Radium dials and hands - remove, restore and relume? Advice welcomed

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Other than having developed the ability to fly and propel myself at almost limitless speed, I haven't noticed any side effects from wearing my watches with radium lume.

You are lucky and I realize that I got cheated.

I always wanted to have the ability to fly. Dreamed about it frequently when I was a kid. All I got from wearing my watches with radium lume is this developing prehensile tail.
 
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First photo is an alpha detector; second, third, and fourth is a beta/gamma detector on various parts of the watch.
Unsurprisingly, the back of the case is roughly 1/20th the beta/gamma exposure than the face ( nothing but some thin plastic between that radium and the world).

Citing info given here:

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A "pretty normal, depends on local geology" on the back; "Real risk of cancer" on the front.

Interestingly, there were no more alpha particles detected than baseline on the back. Front had some detection, even after wiping it down to account for external contamination.

Radon not evaluated, but a discussion for another time.
 
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While having radium watch dials does not really concern me that much, these would.
You can stick those up your arse! 😲😁
 
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Did you hear about the guy who died because he wore a radium dialed watch? He was crossing the street and got hit by a bus while he was admiring the watch.
 
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Did you hear about the guy who died because he wore a radium dialed watch? He was crossing the street and got hit by a bus while he was admiring the watch.

Marie and Pierre Curie conducted pioneering research on radioactivity
In 1934, Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia
In 1906, Pierre Curie died in a Paris street accident.
Their remains were sealed in a lead lining because of the radioactivity.
 
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Marie and Pierre Curie conducted pioneering research on radioactivity
In 1934, Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia
In 1906, Pierre Curie died in a Paris street accident.
Their remains were sealed in a lead lining because of the radioactivity.
If you spend a great deal of time researching and working with a dangerous substance, common sense dictates that it’s likely not going to turn out well.
 
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I was trying to point out
If you spend a great deal of time researching and working with a dangerous substance, common sense dictates that it’s likely not going to turn out well.
I was trying to point out that they both worked on it and won the Nobel prize; she died from radiation, him being hit by a bus.
 
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I was trying to point out

I was trying to point out that they both worked on it and won the Nobel prize; she died from radiation, him being hit by a bus.
Yep, understood. I was just noting the ironic consequences of her work. Her research and dedication to advancing scientific knowledge came at the cost of her life.
 
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I was trying to point out

I was trying to point out that they both worked on it and won the Nobel prize; she died from radiation, him being hit by a bus.
Are we certain that radiation wasn't driving the bus?
 
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Sorry to bump this topic back up, but when speaking about the risks of radon gas buildup, what is meant by not keeping it in an 'enclosed space'? Most of mine are in the banksafe, but some are in my bedside drawer or in a closet in my bedroom - of which i do open the windows every morning. Would that be a bad setup?
 
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Sorry to bump this topic back up, but when speaking about the risks of radon gas buildup, what is meant by not keeping it in an 'enclosed space'? Most of mine are in the banksafe, but some are in my bedside drawer or in a closet in my bedroom - of which i do open the windows every morning. Would that be a bad setup?
I think that is referring to the idea that air flow and circulation will help reduce the concentration of the gas. So if a radon producing watch is in a locked box, the concentration will build up in the boxes air space. So if it was me and I was opening a box that housed a watch with radium that had been sitting for a long time, I would try to do so near a window or someplace with good air flow. Caveat: I'm not an expert in radioactivity, but was trained as a biophysicist, so I'm coming at this with some relevant background.
 
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If you have concerns about radon, the simple and obvious answer is to purchase a radon detector. We can only speculate about your specific watches, your enclosed spaces, your ventilation, etc. Just test it. The detectors are not very expensive, and it's wise to test your living space anyway.
 
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Sorry to bump this topic back up, but when speaking about the risks of radon gas buildup, what is meant by not keeping it in an 'enclosed space'? Most of mine are in the banksafe, but some are in my bedside drawer or in a closet in my bedroom - of which i do open the windows every morning. Would that be a bad setup?
That Bank is doomed ...
 
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@Radiumjapes hey following up on this, how did it go with the watch?

I definitely second the work of James Hyman to be able to relume this. Aesthetically it will look much better, especially lumed in a vintage dark yellow/tobacco color, and it might actually improve the value of the watch.

Reluming is not what it used to be. Many people can do this really well now, and they'll often use zinc sulfide, which is what a lot of old lume was originally made of (minus the radium or tritium)

I have a Gallet from the 50s that was putting out maybe 12 micro severts with the original radium. It looked green and awful and it just seemed like too much unnecessary risk on my wrist. Attached a photo of James' relume work. Did an amazing job on the numbers, and this is a really small 34mm dial.


A lot of people are more aware today of radon gas, and needing to keep radium watches in a ziplock bag, but also the lume degrades and flakes and can burn and damage a dial. You see radium burn on a lot of old rolexes. To me its much better have a sympathetic relume and have these watches last another 70 years.