on 11/10/2007 1:17 PM Jeff Wisnia said the following:
willshak wrote:
on 11/10/2007 3:03 AM Beachcomber said the following:

On Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:32:25 GMT, CJT wrote:



CWLee wrote:

During WWII there was a substance available on Navy ships,
in tape form, that one could place by light switches or
other items one might want to locate in the dark (like a
flashlight). This tape somehow absorbed light during the
day, and at night gave off a faint glow, sufficient to be
seen in a dark room.

Is there anything like that available today - in either
paint or tape form - that one can use for such purposes in
the home?




Historical Note:

In first part of the last century, the military used radium to make
glow-in-the-dark hands and numbers on government issue watches. The
workers who applied this paint were not told of any dangers and would
do things like lick the brushes before applying the paint to the
dials. Many, if not all of them came down with radiation poisoning
and the who incident became a famous test case about whether workers
could sue their employers for ruining their health.

One benefit of the radium though... The watches did not need to be
"charged" under light to stay luminous.

Many modern luminous paints require this "light charge" in order to
work properly.

Google or Wikepedia "Radium Girls" for the complete story.

Personal Note - I remember my cousin showing us the radioactive dimes
he purchased from the tourist store at Oak Ridge, TN during the early
1960's. That couldn't have been good either...

Beachcomber


I remember little cheap toy rings that were advertised to be able to
see atoms in action when peering into the ring. I seem to remember
they were a prize offered by a cereal company when you sent in a
coupon on the box. I had one. What you saw was similar to pressing
on your eyelid for a few seconds and then then releasing the pressure
with your eyelid still closed and the little 'stars' would move about
on your eyelid.



I got one back then too.

IIRC there was a small "atomic bomb" mounted on it lying parallel to
the finger the ring was on. The four tailfins of the bomb were part of
a red plastic cap which could be pulled off exposing a plastic "lens"
you looked into to see those "stars".


Yes! Here is a pic.
http://www.gemstonepub.com/ringguide/ringguide4.html


Re the shoe fitting x-ray machines, I probably snuck my feet into them
more times than I should have, but I still have five toes on each of
them. I was fun to wiggle your toes while looking at the bones in them
to see them move.

For those too young to have seen one lookee he

http://www.museumofquackery.com/devices/shoexray.htm

SWMBO and I visited that museum about five years ago and I recall
seeing quite a few posters and also inactivated devices which claimed
they used radioative materials to "make you healthier."

Jeff



--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
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