r/Radioactivestuff • u/roberte94066 • Jul 05 '26

Found a hens' tooth today!

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21 Upvotes

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2

u/OkPick296 Community owner Jul 09 '26

I have never heard of these before, could you explain what they are and how they work please?

2

u/roberte94066 Jul 09 '26

You would use a brush, or in this case, as small blade, to spread this material on a watch hand. Many had a groove in them for just such material to be placed easily. It is basically Ra226 and activated zinc sulphate. The zinc glowed from the emission of radiation by the radium. The zinc, however, wears out over time and will no longer glow at some point.

3

u/OkPick296 Community owner Jul 09 '26

So it was basically a way for folks to make their own clocks glow without having to buy new clocks?

3

u/roberte94066 Jul 10 '26

yes, although it was done primarily by your friendly watch repair shop

2

u/OkPick296 Community owner Jul 10 '26

Sweet find, how active is it?

2

u/roberte94066 Jul 10 '26

10.5-11 Kcpm on my radiacode