radioactive camera lens (thorium 232)
October 26, 2009 - 11:21 am
this lovely ancient super 8 camera contains a lens that was made partly out of the radioactive element thorium.
by adding thorium to the lens glass, a high refractive index could be achieved while maintaining a low dispersion. thus, radioactive camera lenses used to be state-of-the-art in high-demand photography.
Duration : 0:4:8
[youtube xeB_aL27chI]
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
lolz
lolz
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
…a shield for …
…a shield for highly radioactive substances, as it is much heavier than lead and thus, a better radiation shield. uranium is only mildly radioactive, having a half time of 4.5 billion years.
…a lovely color for glass and ceramics.
…a collector’s item! =)
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Nuclear bombs
…
Nuclear bombs
Nuclear power
Depleted uranium can be used as balance weights for aircraft or ships
Also, for armour piercing rounds for tank guns. Because it’s self sharpening, if it breaks, it will usually break sharp, unlike other potential tank round elements, which will break blunt.
Depleted uranium is also pyrophoric. Which means it spontaneously burns, which from a military stand point, is a good thing to do once you’ve penetrated the armour of your target.
It’s also relatively cheap
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
wat can uranium be …
wat can uranium be use for pleas tell me since i saw that vid of a uranium mine
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
lol, yes – dont.
… 
lol, yes – dont.
it’s an illogic language – more illogic than english, though all ‘natural’ languages are illogic to some extent. plus, you dont need it in many places in the world. if you’re not planning to live in a country where german is the primary language, i’d rather take spanish or french if i was you.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
oh, its a very …
oh, its a very small amount. that is amazing!!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I’m taking German …
I’m taking German this fall, any tips?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
i am referring to …
i am referring to the amount of SPACE that is required to store all that stuff, if you still didnt get that. not the radioactivity. like, you know, one cubic meter of uranium ore takes up one cubic meter of space in a room! isnt that amazing?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
nope! i like my …
nope! i like my radioactive stuff!! i use a radium clock next to my bed!! i am fine, i learned that from you! dont be scared, i will not blame you at all!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
lol, well i hope …
lol, well i hope you have a room at least the size of a basketball playing field, then.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I went to my …
I went to my optometrist with my geiger counter because they have a display of antique glasses and found three pairs that were radioactive.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
i keep the minerals …
i keep the minerals near the cat (to cure her) and all the rest is in my room!! i wear a radium watch!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
awesome!
awesome!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
You’re so lucky …
You’re so lucky that you found a thoriated lens. I’ve been looking for one for ages now!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
jeez, i hope you do …
jeez, i hope you do have a shed or something for all the stuff you’re collecting, especially your mineral collection is already larger than mine!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
i saw one of those …
i saw one of those lenses on a kodak at an antique store!! now i REALLY want one!! i will hopefully get it today! and if not, then sometime in the next week!!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
nee, eher nicht… …
nee, eher nicht… mein temperament ist etwas mit mir durchgegangen als ich gemerkt habe, dass da eine thorium-linse drinsteckt… deswegen war das eher ein auseinanderreissen als ein auseinanderbauen.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
because that’s the …
because that’s the only radioactive material that was used in camera lenses.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
yep, those are so …
yep, those are so called film dosimeters… little badges e.g. nuclear scientists or doctors working in nuclear medicine carry.
and you’re right, the film does get exposed by the thorium in the lens; but the amount of radiation is too small to cause any real fog or whatever in a short time. if you just took a few photos and then left the film in the camera for weeks before using it up, fogging of the film material happened frequently, though!
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
but yeah, i’d need …
but yeah, i’d need more than one lens for that though… and to be honest, as long as i only have one, it’d be kind of a shame to destroy the ‘work’ thorium did in decades.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
hmmm, sounds …
hmmm, sounds plausible, yeah… maybe it’d be interesting to know if sw or lw UV is needed, or a very specific wavelength. would be interesting to have three equal lenses; leave one in a dark box, leave the other under blacklight (lw UV), put the other into sunlight, each at the same exposure per day. a fourth with sw UV would be even better.
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Bekommst du die …
Bekommst du die Kamera auch wieder zusammen so dass sie auch einwandfrei funktioniert?
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
how did you know …
how did you know that there was thoriam in the lens
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
I thought they used …
I thought they used film in badges to measure exposure to radiation. It seems odd to use radioactive materials in a camera component…I would think it would slightly “fog” or otherwise negatively effect the film, and picture quality. Probably no high enough radiation, or long enough exposure. hmmm…
October 26th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Would you do an …
Would you do an experiment for us bionerd? I have heard that the slight tan color in Th doped lenses is actually NOT due to the color of ThO2 added to the glass, but is rather due to the radioactivity of the Th causing “color-center defects” (electron dislocation in an insulator) in the structure of the glass itself, over time. If this is true, you should be able to leave the lens outside in the bright sun’s UV for a few days and the color should disappear as the electrons and holes recombine.