close up picture of Mk1 Speedometer required

[kevin powles]

Richard, This is what we would do at work with this material, If you have removed the dial face, Set up a C2 contamination controlled area, (in your case barrier off your garage and area where you worked on the gauge).

You need a Radiological survey of your work area where the gauge face has been within this barriered area, whoever does this will put on a respirator and disposable coverall's and overshoes and rubber gloves, place the dial face in a plastic sealed bag using some long reach pliers. Seal the bag put it in a sealed all glass container and remove to a licenced facility for this waste, (without the glass you are exposed to Alpha and Beta radiation and enhanced gamma).

Any Measurment of counts per second found above background is contamination, they will need to do a proper radiological survey of your work area with an alpha and beta probe, then de-contaminate with approved methods, I dont recommend you do this. What have you actually done to the gauge face?, Have you used an abrasive to remove the paint?

I would suggest contacting Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station near you for guidance on who could carry out this for you. I dont advise you to carry out your own survey.

If you lived closer to me I could have sorted this for you with my employer, it may well start costing you money to bring in specialist to do this de-contamination work for you.

I can dispose of the gauge face for you at my work place. I can dispose of any used PPE, tag rags solvents used above if passed to me in a sealed plastic bag and again I can dispose of this for you.

You really need an independant body to do this work for you, this is the only advice I can give you.

Sorry Kev.

[RichardT10829]

Gauge face is in the gauge it was left alone after swabs were taken. It has not been sanded down or anything

[kevin powles]

Richard, Good leave the face there and put the speedo back together as found, this does not preclude carrying out all as advised in the previous post first. It appears you delivered some swab samples to the guy at the university who measured levels of contamination within your work area, so somehow the paint has left the face, perhaps through time degradation and has been released on opening the speedo?.

I would put your mind at rest and talk to your local GP about any health concerns you may have.

kevin.

check out 'speedo face repair' thread in the carrier section.

[Rick DeBruyn]

Check out this tread for a bit of information on radioactive gauges.

Radioactivity and our hobby

[Lynn Eades]

I have to thank you for the efforts you have made to to bring this risk to the public attention.
I realise you needed to ask all the questions to satisfy your own worries, but you didn't have to make it public. We appreciate the fact that you have given us the warning.
I have to wonder how many of us have already had exposure to some degree, as children, playing with old surplus aircraft instruments and the like.
Your concern for the rest of us, means that we can now make an informed choice on how we go forward.
I am sure that you will have changed someones life for the better.
Life is fragile

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Personally I would not bother to convert a gauge if this means exposure to this serious risk.

Here's a good example of what one museum did: just leave the gauge alone, and put a "warning, radioactive" sticker over it.

[RichardT10829]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap6MCzuBHsg gutted if you lived next door to here !

Its no problem, for me its too late as i have been exposed so only time will tell if i keel over, if so then i will get the missus to write a follow up post about my post mortem like i said earlier i am inquisitive its my nature, it was not my intention to put noses out of joint, frighten, or even make light of the subject, more me being objective than anything. I had made some perfect repro Mk1 dial faces (12) which were all specially printed transfer onto laser cut blank discs...... they will sit on the shelf now unless folk have mk1 gauges with busted faces....... Kev any chance you could take a Mk1 dial to work and check that for potential contamination ? The thread has pretty much bottomed out the Mk2 as being dodgy ground, it would perhaps be a nice add on to know the ins and outs for the mk1 gauge who knows perhaps a data sheet could be put on its own thread listing dials from specific vehicles which contain the radium 226 so people have a heads up before climbing into range wrecks or potential restoration projects


here is a medical write up regarding exposure and ingestion, for me it put things into more realistic terms
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...V5bpXk9rTKnQEw