close up picture of Mk1 Speedometer required

[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

[George McKenzie]

When you said you were converting a MK2 gage To a MK1 I really got xcited as My MK 2 has a gage with the glass broken in it, by some kids before I got it.The broken glass is still in it . This has been a great site to enlighten us on this problem . Now what to do ? How to handle this gage to remove it ? PS Do you know that if you ate a banna be for you go to work in a Nuclear Plant you will set off the alarm .

[eddy8men]

after the shooting stopped in gulf war 1 it was my task to go around kuwait collecting up the iraqi armour and take it to a collection point. some of the shot up stuff was covered in a gunmetal grey dust which i later found out was depleted uranium me and the reccy mech were covered in the stuff and i'm still alive and kicking but i do sometimes wonder if it will catch up with me one day.
it was a good laugh though

rick

ps. thanks for bringing this to light, it never even crossed my mind that there would be a problem with handling old instruments. cheers