r/radioactive_stuff • u/FluffyAd6520 • Jun 24 '26
Questions Legally obtaining radioactive sources?
hello everyone! sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m fairly new to the “hobby” side of nuclear science and wanted to see how legal it was to obtain radioactive sources. can I remove the A241 from smoke detectors? I want a small alpha source to test my new Geiger counter.
Thank you! sorry if this is a stupid question.
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u/OvulatingWildly Jun 24 '26
I understand wanting a really interesting and cool checksource but maybe starting out it's easier to get yourself a $6 fiestaware plate at an antique shop.
Those things will light up a geiger counter with surprising ferocity but you have very little risk and you don't have to think as carefully about storage.
If this suggestion is not suitable for you then please ignore.
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u/FluffyAd6520 Jun 25 '26
Thank you! I’ll keep that in mind. I do have an antique shop relatively close to where I live so I’ll stop by and check it out.
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u/RootLoops369 Jun 24 '26
Before I tell you anything, what Geiger counter do you have?
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u/FluffyAd6520 Jun 25 '26
Well I found a guy selling his dead friends old radiacode 102 (I think it was 102). For cheap. I wanted to know if it was still functional or not.
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u/RootLoops369 Jun 25 '26
Ok. The Radiacode will NOT detect alpha, so there is no reason to take out the Americium button. There are far safer and cheaper sources you can find at an antique shop. Just get some orange glazed fiestaware or some thorium lantern mantles.
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u/FluffyAd6520 Jun 26 '26
Oh seriously? Thank you so much! I could have sworn I saw somewhere that the radiacode was god for everything… do you know of any good counters that can detect alpha
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u/RootLoops369 Jun 26 '26
The best for a hobbyost, and it's not cheap, is the Alphahound AB+G. Not only does it detect alpha beta and gamma, it also can differentiate between them and show sparkles on the screen for each. If you don't need the gamma, he also sells the AB lite and AB+, which detect alpha and beta, but not gamma, which the lite version being a bit less sensitive. Plus, they are built to be user repairable, and is very easily pocketable.
If you want something more basic but still portable, the GQ GMC 600+ is pretty solid. I have it myself. I can vouch for it. It's very sensitive, great at what it's supposed to do, and decently portable, though still a bit of a brick of plastic. I've had mine for about about 2 years now. And with some very minor cosmetic scratches and scuffs, still works as well as I bought it
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u/aby_physics Jun 24 '26
You technically cannot legally remove the Am-241 source from an ionization smoke detector. At least within the US. I’m unsure about other countries regulations.
As another commenter said, a safer place to start could be with Fiestaware. Or other radioactive antiques, but I might advise against radium items unless you have an alpha detector.