Its not the paint itself that has broken down, it is the zinc sulphide. The interaction between it and the alpha decay of the radium not only produce light but over time but cause the sulphide crystals to physically fall apart. You could probably reactivate your sights by applying a very thin new layer of zinc sulphide to the old paint. The radium itself is effectively just as radioactive now as it was a hundred years ago.
@kerebronemtadrata5459
4 жыл бұрын
@@TheSolidSnake1985 Prolonged exposure, large quantities, ingestion - these are dangerous if you're going to play with radium. Otherwise, you're safe. The amount of the element in those gun parts is tiny.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
@@TheSolidSnake1985 on a rifle, it's not enough to be a hazard. On a watch it would be. Thing to remember is Time, Distance, Shielding. You are around a rifle less and it's farther away from you than a radium watch. The other lesson on radioactivity I can give you is the Cookie Analogy. You have an Alpha cookie, a Beta cookie, a Gamma cookie, and a Neutron cookie. You can hold one, put one in your pocket, eat one, and throw one away. You hold the alpha cookie, because alpha radiation cannot penetrate skin. You put the beta cookie in your pocket, because cloth will stop beta radiation. You eat the gamma cookie, because gamma radiation will go clear through you and it's unlikely to hit anything on the way through. But you throw that Neutron cookie as far away from you and possible, because neutrons will not only blow right through you but will hit a lot of stuff on the way through! Radium is an alpha emitter.
@genericpersonx333
4 жыл бұрын
@@TheSolidSnake1985 Basically no because alpha particles are easily blocked by skin and clothing, so they can't do any real damage outside of the body and are not particularly harmful even inside the body in the tiny amounts involved. You are taking more radiation from sunlight than you ever will from a radium night-sight.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
@@zaitcev0 tritium is a beta radiation emitter, and the beta radiation cannot penetrate the glass vial.
@Hansengineering
4 жыл бұрын
til
@uniservo
4 жыл бұрын
Regarding safety and Radium - do not ever try to scrape the paint off to replace or restore it. The very last thing you want is to get even a tiny particle of Radium paint airborne and then stuck in your lungs. It maybe very low level radioactivity, but having a tiny fleck sit next to the same few cells in the lungs for twenty years may have an extremely unfortunate result years down the line. Just leave the stuff alone or better yet, coat it in with transparent varnish sealant.
@windhelmguard5295
4 жыл бұрын
i don't think that would be too big of an issue, some radium salts are decently soluble in water so your body would break it down end excrete it eventually. keep in mind that east German silver miners could deal with digging through uranium ore, inhaling the dust and walking home with the dust on their clothes, on a daily basis, without even knowing what the stuff was, for decades before serious issues started to occur, a bit of radium probably won't cause serious issues. i'm saying probably because the very nature of radiation related health issues is random, a single UV-ray can kill a person if they're unlucky enough, but it probably won't.
@uniservo
4 жыл бұрын
@@windhelmguard5295 Keep in mind that naturally occurring Uranium is so depleted that it is almost not radioactive. That, and the Zinc Sulphide used as the luminous material is almost completely insoluble in water, as are the binders in the paint, and will do a fine job locking any Radium salts up.
@FairlyUnknown
4 жыл бұрын
@@windhelmguard5295 Why even risk it though? There is no benefit whereas the downside is possible cancer and a slow, painful death.
@moosemaimer
4 жыл бұрын
I think of being near a radiation source vs. coming into contact with radioactive material as standing next to a fire, vs. being on fire. Not very much of you needs to be on fire for it to be a serious problem.
@WulfgarOpenthroat
4 жыл бұрын
@@windhelmguard5295 The human body treats radium like calcium; some of it'll end up in your bones.
@emersenvonrautenkranz7733
4 жыл бұрын
But I lick all my guns.
@RavemastaJ
4 жыл бұрын
_BUENO_
@dcb1138
4 жыл бұрын
Your jaw will fall off
@oldbatwit5102
4 жыл бұрын
I only lick some of your guns. Ps... you should fit a better lock on your back door.
@scottland8698
4 жыл бұрын
Gotta claim them somehow
@nickloven6728
4 жыл бұрын
Dont lick a CA compliant gun, says on the side of the box it will give you cancer
@redram5150
4 жыл бұрын
The way Gun Jeebus speaks makes him sound like the Bob Ross of firearms. “And if we look through the optic, we’ll see a bunch of happy trees...”
@FirstDagger
4 жыл бұрын
I suggest everybody looks up the Radium Girls.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
That was caused by them painting their teeth with the radioactive/phosphorescent paint.
@FirstDagger
4 жыл бұрын
@@ScottKenny1978 ; They were the female factory workers exposed to radium dust and paint, literally the people painting these kinds of Night Sights. Even if you account for people painting their body because they weren't informed of the dangers there still were people suffering from exposure in the factory.
@XtreeM_FaiL
4 жыл бұрын
FirstDagger They were no informed, because no one knew about radiation sickness.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
@GGALLIN1776 you put a paintbrush in your mouth to resharpen the tip. I do it with my brushes after I clean them. I use acrylic paint, so it's just water for cleaning.
@sjhart14
4 жыл бұрын
There's an excellent book on it, also titled Radium Girls. The thing to keep in mind is yes, the dangers of radium were't known to the general public, so they did things like paint themselves, etc. But the biggest issue was that factory administrators actively encouraged and ordered the workers to point the brush tips with their lips, despite knowing full well the dangers associated with the paint. They lied and concealed the dangers because they did not or could not develop a safer method that was as efficient. Then, when people began dropping dead, they pulled every dirty trick in the book to avoid being held accountable for it. It is a great injustice to look down on the women who worked with this material as simply being foolish with it.
@sauv01
4 жыл бұрын
"Unless you're going to do something stupid, like lick them..." Well now I have to do it.
@51WCDodge
4 жыл бұрын
There was a case in Northern England where somebody decided they would dismantle a number of old luminous instruments on the kitchen table. Being a guy intrested in science, he then went to vist the local Nuclear Power Plant visitor centre. The result wa sthe alarms going haywire. Kitchen table is now sealed in lead. (Scource Terry Pratchett- see also his story of the radioactive Toilet)
@User_Un_Friendly
4 жыл бұрын
And that case in America where a teen dismantled a number of smoke detectors to harvest the Californium...to build a home nuclear reactor.🤯🤭🤓
@TheWarmotor
4 жыл бұрын
@@User_Un_Friendly I think there is a 'Down the Rabbit Hole' episode on this?
@michaellesak6912
4 жыл бұрын
google radium girls, you dont want to lick it.
@diamondflaw
4 жыл бұрын
@@michaellesak6912 Yup, Sam Lenz would not have survived well in that job.
@matrix3509
4 жыл бұрын
My naive self: "Oh cool, I didn't know they made use of tritium that far back in history." Ian: "These were painted using radium." Me: Oh...Oh dear.
@zachmedrano4569
4 жыл бұрын
I only knew they were radium because of BF 1 so don't feel bad
@DjDolHaus86
4 жыл бұрын
Radium isn't that dangerous in this sort of application, it's about as dangerous as lead in that it can only do you harm if it gets inside your body. Pretty dangerous for those producing the sights and other glow in the dark products though on account of handling large amounts of the stuff and an increased likelihood of inhaling radioactive dust.
@durhamdavesbg4948
4 жыл бұрын
The risk with the radium paint is that it gets old and crumbles, so you can get radium dust. More of a issue in enclosed spaces such as vehicles and bunkers. The risk is minimal here, but that's not to say it isn't there.
@WulfgarOpenthroat
4 жыл бұрын
@@DjDolHaus86 Yeah. The radium girls were literally instructed to lick their paint brushes to give them a finer tip by their employers, who were well aware of the dangers but didn't care about their employees' health. Turns out the body treats radium like calcium.
@menju32
4 жыл бұрын
Nearly each old-styled buzzer in the 1970s and 1980s had a radium painted clock face. You shouldnt lick and taste it, then it isn't harmful.
@FrontSideBus
4 жыл бұрын
There is a beach in Scotland that is radioactive because they scrapped a large number of aircraft there that had radium painted dials in cockpits!
@stuartwhelan233
4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for that lm in Cumbria
@brianwingo6472
4 жыл бұрын
Several years ago I purchased some parts for a 1903 Springfield from a friend. Among the parts he showed me was a sight with a Platinum bead. He told me it was a night sight. When I asked him what is worth he told me it made from "Unobtainium".
@FalloutProto
4 жыл бұрын
Lol
@johnmatthews723
4 жыл бұрын
Very interesting Ian. I have WW1 night sights for my SMLE and my GEW98, but my German ones are the much simpler cheap looking second model. The British ones are still in their original tissue paper and original little cardboard box, but unfortunately the German ones are missing the rear sight portion, so if anyone out there has a WW1 German rear night sight and wants to sell it, drop a note in here! Cheers.
@TheBookOfNonsense
4 жыл бұрын
like for mentioning the radium girls! it's a fascinating and tragic story and the lack of information combined with lack of regulation lead to a terrible amount of cases of cancer for the factory workers that painted things like these sights. there's a wonderful play about them and their experiences contributed massively to workplace safety reformation - and understanding of radioactivity. yay history!
@bigredwolf6
4 жыл бұрын
And that boys and girls, is one reason we have OSHA
@tz8785
4 жыл бұрын
Also there were various radium patent/quack medicines like Radithor. The death of Eben Byers resulted in the FDA getting the powers to stop those.
@antongrahn1499
4 жыл бұрын
@@tz8785 they put radium in all sorts of things back then. the slight glow was a novel thing i guess.
@chaser73065
4 жыл бұрын
There used to be "health" baths where they used radioactive materials for "healing". I also imagine in a generation or two there will be things we interact with that will be considered stupid.
@51WCDodge
4 жыл бұрын
And the Canarys! Girls that worked with TNT at the British Arsenals , there skin turned yellow. That's without the effects of Phosporus, see The Match Girls. Woolwich Aresenal had thre ehuts during the Great War used for Radium sights and instruments, the area is now sealed of and no gras sgrows.
@mihir4963
4 жыл бұрын
iv never fired a gun and honestly dont know much about them but i absolutely love your calm,cool and soft spoken way of presenting and explaining each weapon. your videos have sparked my interest in the history of guns and their evolution.thank you kind sir. keep up the amazing content :)
@martingardener90
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, with his voice and manner and the fact that he obviously knows what he is talking about I think if he did a series on 14th century Russian men's underwear it would be very interesting!
@444mopar
4 жыл бұрын
@@martingardener90 I believe he has a 20 minute video talking about his hat collection if clothing is an interest of yours !
@shawnr771
4 жыл бұрын
@@martingardener90 Russian men wore underwear in the 14th century?
@User_Un_Friendly
4 жыл бұрын
@martin gardener they were made from bear fur. Hence the scratching. 😛
@jcmaxie4758
4 жыл бұрын
444 mopar no, just men’s underwear! 🤫
@GoesWithTheNameOfGTJ
4 жыл бұрын
I remember these sights from Battlefield 1, always thought it was fake and unrealistic so surprised to see they actually had glowing green sights back then.
@kwithak8386
4 жыл бұрын
Someone needs to make repos with trinium, that would be sweet.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
Kinda surprised that trijicon (or whoever) doesn't...
@keeganwebber
4 жыл бұрын
@@ScottKenny1978 this is a very small market so its unlikely they would invest the time and money in making them. There's nothing stopping you from buying tritium vials and insetting them into a sight if you have the skill
@nimrodthewise836
4 жыл бұрын
This is the kind of thing I subscribed to this channel for, little bits of history you hadn't even thought about but make perfect sense once you learn about them..
@losonsrenoster
4 жыл бұрын
We used to string a white string between the front and rear sight of the FAL, which gave a fair indication where you were pointing provided there was at least a slight amount of light.
@ricardodavidson3813
4 жыл бұрын
Some FAL's (SLR's) had luminous front sight blades, the strip was on the side of the blade which was threaded in at an angle. Normally you used the corner of the blade edge-on, for night use you released the screw and wound the blade out a quarter of a turn. The lume would be facing you and because of the angle the zero would not change. I cannot remember what the rear sight was, perhaps 2 dots either side of the battle sight aperture.
@losonsrenoster
4 жыл бұрын
@@ricardodavidson3813 no such luxuries here, but it would have helped. My first night shooting exercise was a fiasco, not a single shot on target...
@iansanchez331
4 жыл бұрын
6:16 "unless you're gonna do something stupid like lick them...". *Every soldier ever starts sweating*
@Lykyk
4 жыл бұрын
3:10 "Glow in the dark" Terry is still with us if you're willing to see him.
@SgtShovel
4 жыл бұрын
Glow in the dark CIA front sights
@mynameiswalrus3823
4 жыл бұрын
With these sights you don't even have to run them over, you can just shoot them.
@todorkolev7565
4 жыл бұрын
wow I get this ref too. KZitem world is a small world!
@milesedgeworth946
4 жыл бұрын
rip the realest there ever was
@todorkolev7565
4 жыл бұрын
@Joe Ç I actually did! And it's not just a GCC front-end
@luisantolafrancis519
4 жыл бұрын
That was by 1916 one of the first uses of radioactive substances in war ,, ,, more to come in ww2
@oldbatwit5102
4 жыл бұрын
Warning... Do not lick Little Boy!
@davebrunero5529
4 жыл бұрын
At a nuclear test facility there was a technician that was unexperienced with radiation and was having to work on some equipment that was “somewhat” radioactive. The tech looks at the first nuclear engineer - Tech: “Ok, this is radioactive, what do I need to know about handling it and working on it?” Nuclear engineer #1: “Well… wear gloves, wash your hands after handling it, and don’t lick it…” The tech looked at the engineer with a somewhat concerned expression on his face. Just then another nuclear engineer walked into the room and the tech asked the same question again… Nuclear Engineer #2: “Since it is radioactive remember to wear gloves and wash you hands, don’t touch your face or anything outside of the marked off contaminated area on the workbench, and don’t lick it…” At this point the tech looked worried… Tech: “I’ve been working with this equipment for years… and never once had a desire to lick it… What is it with nuclear people and licking things???” Nuclear engineer #1: “well, honestly everything else is straight forward when working with this stuff… and licking something radioactive is really the only truly dumb thing someone could possibly do that could hurt them..."
@Activated_Complex
4 жыл бұрын
In fairness to the new tech, he was asking very sensible questions. It’s easy for those experienced in working in nuclear power, radioactive medicine, or other fields that involve the handling of radioisotopes, to get overconfident. I’m reminded of the multiple professors who have doomed themselves the exact same way, holding two half-spheres that, together, make up a critical mass apart with a pencil. Until it slipped. Everybody gangster ‘til the air turns blue or the ampule breaks.
@51WCDodge
4 жыл бұрын
Funny enouigh! The old Woolwich Arsenal site, in South London on the Thames, had an area that consisted of three huts during the Great War , that were used to paint Radium sights and instruments. The area is heavilyy fenced and secure, no grass grows.
@tylerbecker4147
4 жыл бұрын
I've been always wondering if the radium sights in Battlefield 1 was something that existed in WW1. Awesome informative video.
@hquiller
4 жыл бұрын
I have a Gew98, and I also play BF1. I always thought the developers messed up when they included the glowing sights. Now I know they existed. And I have more respect for them. I learned a lot about WWI guns from BF1, Ian, and C&Rsenal.
@michaelwillis9190
4 жыл бұрын
Similar to the (phosphorus) night sights on the Yugo SKS. Two dots on rear, one big dot post on the front.
@thegoldencaulk2742
4 жыл бұрын
To really drive home the point of just how ubiquitous night sights were in WW1, check out the patent for "Watson Luminous Gun Sight," a set of steel clip-on sights for the 1911 pistol. US Ordnance tested these, though we're not sure how far they went, but the fact that they tested them showed they were certainly considering them.
@danchristensen2635
4 жыл бұрын
Interesting stuff, thank you for sharing your firearms knowledge. Love the breakdowns.👍
4 жыл бұрын
Did soldiers cherish their rifles, got use to them, knew where they shot so would not want to swap?
@444mopar
4 жыл бұрын
I don't think soldiers got enough range time in a safe, stable environment to be able to figure that out. I believe the arsenals zeroed the rifles enough for general issue. The reality of that is why the concept of 2000m sights on these rifles is so absurd! If a soldier did cherish his particular rifle I suspect it would have been more to do with knowing it's cleanliness, condition and reliability.
@itsapittie
4 жыл бұрын
It did and does vary tremendously. In large draftee armies like WWI, many soldiers went to the front with a rifle they'd never actually fired and may have served the entire war without really knowing whether it hit where they aimed it. The training depots had rifles assigned to them which the trainees learned on and then they were issued a different rifle when they went to the front. That wasn't always the case, especially with reserves which were called up as a unit, but it was the usual practice. In a large battle like those of WWI and WWII, most soldiers never really knew if they hit anyone amongst the chaos. The rifles were zeroed at the factory and were considered "good enough" for the average soldier. It wasn't a perfect solution, but they were sending literally millions of men to the front. Then as now, some soldiers treated their rifle like a nuisance they were required to carry and others maintained it with loving care. In the U.S. military today, it's usual for troops with first-line ground combat roles (Army and Marine infantry, USAF Security Forces, Navy SEALS, etc.) to be issued an individual weapon when they arrive at their unit and they will qualify with and use that weapon exclusively until they rotate out. Usually they will take their assigned weapon when they are deployed to the combat zone. Support personnel may qualify with a "generic" weapon before they deploy, be handed one they've never seen before when they arrive in theater, and never fire it before they leave. Not surprisingly, the first-line ground combat personnel tend to lavish more care on their weapons and have a good idea of its zero and overall condition. They also tend to have NCOs who will put a boot in your ass if you don't maintain it properly.
@828enigma6
4 жыл бұрын
@@444mopar I suspect the 2000 yard setting was for so the entire unit could fire at an area target, similar to volley firing.
@markrainford1219
4 жыл бұрын
Yes, they are not like wives.
@shawnr771
4 жыл бұрын
@@itsapittie As far as zeroing iron sights of an M16 series. When you get issued a decent rifle. We had worn out Vietnam vintage M16A1's and all the variants modified to M16A1 standards. After zeroing, you write down and memorize the settings. When assigned a different rifle, a soldier should change the mechanical zero to his zero. In most cases this will be pretty close. Or at least close enough for government work. Once or twice a year soldiers,depending on the unit, go out to zero or confirm zero, familiarize and qualify. About 100 or 200 rounds in all.
@johnmatthews723
4 жыл бұрын
If you google ‘model 1914 gewehrgranate’ you will see a picture of my G98 with a rifle grenade in it and the night sight, which I uploaded to gun boards a few years back... cheers!
@theany9765
4 жыл бұрын
The muzzle cover that blocks the sight picture to remind the shooter that the muzzle is covered is conceptually identical to the modern snow sights used in Biathlon
@sysop007
4 жыл бұрын
Cool! Never seen this.. thanks Ian!
@morgonfr33m4n1337z
4 жыл бұрын
they also made them for the artillery Lugers, they are similar to the G98 ones
@ekscalybur
4 жыл бұрын
PSA: Stop licking your sights guys!
@seanjoseph8637
4 жыл бұрын
I was expecting a massive Lyme-light strapped to them...
@tjthompson3270
4 жыл бұрын
Is there any special reason why this isn't being listed in the normal vids section? This is very interesting info, or is it just supposed to be some kind of easter egg.
@Bob-fj1hm
4 жыл бұрын
@Noah Arvino patrons
@MoarteaLunii
4 жыл бұрын
@Noah Arvino It was private.
@finskigerman6485
4 жыл бұрын
German Mann der entthront It was in the Guns from WWI playlist although it was unlisted.
@tjthompson3270
4 жыл бұрын
No I'm not a patreon and no it wasn't private, it was just like FinskiGerman said only visible in the WWI playlist section. That's the reason why I asked if it was supposed to be some kind of easter egg, I guess they didn't notice themselves until now and used it for today's video...
@araknidude
4 жыл бұрын
I’m getting some lovely steampunk vibes from learning about “modern” technology (and severely unhealthy methods of achieving said technology) on 1916 military weaponry.
@ReadinessReviews
4 жыл бұрын
The German implementation is pretty nifty. Mt Yugo 59/66 SKS has night sights. Sadly they have lost their glow as well.
@tokul76
4 жыл бұрын
night sights were probably painted by radium girls. No soldier was harmed by it, but factory workers who created them probably were.
@ojjenkins7110
4 жыл бұрын
Good one Ian, easily replicated with tritium these days. Roger on the radium girls.
@11Kralle
4 жыл бұрын
My favorite radium-painted product will always be the preservatives.
@Shadow-RAM
4 жыл бұрын
Radium sights... Don't lick them... Check! :)
@HPSmugscraft
4 жыл бұрын
Too bad Marines can't read this post
@strawberrymilkshake4576
4 жыл бұрын
I thought it was "SMILE" on the title
@BROTRRer
4 жыл бұрын
To be fair, I do smile every time FW uploads
@rdek99
4 жыл бұрын
@@BROTRRer And I smile every time I get to learn something new about the SMLE.
@strawberrymilkshake4576
4 жыл бұрын
@@BROTRRer i can relate haha
@theinstitute1324
3 жыл бұрын
@@rdek99 Aka the 'Smelly'
@turbogerbil2935
4 жыл бұрын
The direction given for users of Ross and P14 rifles for night shooting was to pack the whole front sight protector full of a white material - paper, wood, wool, etc - then elevate the rear sight to its highest possible setting, and use the large aperture under the sight leaf as the rear aperture. Apparently this gave a good, visible, short range zero. This is quoted by "Periscope" of "Scout Sniping" fame. A more common method for troops with SMLEs was simply to paint a white line down the length of the upper handguards and use this as a pointing indicator. This was accurate enough for the typically very close range contacts on night patrols.
@brainkill7034
3 жыл бұрын
Definitely did not know they had luminous night sights in WWI. Very cool to have access to this kind of content. Thank you and please continue!
@ung427
4 жыл бұрын
That would be cool to remanufacture these with giant tritium tubes and such. There would be so much tritium in the giant tubes that they would glow pretty good.
@jaymassengill3340
4 жыл бұрын
Have you tried shining a weak UV flashlight at the sights just to see if even the difference between the steel and the formerly luminous parts make it possible to mimic what the sight picture would look like in very low light?
@jacobharris7711
4 жыл бұрын
i lick my sights all the time to ensure proper diet needs. Are you saying that is a bad thing?
@thesturm8686
4 жыл бұрын
Ikr? How else are we gonna get our daily sustenance of dust, iron, and cosmoline?
@wargamemaster1
4 жыл бұрын
Now I have to lick the forbidden candy sights
@Wow22109
4 жыл бұрын
Lmao why there are comments from 4 month ago, and it was posted 5 min ago. Btw thanks for the video Ian very cool one.
@ForgottenWeapons
4 жыл бұрын
Some Patrons have early access to videos.
@ewilson9650
4 жыл бұрын
I think it was in a playlist as an unlisted video, that’s how I watched it lol
@Onionblast1000
4 жыл бұрын
Wow 4 months in advance for being a patron? That’s insane
@finskigerman6485
4 жыл бұрын
This was in the Guns from WWI playlist even though it was unlisted.
@ricardodavidson3813
4 жыл бұрын
Great video, and thanks for the note about radium. It's the same thing in vintage watches, the paint breaks down and there is radium contaminated dust inside. When you dismantle them carelessly you can breathe in the dust, and it gets to your lungs or stuck in your nose and then swallowed. Radium is an alpha emitter, very short range but a single particle can do serious damage to DNA. In the lungs it is a carcinogen, and in circulation it will end up (permanently) in your bones and a neoplastic disease hazard. I always dismantle under water in these cases. Applying colourless varnish over the luminous part will reduce the risks. Later Trilux sights have tritium as the radioactive source but this is a low energy beta-emitter, with a half-life of about 12 years and a biological half-life of some 10 days, basically you'll probably piss it out before anything nasty can happen. Often it is there as tritiated water in a micro-vial. There's a chap called David Boettcher that has published a good overview of the radium problem aimed at the amateur watch maker but valid for all who tinker with old stuff.
@rttakezo2000
4 жыл бұрын
wish my service M16 had had night sights.........
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
If you have an AR at home, you can buy tritium sights for it. Not super cheap, and getting a light is probably cheaper. I am still tempted, though.
@Andrew-mv5kt
4 жыл бұрын
When this covid thing is all done, Universal Carrier? (bren gun carrier etc)
@jcmaxie4758
4 жыл бұрын
Andrew so never then!
@jamesmackay7284
4 жыл бұрын
I would not describe that as night sight. just an aid to low light aiming.
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
It's as much a night sight as a set of trijicon tritium sights.
@charleskd4110
4 жыл бұрын
Don’t lick your gun, even if it isn’t radioactive, it’s just silly
@aminrodriguez4707
4 жыл бұрын
6:40 Madame Curie, who documented the radioactive properties of radium, died of cancer because of it.
@TheSlaughtermatic
4 жыл бұрын
The radioactive source material is still good and the zinc paint that reacts to it is still available so it is possible to restore the sights to original functionality. Just saying
@nor0845
4 жыл бұрын
Interesting vid Ian. I hadn’t heard of that before. I suppose a dab of radioactive paint was the least of your worries in the trenches. Radium really was a new “wonder material” at that time and was used in a huge range of products from cosmetics (for that healthy glow), to medical“cures” for a range of ailments. Makes you wonder what we use today that will horrify future generations. Thanks for posting.
@MoarteaLunii
4 жыл бұрын
Like how the Greeks used lead as a wine sweetener.
@bmhater1283
4 жыл бұрын
Remember this one golfer who straight up got his bones radioactive by drinking an energy drink doused in Radium?
@ScottKenny1978
4 жыл бұрын
My guess for horrifying future generations is hormone treatments for people who have normal hormone levels. Not replacement therapy, I mean things like hormonal birth control pills (which are already noted as causing issues with people).
@sashimanu
4 жыл бұрын
Pretty safe if you don't try to scrape it off in the comfort of your home
@DH-xw6jp
4 жыл бұрын
What we use today that will horrify the future generations? Tiktok and twitter.
@hughquigley5337
4 жыл бұрын
Note to self: do not lick rifles from WW1
@dawnmaster96
4 жыл бұрын
Withh the recent passing of Bill Richie, the owner of EDM arms, and the constant rebranding of what is originally the windrunner m96. I think it would be very appropriate to ahve a forgotten weapons cover the m96's and its variations' confusing and convoluted timeline. Please gun Jesus, I beg of thee.
@HPBrowningBoy
4 жыл бұрын
Just a sidenote: if one decided to travel with radium painted objects you might want to check for any legal obligations. I had to do some paperwork to get WW2 cockpit gauges with radium paint shipped to an exhibit in the US. It was not possible (understandably) for me to take them with me in my luggage.
@saanon9334
4 жыл бұрын
I read a story about a drunk solider swallowing a piece of DU 20mm bullet head.
@MrHestichs
4 жыл бұрын
Can someone explain how the glowing parts of the sights make you able to shoot targets at night? I haven't quite understod that part, how the sigh actually aids you.
@sambolino44
4 жыл бұрын
Can you do a piece on the difference between cases where tactical needs drove weapons development vs. cases where technological innovation in weapons drove tactical innovation?
@kinksley1096
4 жыл бұрын
I'm not defending German technical superiority, I'm stating the fucking obvious
@appalachiangunman9589
4 жыл бұрын
I’m not sure about Radium but according to Trijicon Tritium is relatively benign when in its natural state but when it burns its 10,000 times more dangerous.
@mattfrost3526
4 жыл бұрын
Man, the gewehr such a beautiful rifle
@MCFrenstar
4 жыл бұрын
Man, das Gewehr so ein hübsches Gewehr XD
@somethingelse4878
4 жыл бұрын
No, the Lee Enfield is the best
@Old299dfk
4 жыл бұрын
Go and watch 'The Radium Girls'... you will be shocked.
@todorkolev7565
4 жыл бұрын
always wondered who are the dislikes. Like, 3 people (30 minutes since publication) have decided to watch a video about "WW1 Night Sights: Gewehr 98 and SMLE" and were somehow disappointed. Like, what was lacking here?
@sashimanu
4 жыл бұрын
It's the way to tell KZitem "I don't want to be shown these types of videos". Weird people, eh.
@Marci124
4 жыл бұрын
The video was posted 4 months ago.
@shamsinnocentktk5452
3 жыл бұрын
Old is Gold. I like these old Guns of war eras. These guns having three unique properties, ¹ High accuracy. ² High penetration power. ³ Long range efficiency. I used these guns as a fashion, because it increases the attraction in my fashion.
@brianhiles8164
4 жыл бұрын
The "Radium Girls" stands as a historic anecdote regarding the invisible dangers of ionizing radiation. This matter has already been mentioned multiple times by you and others in these comments, but I add to it by idly speculating how cool it would have been for you to have demonstrated in this video, with a Geiger counter, just how radioactive that "old" radium still is. (Incidentally, an analogy of the same debacle happened with the circa 1920s introduction and industrial handling of tetraethyl lead). The very rare element radium primarily decays to (radioactive) radon gas, which itself contributes, if memory serves, to about 25% of the background terrestrial radiation that everyone is necessarily always exposed to -- consequently being a statistical contributor to cancer cases worldwide. So, you don't even have to "lick it"; potentially just _smelling_ radium admits a very small but still measurable amount of radioactivity to the worst place possible: in your lungs. It's amazing to me that Madame Curie would frequently carry radium around in her pockets.
@chexquest87
4 жыл бұрын
Hmm with the SMLE, would that rear sight bracket only fit on a windage adjustable rear sight? I thought those were removed with the change to the mkiii*, although I know they still used up existing supplies. I would think the bracket would fit the first simplified rear sight, but not the second type.
@RamArt9091
4 жыл бұрын
Talking about licking radium. Nobody told the workers at the factories they shouldn't tin the point of the brushes used to apply the radium paint by licking them. In fact, nobody told them radium was toxic. It was far from common knowledge then. Plenty of people got radiation poisoning.
@zacharyleao2526
4 жыл бұрын
I'm guessing very few of the muzzle covers survived. Tommy would probably forget to swing it over and shoot right through it.
@ChrisFoley0803
4 жыл бұрын
Man, I thought that night sights were something super-meodern, like from 2015 or so. Turnes out, that it is over 100 years old ...
@ThreenaddiesRexMegistus
4 жыл бұрын
The radium girls jaws literally disintegrated. This from licking the paint brushes to a point. Most of them received no compensation or support and they died miserably.
@mydixiewrecked515
4 жыл бұрын
I like that mud flap. I wouldn't mind having something like that for all my rifles and shotguns.
@hoss3433
4 жыл бұрын
I had a 1916 spandau gew 98. My idiot dad took it and traded it for a piced of crap ruger p series 9mm. I had got it from my grandfather. Wish I could find it. The gew 98 has been difficult to find for several years. Wiah I could find another one.
@tavshedfjols
4 жыл бұрын
Radium decays into radon gas, which is pretty nasty. This CAN be a health risk if you keep a lot of radium sights or watch dials in an enclosed space (like a box or a small safe). That being said, you should be fine as long as you don't stick your nose in for a good whiff. You may want to store radium containing watches or sights in separate containers to keep it from building up, instead of keeping all of them in one place.
@sirlucient6943
4 жыл бұрын
I would have liked it if you had included some stats and explanations sir. Such as, Just how common were these night sights? Are these something we would have seen on nearly all front line soldiers? And in addition to this, since these were obviously a good idea, why didn't such tech persist into wide spread use during world war 2? Your thoughts/explanations are always the best sir.
@mickeydee3595
4 жыл бұрын
Anybody interested in how Radium luminescence should look up the Radium girls. This stuff was lethal and replaced today by Tritium which is far safer but still radioactive. Ian if you take those rifles into a dark room with a UV light you might be able to get them to light up again to get a sight picture of what they might have looked like when active
@robertobarazzutti3807
4 жыл бұрын
Could you mike the same subjects with a Lebel? Does others countries of WWI use this technology?
@simonholley4110
4 жыл бұрын
Do the WW2 Kar 98 and SMLE No1 Mk4 have similar sights?
@johnyricco1220
4 жыл бұрын
I don’t recall any WWII weapons with radium sights. What happened, did armies decide the WWI sights were not worth the trouble?
@snworbatory386
4 жыл бұрын
I'll be honest, I thought these were just a gimmick for the night maps in Battlefield 1. Glad to be wrong
@guysview
4 жыл бұрын
The workers who painted radium paint would indeed lick the brushes and many got cancer of the mouth. Madam Curie died from her exposure to radium.
@clyde9803
4 жыл бұрын
You could (if you wanted to) dab some normal phosphorescent paint onto the night site surfaces and the radium should make them glow on their own indefinitely. It would give you a good idea of how they looked originally.
@meMiner
4 жыл бұрын
Really interesting about the sights and the bonus info on the mud cover.
@DonDiesel885
4 жыл бұрын
...MUST... Nnn-nn-n-n-nnnot LICK THE RADIUM ...
@calebdoner
4 жыл бұрын
The story of the radium girls is truly tragic. The exposure that those young women were subjected to when the science existed to know how deadly it is was simply inexcusable. Working in those factories was a death sentence. The owners knew it, but the employees did not. They were told to lick the paint brushes to get a finer tip. The slow torturous death caused by the radiation poisoning is not something I would wish on my enemies. Research it some time. It will turn your stomach.
@nicolecherry3348
4 жыл бұрын
The amount of radium involved is eclipsed by the far greater threat of lead poisoning. Which is also low if you dont carry your soft point ammo in your mouth.
@bigdundee12345
4 жыл бұрын
Fun fact, children’s glow sticks used to be made from radium 😄
@brockcomoo6414
4 жыл бұрын
I would not like to be the person stuck paint those sights day in day out! say hello to glowing skin and cancer by the age of 30! LOL
@MrJdebest
4 жыл бұрын
Dark Matters - Twisted but true is a tv series that covers the radium girls. Also covers many interesting stories from science history and more. It's kind of cheesy but the content is factual and presented in a reenactment fashion, check it out.
@Dev_Six
4 жыл бұрын
`Not sure if you did a video on the AK night sights, but those do exist. They were made in East-Germany
@AirJimInCT
4 жыл бұрын
I guess now is the time I should mention that I’ve been wearing the same radium painted watch on my wrist for six years. I can confirm that I’m not dead nor do I have super powers.
@donise8406
4 жыл бұрын
So after the Health and Safety comment one would think it would be enough for the Internet Nannies as I look down at the comments... Na
@roykliffen9674
4 жыл бұрын
Maybe a stupid question, but what's the use of illuminated sights if you can't see the target? Unless the enemy has the brilliant idea to be fully lit.
@cameronjenkins6748
4 жыл бұрын
An easy way to get them to glow again is to use ultraviolet light. They won't glow permanently, but they'll glow well enough for you to see what the sight picture is like.
@dracxiometal_drolf8157
4 жыл бұрын
Hey ian if you could pick 5 obscure world war 1 firearms to have reproduced which would they be
@axelrajr
4 жыл бұрын
it appears the British night-sight doesn't need to be easy to remove because it is attached around the original notch but never impinges on it. so should be just as accurate during the day with it still installed and the front piece flipped down. perhaps you see a bit of the British thoughts on enlisted persons at work here? the Germans trusted their soldiers to take care of such a thing while the Brits attached it to the gun so the soldier couldn't lose it? that said, i think its probably a better, more practical idea to have one less thing to loose.
@nathanstautzenberger8381
4 жыл бұрын
the radium girls did more than just lick the paintbrushes, they also painted their teeth with it check out this video if you want more info kzitem.info/news/bejne/mG5tm3iMfZaeoXo
@martinsparkin
4 жыл бұрын
Something is not square in this video. Not sure if it's the shelf or the camera stand. I can't unsee it. Stupid trade brain.
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