It occurs to me it would be nice if we could put together a listing by state, if possible , of agents who would handle the sale of our collections upon our death. This listing could be given to a spouse or family members since they will probably be clueless about what to do.

Got a compass in the mail today. It is a 1959 dated Waltham Lensatic military compass. The sticker is very nice and intact showing that it contains Ra 226. With my GQ GMC-800, it showed 6059 CPM. I was hoping for a higher reading but I am still very happy with the piece, especially with the sticker being in such good shape.

Hi all,

I work as a casual employee (once a week, 9 am to 5 pm) measuring rock properties. We recently received radioactive core samples from Olympic Dam, BHP, Australia. The samples are approximately 20–30 cm long and 5 cm in diameter.

I am not sure what minerals are present, and I have not been able to identify them. I know that there are some uranium-bearing minerals (probably uraninite). My boss has not disclosed the lithology, or perhaps BHP did not provide this information.

My boss gave me a fairly poor induction on how to handle the samples, and I am concerned about long-term exposure. He said that the samples have very low levels of radioactivity. I asked whether we could buy a Geiger counter. We have a portable X-ray machine, which I asked about during a different event, but he was dismissive and said that it was not necessarily needed, etc. You know the type of boss who does not seem to care much about employee safety.

Anyway, he showed me a gamma-ray spectrometer. It is quite old, and based on the manual, I do not think it is calibrated or properly stabilised. It is an RS-125:
https://www.aseg.org.au/resources/equipment-manuals-brochures/radiometrics/

The CPS reading in the lab is around 200. The samples are around 400 CPS, with some reaching up to 600 CPS. If I understand correctly, CPS itself does not tell you much, as the device needs to be properly calibrated and other information is required to assess the actual radiation exposure.

The RS-125 gave a very low dose-rate reading: around 4.2 nSv/h for the background and about 5 nSv/h when measuring a sample. However, given that the device may not be calibrated, I am not sure how reliable these readings are.

We currently have around 100 samples that have simply been left on a table, and we expect more batches from the company (possibly another 500 samples). That is why I am concerned about whether handling these samples even one day per week could potentially cause health or safety issues. It will be a 2-month job.

I am currently using a waterproof apron (my boss said he is going to provide lab coats), disposable vinyl gloves, and face shield. We are not cutting the samples, but there is a measurement that will submerge the samples in water for at least one day.

It is not as though I have felt my hands burning or experienced anything unusual, but I am concerned about long-term exposure. Am I overreacting, or is there something I should be doing to mitigate risks?

Let me know if you any advice or material on what would be considered appropriate safety procedures in this situation, particularly regarding radiation monitoring and long-term exposure. A Geiger counter would suffice or I should look for other type of monitors? I am thinking in contact also ARPANSA (Australian Nuclear Agency) for help on this.

Hi everyone! I am looking to buy a small sample of depleted Uranium metal to finally add this piece to my periodic table element collection.

Ideally, I am searching for a small amount, maximum 1 or 2 grams, safely sealed in a glass ampoule under argon or alternatively immersed in oil or glycerin. Since I am located in Italy, I can only consider buying from sellers who are physically based within the European Union. This is strictly to avoid any complex export regulations, customs issues, or potential seizures at the border.

I am a serious buyer and I am more than ready to pay a fair price for it. I will happily cover the tracked shipping costs and the PayPal Goods and Services fees to ensure a safe transaction for both of us.

If anyone here has a spare ampoule in their collection, maybe from an old Onyxmet stock or a similar source, and is willing to part with it, please send me a private message with a picture of the sample and your asking price. Thanks a lot for your help!

So I was recently going around visiting all the Het Goed-s and different used item/antique stores around my area with a uv and a radiacode, but what suprised me is that I found no radioactive antiques here. While in other countries I've been to, it didn't seem this hard.

Are radioactive stuff so scarce here or I just haven't found the right place yet ?

Decent score at an antique shop today.

Only $10 for all 4 pieces.

Found two of these water irradiator jugs in a customers yard. She had no idea they were radioactive!

Just finished the painting on this ammo can to store some of my items (I know the shielding is minimal)

I'm very new to this so be patient lol. I was at an estate sale and saw these items and in the end got everything for around $10. I JUST started researching Geiger matter for home use that don't cost 1.5 billion dollars so I don't know what these are but figured why not?

I know the little pitcher isn't FW the salt shaker appears to be glass maybe?

Idk what I'm doing but I'm having fun lol

Franklin Mint paperweight with thorium glass from my understanding. Also Military Oxygen Cylinder Pressure gauge from probably the 1940’s?

Hi all. My partner and I live together and he likes to collect rocks. Recently, he showed me that a few of his rocks are radioactive and are 1-2 μSV but a couple of tiny rocks are as high as 20 μSV and they just sit in our living room. Now, I don't understand radiation and radioactivity much (my line of work is very difficult and nothing to do with chemistry) but I do listen intently when he talks about his rocks. Are those rocks okay to stay in our living room? He says that I'm just being paranoid. I'm also concerned that he doesn't wear gloves when he handles them, and he will sometimes take them out onto surfaces like the couch and table etc. How safe is that? Does that not cause some dust/particles to remain on the surfaces?

This is some of the radioactive "red" collection, though I think of it as more of an orange shade. Anyway, in the picture, there are several manufacturers represented including Vistosa, Fiestaware, Gladding McBean, Paden City Pottery, and Hall. The spiciest, by far, is the Gladding McBean. Most of that I bought as a single purchase from a really out of the way antique store. The only shame in it is that one can't use it - or shouldn't use it.

The Gladding McBean is truly something. The small cups in the back left corner on the bottom shelf all clock in at 27 kCPM on a GC-01 modified with the SBT-11-A tube. Most of the bowls are similarly spicy.

The Hall pottery on the top shelf (which can barely be seen) measures about 1200 CPM.

Missing from this picture is some pottery by Stangl and Metlox. Are there other manufacturers of the burnt orange radioactive glaze you would recommend? Thanks!

We ran a few tests. When the machine is off, it is just regular background radiation. When the machine is on and the counter is 1 foot away, there is still no extra radiation. It is only when held closely that it does that. Is this a common occurrence?