[Milsurplus] White filling material for lettering

[Michael A. Bittner]

I note that numbers and index marks on the replaceable metal dials of ARC-5 remote control boxes, such the BC-744/ARC-5, briefly glow in the dark after exposure to light.  Are these dangerous in any way?  Mike, W6MAB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ray Fantini 
  To: John Watkins ; Mil Surplus 
  Sent: Friday, April 29, 2011 9:13 AM
  Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] White filling material for lettering


  Be careful repainting or restoring the front panel of the US-9, many of the Russian radios of that era used heavy doses of radium paint on the lettering. Way worse than the US stuff, sometime in the fifties or later, cretin someone will post the exact date the US stopped using radium laced paint for instruments and went to some other element with a short half life but the Russians kept using radium laced paints for instruments and control labels well into the seventies and maybe later on aircraft radios. At least with US stuff it was all behind glass and sealed in except for some things like the TBY but the Russians just painted that stuff right on the front panel. If you did strip the paint off the front panel I would not tell anyone!
  KA3EKH

  -----Original Message-----