I was wondering if anyone on the forum has any information on these gauges.
It’s the very common ‘Blinker’ oxygen flow indicator used on B-17’s, C-47’s, P-51’s etc.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]225102[/ATTACH]
It’s in as new, unissued condition, and I would have expected it to have similar amounts of emissions as other gauges in good condition, ie: roughly the same as normal background radiation. This one’s giving off 440 times the normal background radiation levels. Question is, do these particular gauges contain some other component that emits Beta radiation, not just the Alpha based luminescent paint. I would have thought that even if the radium paint had broken down a bit to give off Beta and Gamma as a byproduct, it still shouldn’t be that high.
The gauge is well sealed with no obvious points of leakage.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers, Willie.
By: willie45 - 3rd February 2014 at 06:50
Thanks for the reply, Smirky.
I’ve got most of the chemistry and general issues under control, and am trying to find out if these specific gauges are known to have high levels.
Since the original post, I’ve contacted the person that I got it from and received a reply that he’d sold out of them. Apparently U.S. Customs bought a bunch of them to test their radiation detection gear. So that sounds like these Blinkers might have a reputation for higher detectable emissions than the average gauge.
The only way I’ll know for sure, is to buy another one and test it as a comparison, or to track down someone who has done the same.
Cheers, Willie.
By: smirky - 1st February 2014 at 14:18
This has been covered on this forum before and there is some good information about the chemistry (somewhere).
The quiet gauges are the odd ones out here, Radium dials are quite cheeky gamma emitters irrespective of condition.
This suggests to me that they were non-luminous or have been de-luminised exceptionally thoroughly. Try them with a UV light to see if they are fluorescent.
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February 1, 2014 at 11:12 am