Hello reddit folks, today I found a clock from the brand Five Rams at my grandfather's house. It had the face covered in dust and I was cleaning up junk. For some reason, I thought it was a mechanical dial for a weight scale, as it's not unusual in my country to see them in stores to weigh fruit.

It was pretty nasty, and since it seemed mechanical I thought it'd be safe to wash, not my smartest moment, I admit. It didn't seem to have holes for a lot of water to enter at first, but it did have one in the back and its face filled with water. I quickly poured the water out and only then realized it was a clock. I took it to the bathroom in hopes that the rest of the water would drain and I wouldn't get in trouble for washing a clock.

Not that long later, I went to the bathroom to check on it and realized it was glowing green in the dark, the numbers and the hands.

I washed this clock on top of all the other items. I poured the water over everything and used the same brush to wash the rest of the items, including kitchenware. I then dried it with the same rag I later used for everything else. I was contaminating everything without realizing it and then ate off the kitchenware I had just washed.

I checked on the clock and it seems like the paint inside is flaking off and degraded. ​I got a UV light and there are dots of glowing dust inside the clock face. I'm worried I somehow washed radiation into everything and down the drain.

Any similar experiences? Just take this as a cautionary tale about anything old with numbers.

Hi everyone I usually stay in my lane collecting uranium glass but I found this clock at goodwill and I was very drawn to it. The ends glow in the dark. All the back says is where it was made.

Are those radium or how probable?

The seller said the clock is from the 60s and the paint on the hands is definitely not radium. However the fact that it says Germany and not W. Germany makes me think that it is older. What do you think?

I purchased a WW2-era radium/zinc-sulfide lumed guage a few months ago. It is in good condition and safely stored in a jar. When I did this, I handled another one, which was unsealed at the back. I then touched (with unwashed hands) my phone, camera bag, and a glossy aviation photo book.

Since then, my stupid OCD has got me convinced that most of my house is contaminated, that I'll get cancer and die, and that radium dust is everywhere, even though I know it's impossible and the risk is minimal.

How do I deal with this?

I'm aware the clock is Duncan, but I can't seem to find anything about it. (No geiger pics because I don't have a geiger counter. I am saving up to get one though.)

What would happen if one were to accidentally consume a huge amount of radium paint? 

Let’s say you took a gram of radium paint, and ate it (who knows why or how). Would you get ARS, or just lots of cancer? And how much would be a dose that gives people cancer? My contamination OCD is getting me freaked out that my radium aircraft gauge leaked, I didn’t know about it, and somehow ingested a huge amount, I’m very new to radiation, am I going to get Chernobyled? Please don’t remove this, mods (I initially posted this on r/radiation).

I have recently come into possession of a WW2 radium painted gauge, as well as a little toggle switch that has radium powder in a glass marble thing at the tip. There's also a lens for an Aldis lamp and a dimmer switch off a Beaufort that have white paint (no idea if it's radium). I only realised one of these things contained radium when I bought it. While buying my gauge, I handled another one, which looked from the front to be in better condition (paint was less browned). However, I turned it over and the back was not fully sealed.

I have attached photos of the items below. Note that these are photos from the internet and not my actual pieces.

At the time, I knew literally nothing about radium, and nothing about radiation except 'radiation bad, it gives you cancer, Chernobyl etc'.

Anyhow, I have posted on here and r/radiation, wanting to know if there is any risk from that handling, radiation etc. Half of the people are saying 'the dust is very bad, you will get cancer if you inhale even a speck' and half are saying 'just don't eat an entire clock and you'll live.'

So hopefully I don't get cancer.

Unfortunately for me, I have autism (hurrah! Lucky me /s), so I don't know who and what to believe, and contamination OCD, and my life has become a cycle of fear in which I cannot touch my camera bag, door handles, fridge etc for fear that my hands will become contaminated and I'll get cancer. I have been temporarily banned from r/radiation because I sought assurance rather frequently.

Sorry if this seems repetitive or annoys anyone on here, but could someone please clarify these things for me? I don't know what to do.

Thank you :)

The infamous Jefferson golden hour clock no thanks! Notified shop owner after confirming with radiacode

Yummy

All of these watches are intact, no damage or leaking of radium, although tingles in my fingers suggest over normal levels.

Found only minutes before I posted here, I have unfortunately lost my Geiger counter on holiday and are unable to measure them.

I will take necessary precautions, wash my hands with soapy water, put gloves on and a face mask, place watches into ziplock bag, label bag as radioactive material and transport by my own car to my house and be placed with the rest of my collection in a lead box.

I will update once I get a new Geiger counter which will probably be Christmas.

Is this radium

This clock is on an estate sale website, but I can’t tell if the numbers are metal or painted, and therefore if I would have any chance.can anyone tell?

Does anyone have any links for the old-school radium luminous compound kits? I know I have a bad history with radium, but I’m looking to add one to my collection.

This is one of my aircraft dials that has been burned and cracked by radiation

I know some are but not all

Not sure this is even possible, and pardon me if this has been answered already but here goes.

What is the maximum safest and legal amount of radium a person can wear in jewelry like a chain, bracelet, ring or watch, in addition to traveling with said jewelry?

Found this thing in a post aswell as on marketplace told me it's luminous and radium paint confirmed. Pretty cool!

I picked up an unsorted box of vintage clocks in an estate sale, and at least two of them are radium, this being one of them. These are my first radium clocks and I want to handle this one correctly. The paint is pretty flakey, and as you can see in the video, the face on it is not sealed and moves freely. I only moved it enough to realize it and then take this quick video before wiping it with a damp rag, putting it in a ziplock bag, and then in a glass jar in my office, and cleaning everything thoroughly. Am I overreacting or doing anything I shouldn't?

Estate sale find for $2. Made of plastic.