clocks i sceard.... I keep it in a plastic small bag in my room. Can i be in danger?
I have one made in Germany, it was made well in some spots but the clock face uses a very flimsy plastic, and its a radium clock
Huh, weird!
Pretty amazing no one knew back then, you think you could do a video on the stuff in smoke alarms
Interesting subject. Very hard to have an opinion on that topic. On one hand the hobby is not worth the risk. But all things considered, it’s not that dangerous if handled correctly.
I myself have handled and repaired radium clocks and watches without knowing the risk beforehand, which I regret.
I won’t be buying any more of these old clocks and watches. But I can’t resign to sell the one I own…
I read too much about the Radium Girls and I got freaked out
So if my clock has no radium paint than its not radioactive, or is there still a chance?
Why didn't you demonstrate the florescents by using a black light?
hello ... low radiation clock ....... very high radiation compass !!!
I just discovered that I have owned, for about 4 years, a most likely radioactive Soviet tank clock. The watch was WITHOUT GLASS. I kept the watch mostly in a cardboard box, in a wardrobe drawer, near the underwear and clothes I wear every day. I don't know what level of radiation we're talking about because I don't have the instrument to measure it. What about the other wristwatches (without radio) that were kept in the same box, will they be contaminated? Should I worry? Do you have any general advice for me?
Get a Geiger counter. If it's normal reading (1-100 cpm) you're fine
Very cool video !
Can radium still look green or does it have to be brown on color?? I see sellers advertising there watches as radium, but the green is pretty green and has not darkened.
Thank you!
Most of the time, radium won’t be bright green.
@@WheelerScientific Thank you! But will it be any sort of green? Im asking because i read that it should be decayed ans brown, and if its not, then it was modernly applied to fool us
Most likely modern and non radium if bright green I haven’t ran into any that are and have radium
@@WheelerScientific Thank you soo much!! You have been soo helpful!
Not a problem, happy to help!
I have found an alarm clock "Blessing" West Germany from the 1900s, do you think it can be dangerous ? It is not cheap, beautiful but it has the green color on the dial
Those are absolutely gorgeous, does it have the glass front plate? If then it should be fine. The glass will hold in and protect the radium, just be careful.
I'd say americium and thorium might be the most common, no?
Oh, or bananas 😂
what brand is the Geiger counter does it detect alpha thanks
Hey this is random but to confirm, the Travel Westclox from China doesn’t have Radium right?
I have an old alarm clock. It's a travel clock. Looks like the brown one you have here. I don't know if it contains radium. omg. Is it safe idk. I just love it so much.
Yes, I sleep next to one every night. I still have at least 4 feet away at all times. Just don’t break the glass or hold your face to it for multiple hours. It’s okay to be close for a short period of time.
I just bought a vintage alarm clock from a local thrift store yesterday. I'd assume it probably has radium in it because it looks to have been made in the 50's, and has glowing green numbers on the clock face. It's a sturdy metal clock from Kienzle, made in Germany. It still works just fine and since I needed a new alarm clock and love all things vintage, I couldn't resist it.
As for the dangers... yeah, I assumed that as long as I'm not picking it apart or otherwise come in direct contact with the paint it's probably fine. Fyi I'm not the kinda person who tosses my alarm clocks against the wall in the morning. I treat them with care. There doesn't seem to be any findings of people just owning and using these kinda clocks getting sick, as far as I've been able to find. It seems, as you say, that the real danger was/is in making and restoring these clocks. I've read up about it before and heard about the Radium girls. Learning about radioactive substances is just fascinating in general. So I already had some background knowledge about it.
So I'm definitely gonna be careful with this clock, and I've no intention (or reason) to open it up, but I'm also not gonna panic about it just existing in my home now. The amount of radioactivity these clocks typically omit from just standing about is actually quite far from the truly dangerous levels. It's not like standing in Chernobyl.
I thought you couldn't test radium through glass?
It’s radioactive, of course you can.
@@Vpentrov indeed, but the effect will be greatly reduced
@@phonotical The glass will stop the beta radiation.
@@Vpentrov im aware
You know, I'd be willing to drink some... Not a lot, and not more than once, but some 😂
How about if it’s 3 feet away from my head when I sleep?
Also I have a travel clock that I bought yesterday and it doesn't contain radium
We would have been lucky if they put it only on . At some point in the time, they've put it even in bread.
I've been trying to figure out how to tell radium clocks from fluorescent clocks without using a Geiger counter for some time. Do clocks with radium-painted hands react to light? So do radium hands light up brightly after you shine a regular LED flashlight on them? It would be great if someone could help me out. Otherwise I'll probably just have to lick the hands to test it. ;)
I want to see the glow in the dark properties of uranium watch dials
I can tell you it's pretty nice. I have a small desk clock from the 1920's. Really high quality make. The radium still glows barely, 100 years later. At 3am if you wake up to pee, you can read the soft glow of the dial and hands.
@@avnostlga Get a UV light. I sleep with a yellow bulb lamp next to me, it will be relatively bright after a few hours. Not really worth it to charge it because it doesn’t last long.
I have a phinny walker travel radium clock and used my Geiger counter against it, it reads no more than simple background radiation
The first couple of clocks he puts away as non-radium looks like having radium paint hands. There is no way for sure it is non-radium without a Geiger counter, unless you are 100% it was produced way pass the radium clock/watch era. See my later comment.
Can you really discard cheap Chinese clocks? The Chinese are actually mixing radioactive waste in the crap they export. Even children's toys you buy from aliexpress or amazon often contain nuclear waste... You should really buy a Giger counter to be sure :P
My grandpa has one of those. Will it kill him?
As long as he doesn’t go and eat it he should be fine.
I own one of these though mine is sealed with multiple plastic bags and one layer of aluminum I know it’s not going to do much but anyways
This dude is like the wish version of styropyro.
i have a old army glow in the dark compass...i wonder if its radioactive
Radioactive illumination was used all the way up to around Vietnam so there’s a good chance depending on it’s age.
Either that or Tritium.
If it says “H3” then it’s Tritium.
If your compass has Brown discolored paint then it’s more than likely Radium and can be quite spicy. I have a vast collection of these clocks and dials. You can use a Blacklight to excite the Phosphor in the radium paint. Only way to tell for sure is with a Geiger counter.
What about if it was made in Japan
Would have liked to see them glow in the dark
one of the radium girls lived to be 107
She refused to lick them and got fired, that’s why.
@@Vpentrov you know nothing!!!
Propably, but I could imagine that she lost her teeth or had some other late affects .
@@edword1321 instead of imagining you can look it up!!! most of them died from crap like that but this one got super powers!!! the only reason they got sick is because they would lick the paint brush to give it shape, like artist do with watercolors. They had not a clue that there was any danger!! the girls, im sure some people high up knew!!! also old people loose teeth in general so that would be nothing out of the norm!!! but maybe other later effects.
If they emit illumination after exposure to light, most likely they are not radioactive.
Mine’s radium and it does light up.
@@VpentrovHow did you find out, if it's radium?
@@edword1321 My sister told me.
If it fades quickly (and it’s old), it’s radium.
Anything made past 1960 or 1970 is safe, don’t quote me on that though.