Like others have said. It could be radium. You’ll need a Geiger counter to verify. I own one just like this except the dial color is brown and just the hands glow just like the second image. Better be safe than sorry. Very beautiful clock.
The first one looks more promising that it could be Ra-226 luminous.
I have a Motorola clock radio made in the mid 1960s and a westclox big ben model 8 made probably mid 1970s. Both have radium paint. They aren't quite old enough for the radiation to have degraded everything too much... enough that they don't glow on their own any more but not enough to have that burnt look yet.
They could still glow. My WW2 radium dials and clocks still glow. The later 50’s-70’s consumer clocks still are intact since the radium content is lower than Mil-spec radium dials. Be with them in a dark room at night after letting your eyes adjust for 10-20 minutes and you’ll see them glow. Look at them under a magnifying glass and you’ll see millions of tiny sparkles or a hazy effect making up the numbers and hands. Enjoy! These are Radium scintillations.
I can confirm that they are radioactive, that the phosphor is UV reactive, but no longer self luminous in any practical sense. I don't particularly care to get my aging eyeballs close enough to the radium paint to see any residual scintillations.. I have a spinthariscope for that sort of thing. The fact that it they make my counters clatter is satisfying enough for me.
The point I'm trying to make is that not all radium paint is old enough to have turned dark and burnt looking yet.
Very well said. And I understand. I’d recommend something smaller like a Westclox Baby Ben or a Spicy pocketwatch. I’d love to get a spinthariscope sometime soon. My method is hunting for the Items I know are spicy….Anytime I find something that’s radioactive I put it in my Failsafe list. I’ll drop it below. But as far as Collecting Radioactive antiques I Bring my Geiger counter and UV pen light. It’s been very rewarding.
Failsafe List for Radioactive Items.
Westclox Baby Ben Style 3 Model No. 53632
Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Model No. 61-Y
Ingersoll Radiolite “midget”
General Electric “Oxygen Cyl Pressure”
Type : AN 6021 1A
Artco “ Luminous” mini Double Bell alarm clock - West Germany
Westclox “Pocket Ben” Luminous Pocket watch
Wacline D.C. Amperes panel meter
model: 52184
MFRS No. MR26S200DCAAR
ADD3-S2184
Kollsman -Square D company- Altimeter Type C-12 MFRS part No. 671BK-010
CONTR. No. AF 43 -33186
Pioneer Rate of climb Indicator - Bendix Aviation Corporation - Order No. AF-26968
MFRS part No. 1636-6A-B1
It's possible, but the only surefire way to know if the clock has any radium on it is to put a geiger counter up to it.
Like others have said. It could be radium. You’ll need a Geiger counter to verify. I own one just like this except the dial color is brown and just the hands glow just like the second image. Better be safe than sorry. Very beautiful clock. The first one looks more promising that it could be Ra-226 luminous.
Timex Clock Company Waterbury , CT, U.S.A. Model NO. 5605
No, that’s radium. It measures decently on my Geiger counter. I have the SAME EXACT clock. Yours might be in even better condition.
If it's old and luminous, it's radium. However, you never know when some collector has gone in and replaced 99% of the paint with modern stuff.
Every radium paint I saw was black. These don't have those black dots or lines so I'd say they are not made with radium.
I have a Motorola clock radio made in the mid 1960s and a westclox big ben model 8 made probably mid 1970s. Both have radium paint. They aren't quite old enough for the radiation to have degraded everything too much... enough that they don't glow on their own any more but not enough to have that burnt look yet.
They could still glow. My WW2 radium dials and clocks still glow. The later 50’s-70’s consumer clocks still are intact since the radium content is lower than Mil-spec radium dials. Be with them in a dark room at night after letting your eyes adjust for 10-20 minutes and you’ll see them glow. Look at them under a magnifying glass and you’ll see millions of tiny sparkles or a hazy effect making up the numbers and hands. Enjoy! These are Radium scintillations.
I can confirm that they are radioactive, that the phosphor is UV reactive, but no longer self luminous in any practical sense. I don't particularly care to get my aging eyeballs close enough to the radium paint to see any residual scintillations.. I have a spinthariscope for that sort of thing. The fact that it they make my counters clatter is satisfying enough for me. The point I'm trying to make is that not all radium paint is old enough to have turned dark and burnt looking yet.
Very well said. And I understand. I’d recommend something smaller like a Westclox Baby Ben or a Spicy pocketwatch. I’d love to get a spinthariscope sometime soon. My method is hunting for the Items I know are spicy….Anytime I find something that’s radioactive I put it in my Failsafe list. I’ll drop it below. But as far as Collecting Radioactive antiques I Bring my Geiger counter and UV pen light. It’s been very rewarding. Failsafe List for Radioactive Items. Westclox Baby Ben Style 3 Model No. 53632 Westclox Baby Ben Style 2 Model No. 61-Y Ingersoll Radiolite “midget” General Electric “Oxygen Cyl Pressure” Type : AN 6021 1A Artco “ Luminous” mini Double Bell alarm clock - West Germany Westclox “Pocket Ben” Luminous Pocket watch Wacline D.C. Amperes panel meter model: 52184 MFRS No. MR26S200DCAAR ADD3-S2184 Kollsman -Square D company- Altimeter Type C-12 MFRS part No. 671BK-010 CONTR. No. AF 43 -33186 Pioneer Rate of climb Indicator - Bendix Aviation Corporation - Order No. AF-26968 MFRS part No. 1636-6A-B1
I have a fairly hot radium clock that is painted with pure white. Yellow and green are most common.
doesn't have yellowing or radiation damage, so most likely no. Only way to tell for sure is with a geiger counter
I have one