Author Topic: ae type 24 dial plate - black (Read 2956 times)

Doug Rose · « **Reply #15 on:** October 27, 2015, 07:50:18 PM »

I have "no glow" as well. At least on the dial plates. A little JD is a good thing....for medicinal purposes only.....for a glow as needed. It was a tough Tuesday!!

...Doug

unbeldi · « **Reply #16 on:** October 28, 2015, 09:56:12 AM »

Does anyone have a luminous plate? Do they glow redish or green-blueish?

I suppose I would expect the phosphorescence to be redish, if they were made in the 1930s or 40s, because those zinc sulfide-based formulations came before the later ones with higher efficiency. The color is determined to a great part by the doping of the material with various metals, in particular copper, magnesium, aluminum.

The radio-luminescent paints deteriorated rather quickly, I think. It is not that the radium's half-life limits this, but the material itself becomes inactive.

Use your favorite Geiger-counter to check the plate.

AE_Collector · « **Reply #17 on:** October 28, 2015, 11:02:13 AM »

Quote from: wds on October 27, 2015, 09:52:02 AM

Can't get the numbers to glow. Either it's just white paint or the luminous material has faded to the "off" position.

Or the lithium batteries are depleted....or were they Ni-cads back then?

Terry

andre_janew · « **Reply #18 on:** October 28, 2015, 11:06:04 AM »

I'm not sure, but I think the Ni-cads came first.

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