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Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 6:50 am
by djolemag
Hi guys,
Quick Q:
Can anyone provide some best effort tips for SAFE removing of radium indices from dial?
I have some idea but would like to hear other opinions as well.
Recently I acquired descent Junghans J30D german ww2 military clock and I'm preparing for restoration, so I have to clean dial and relume it. Here is one shot:
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Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 10:04 am
by esdee
I would suggest basic haz-mat practices.
Do it outside if possible a little far from home.
Cover the ground around where you intent to do the operation.
Get one of those suits just to be safe
https://www.amazon.com/Individually-Dis ... 175&psc=1
Make sure you cover eyes/mouth/skill in general
Once done pack every thing in a back as hermetically sealed as possible
Dump it on your neighbors trash can (? lol)
What crosses my sick mind is collecting the lume that you scrape, crush it to almost dust and use it with a modern binder to relume with radium a Pam dial? too far? shall I go back to my cave?
Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 11:05 am
by Yoda
"Dump it on your neighbors trash can (? lol)" The best I have heard in a long time, hahaha!
Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 11:36 am
by djolemag
esdee wrote:I would suggest basic haz-mat practices.
Do it outside if possible a little far from home.
Cover the ground around where you intent to do the operation.
Get one of those suits just to be safe
https://www.amazon.com/Individually-Dis ... 175&psc=1
Make sure you cover eyes/mouth/skill in general
Once done pack every thing in a back as hermetically sealed as possible
Dump it on your neighbors trash can (? lol)
What crosses my sick mind is collecting the lume that you scrape, crush it to almost dust and use it with a modern binder to relume with radium a Pam dial? too far? shall I go back to my cave?
Lot of ideas mate


I was thinking of something simpler:
Take gloves, mask and something to protect eyes; then take a pegwood, jar with water and do a stripping in some plastic bag, like chamber. Dust will fall into water... Properly dispose, somehow....
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Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 11:37 am
by djolemag
Or even better, do complete task in water...
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Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 11:39 am
by straps68
IMHO, you should not do this outside. Wear a face mask, goggles and gloves and to be safe (to yourself and those around you), have those and the old lume disposed of in a proper way, not down the sink or in (anyone's) trash. Radium (226) remains radioactive for thousands of years (half life ~1600 years).
Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 11:41 am
by antonio651900
NO LO HAGAS!!!!!!!!!
I do not understand how a person can pose to play with something so dangerous.
You can also use that powder to get rid of some unwanted person ...
Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 12:13 pm
by djolemag
Here is a good observation
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/luminous.php
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Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 4:02 pm
by miki360
C'mon mate, we have about 15 tons of depleted uranium in our country soil from 1999 and now you making fuzz about little old radium?
Just lick it and taste the feeling ...like in old times.
Re: Radium lume removal, tips?
Posted: February 15th, 2019, 4:25 pm
by Piloten
Get SN13 to do it . . .
Kidding, radium is dangerous as is, not even counting how it breaks down into radon gas