# Big Ben Style 6 and Wehrle Polo Alarm Clock, painted with radium paint?



## ptjw (Feb 20, 2013)

I bought a Westclox Big Ben Style 6 from a flea market a few years ago and I restored it and documented it on my blog. I have had no idea at all about the dangers of radium paint up till now when someone posted a comment on my post saying that the clock contains radium paint and is very dangerous if ingested and/or inhaled. 


The problem is that I opened the clock to do my restoration and while i'm pretty sure I did not eat or breathe in any visible pieces of paint from the dials, it was in a poor state and there is the high potential that I have inhaled tiny particles of the paint. My question to this forum is that whether or not the clock is indeed painted with radium paint for the dials or something else? I'm hoping someone who is familiar with this model and brand would know.


My blog post is here: *Project Repair: Project "Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock, Style 6" (1/3)*


You will see that I left the face open and this would be a really big problem but it is too late as this happened 3 years ago. I cannot find any information online on whether the Westclox Big Bens did indeed get painted with radium paint on the dials...so can anyone confirm if they were? I am afraid I would not want to keep this clock with me if it is indeed radioactive even more since I opened it and is probably highly contaminated now.


I read that radium paint does not need a light source to recharge to stay bright but that also seems to be an unconfirmed myth because I have read many conflicting reports on various forums. I kept it in the dark for a few hours and took it out in the pitch dark and there was no glow. When I shined a torch at it for a minute only then did it start to glow brightly but faded away to nothing after a few minutes.

I also have another clock I bought on a separate occasion at a flea market which also required restoration: *Project Repair: Project "Wehrle Polo Alarm Clock"* and I don't know if it is also painted with radium dials although the paint was in much better condition and wasn't flaking the chance of breathing in microparticles was still very likely. It also does not glow on its own until i shine a light at it and it fades to nothing after a few minutes.

Needless to say I am (very) freaked out with this new knowledge, I knew the general mechanics of how a clock works but nothing about radium paint. If you see my blog you would be able to tell I did not specialize in clocks but just antiques and gadgets in general and I only hope my ignorance hasn't cause anything serious. If it is indeed radium paint then I will not hesitate to dispose of these clocks. 

I identified my clock using this website before starting repairs and it made no mention at all about radium paint and the hazards of restoring one: *Westclox Big Ben Style 6

edit: *I don't have any access to a geiger counter, so that is not an option


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## ptjw (Feb 20, 2013)

I am going to dial this back a notch...I have done more research and emailed a few people and can conclude that the behavior of the paint (that it requires an external source to glow) is not radium but just modern non-radioactive luminous paint. It is possible that the clock is still radioactive because the previous owner could have just touched up the paint but it might also mean that it wasn't 'pure' antique radium paint that I exposed myself to (at least not in its original quantities). I will continue to treat these clocks as radioactive until I can know for sure that they are not. That would mean getting access to a geiger counter which is highly unlikely in the near future.

Any other information from anyone would still be appreciated!


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