Re: dash lights on the 22nd series

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2012/5/10 17:21:55

Joey, it's unlikely that cleaning will restore the original instrument performance, though it may help. IIRC the paint contained trace amounts of a radioactive element, radium as I recall - perhaps the same as was used for years in watch hands and faces. It slowly degrades over time, as defined by it's "half life", like any radioactive element. It's use for luminous illumination was discontinued in the 60s dues to health concerns for the workers who painted the instruments, etc.

Here's a discussion about it's use in such applications.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium