Old aircraft instruments

Trouble is the post office now intercept radium instruments and stop them being forwarded on. Buyer or sender has to collect from the depot which they have been stopped at which can be a hundred or so miles away. Post office now have detectors to combat radio active items being sent through the post, radio active aircraft instruments are also on their prohibitive list. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news ! This can also effect Ebay sales unfortunately.

Seek specialist advice where necessary. Some emitters are hardly detectable (notably alfa only) if properly packaged. Depends on what you ship where and how it is packed. Others can be a pain. There was a case recently where a containerized aircraft from the US into the Netherlands was seized because of radioactive instruments, quarantined and the instruments destroyed by a specialist company at the owner’s expense.

WOW ! – anyone wanna buy some gauges – going bleep, er, I mean cheap !!!!

Trouble is the post office now intercept radium instruments and stop them being forwarded on. Buyer or sender has to collect from the depot which they have been stopped at which can be a hundred or so miles away. Post office now have detectors to combat radio active items being sent through the post, radio active aircraft instruments are also on their prohibitive list. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news ! This can also effect Ebay sales unfortunately.

Someone was after an oil temp gauge on the project wants thread

WOW ! – anyone wanna buy some gauges – going bleep, er, I mean cheap !!!!

Willie, Some of this is right but some of it is a little misleading. There is plenty of reliable information available online about this. The paint contains Radium 226.

The radium paint can break down

YES it can and does and in fact the lightyupness only lasted three or so years for this reason despite the Ra having a half-life of 1600 years

and emit higher levels of radiation over time.

NO this is untrue, it does become more hazardous because it disintegrates into powder

If the gauge is well sealed, with good glass and seals, it might not emit much at all outside the gauge.

NO this is untrue, Ra is quite a cheeky gamma emitter in any case. Good glass and seals are important though for the reasons below. (Never suck or blow into the dials to try them out!)

The most danger is when people dismantle them for cleaning etc.. In that situation, the broken down paint is in the form of a fine dust and can come into direct skin contact, or be inhaled.

YES SPOT ON Ra is also an alpha emitter and is particularly dangerous if ingested

I would say that the rate of climb was likely to be radioactive, but the oil temp could go either way. Some were, some weren’t. I would hazard a guess that it isn’t looking at the paint, but it would only be a guess.

Bruce

Radium paint – does that mean dangerous?

If so, what is the safest way to dispose of them please?:apologetic:

The radium paint can break down and emit higher levels of radiation over time. If the gauge is well sealed, with good glass and seals, it might not emit much at all outside the gauge. The only way to tell is to check them with a dosimeter. eBay often has cheap ones for around the $100 mark.

A well sealed gauge will emit hardly any more than background radiation, but often, ones that leak emit around 400-500 times background radiation measured directly at the glass face. Usually, they stop reading abnormal levels about 1.5 to 2 metres away. The most danger is when people dismantle them for cleaning etc.. In that situation, the broken down paint is in the form of a fine dust and can come into direct skin contact, or be inhaled.

Disposal would depend on local legislation, but it pays to test them if you know someone with a dosimeter. Otherwise you might throw away a perfectly good gauge.

Cheers, Willie.

None of them looks type-specific so they were used on various aircraft. If you are lucky the aircraft number is sometimes written on the back.

1 & 3 look like Radium paint.

Radium paint – does that mean dangerous?

If so, what is the safest way to dispose of them please?:apologetic:

None of them looks type-specific so they were used on various aircraft. If you are lucky the aircraft number is sometimes written on the back.
The date is often stamped on the dial as well.
1. American wartime
2. 1940’s/1950’s
3. wartime, e.g. Spitfire, Lancaster etc.
4. 1950’s/1960’s
5. wartime, maybe Spitfire
6. 1950’s, e.g.Vulcan B1

1 & 3 look like Radium paint.

The oil temp gauge was certainly used on the Stirling and probably most other wartime british aircraft

John