Radium radioactive paint in bosuns compass?

[ltcom]

Having read threads on here about the grid compass, I decided to dig mine out.
It had a slight bubble so I took it apart and found the topping up position (a bolt with an orange fibre washer - meaning it is an old type washer).
Opening the topping up hole I smelled the liquid (smells like lamp oil) and got some on fingers and tools and then the laptop when I found this article about radium
http://www.trademarklondon.com/Compass-Fluid/index.html
Here the company says they won't work on old compasses http://www.trademarklondon.com/Compass-Repairs/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_paint#Radioluminescent_paint

My compass is boxed as a Sowester Bosun compass, no sign of Heath Marine. Anyone have any idea of age of compass? If made after 1960 I am hoping radium based paint was not used. I can't find out if Heath Marine came before Sowester.

Otherwise everything I have touched will be emitting beta radiation I am thinking which has a slightly longer range than alpha radiation. Just seen an article that says it is gamma radiation, so maybe not so bad because it may pass straight through the walls and out of the house !

cheers and Happy Christmas !

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Having read threads on here about the grid compass, I decided to dig mine out.
It had a slight bubble so I took it apart and found the topping up position (a bolt with an orange fibre washer - meaning it is an old type washer).
Opening the topping up hole I smelled the liquid (smells like lamp oil) and got some on fingers and tools and then the laptop when I found this article about radium
http://www.trademarklondon.com/Compass-Fluid/index.html
Here the company says they won't work on old compasses http://www.trademarklondon.com/Compass-Repairs/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luminous_paint#Radioluminescent_paint

My compass is boxed as a Sowester Bosun compass, no sign of Heath Marine. Anyone have any idea of age of compass? If made after 1960 I am hoping radium based paint was not used. I can't find out if Heath Marine came before Sowester.

Otherwise everything I have touched will be emitting beta radiation I am thinking which has a slightly longer range than alpha radiation. Just seen an article that says it is gamma radiation, so maybe not so bad because it may pass straight through the walls and out of the house !

cheers and Happy Christmas !

The radiation will come from the paint on the numerals not the damping fluid.

PS
It's unlikely that the paint will be Radium based more likely Tritium I wouldn't worry about it just don't go licking the numerals.

 

[ltcom]

The compass repair man in the link says the radium paint dissolves into the liquid, hence his warnings. Isn't tritium a modern source for glow in the dark things?

found another link:http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/luminous.php

Off to see if the compass glows on its own or needs energizing with light.

 

[lpdsn]

It is retained in the bones but don't ingest it and you'll be fine. So make sure you wash your hands thoroughly. Those who suffered health effects whilst painting it did so because they usually licked the brushes. In fact I've seen photos of it being used as glow-in-the-dark lipstick by the workers.

The level of gamma radiation from a few numbers on a dial will be pretty low. If you're scared of that don't get on a plane. In any event it falls off as R squared, so the dose will depend upon duration and how close you are. So don't sleep with your arms around the compass.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The compass repair man in the link says the radium paint dissolves into the liquid, hence his warnings. Isn't tritium a modern source for glow in the dark things?

found another link:http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/luminous.php



Off to see if the compass glows on its own or needs energizing with light.

The way they work is that the source of radioactivity energises a phosphor I think the old one with Radium was zinc sulphide that becomes depleted and the luminescence disappears. I doubt that it is a Radium source as they were stopped shortly after WW2. It was replaced with Promethium and then Tritium don't remember the dates but I am sure google would help, my radio chemistry dates back to undergraduate years in the early 70s
I very much doubt that the fluid dissolved any of the isotope either.

 

[ltcom]

Well the compass responds to light so I think all is ok.
Unlike this old compass that seems to have this chap in a lather:
https://youtu.be/m7vNufU7hVU?t=751

Some sources say if the paint is brown or red it is radium, another sources said the paint is white .

 

[DownWest]

Thort tritium was mostly used in H bombs? Plenty of radiation if one goes off near you...

 

[solent clown]

a bag of cat litter pulverised would make a good cleaner in theory, but would ruin your keyboard! It is very hugely unlikely a single tiny dose would do you much harm at all.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Read up about the Radium girls, they used to lick their paint brushes. If you are really worried scrub your hands and nails in particular using cold water. The effects are cumulative and in any case I doubt very much that you have become contaminated.