UraniumMan
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An infused tropical smoothie ? ? jo_oboyle
Uranium glass is glass which has had uranium, usually in oxide diuranate form (ore), added to a glass mix before melting for colouration. The proportion usually varies from trace levels to about 2 percent uranium by weight, although some 20th-century pieces were made with up to 25 percent.
The most reliable way to identify the presence of uranium in the glass is to expose it to a source of ultraviolet light (black light). If the glass glows a rich green color, it contains uranium.
The uranium fluoresces under UV light because the UV excites the electrons above the ground state and gives off photons as the electrons transition back to the ground state.
It was started in the late 1800's, and was most popular up through the beginning of WW2, when most production stopped for the war needs. But it was made through the 1990's in limited form, and is very rarely made new today.
Today most are considered antique collectables.
Is it safe?? Short answer: Ya. As long as they are not broken or their current solid state disturbed and you inhale or ingest it in some way. Same as if you broke a plain glass.
Wanna know more?....
Some of my collection: http://imgur.com/gallery/8DuBrBc
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/glassware/vaseline-glass
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium_glass
0053
Ah yes the 4th Triforce. The Triforce of Radiation!
striximperatrix1
I love this stuff! Mostly collect it as jewelry for lack of space.
Onisa
As someone trying for the whole rainbow of UV reactive glass, if it glows green and is clear (or purple), chances are you've got manganese.
availlableusername
Neat !
Hagenman
I'm something of a scientist myself
UraniumMan
Nice goblet! And flashlight collection too!
Hagenman
thank you, it's a problem 😅
XuncuTheTiger
Don't inhale glass shards, got it.
SteveTheEgg
I been wanting some for a while, now I'm committed to finding some.
meatybuffalo
That's an amazing collection, bro! Here is some of the uranium glass my wife has collected.
UraniumMan
Oh very nice! I like the patterns!
Bronnen
I don't know why I got a notification for this but I'm glad I did! This is dope
LinxTheGreat
I thought my phone was spying on me again, i was searching ebay (private browser) for this very thing maybe 30 mins before i got the notification.
katolu
Same. But this is cool.
SpecialAgentPinkfinger
Same here. Not upset about it at all, better than "share your knowledge" notification that reminds me I'm dumb.
solrev
My HP had a fiestaware salt shaker he filled and used as a text source for our “barely above background” detector. Safe and effective lol
Captbobarino
Fiestaware is lead, Vaseline glass is uranium isn't it?
ConstantTacos
Antique orange fiestaware used a uranium glaze.
solrev
This ^
brumbasse
Your printer had a salt shaker?
Ghlargh
The only serious recommendation i've seen is to not have the display cases within a couple of meters of your bed.
UraniumMan
Depends if you're done having kids or not I would suppose. But seriously though, I wouldn't want it next to me. Just out of an overabundance of caution with the amount of pieces that I have.
retailmemedrone
I am curious to if the radiation level increases during exposure to uv light??
UraniumMan
This is honestly a really great question. If exciting the particals actually does have an effect or not. I want to find out more on that particular situation as well now and will be digging.
retailmemedrone
If you find anything please let me know. I would love to learn the out come.
vodkaho
I have some, and it is so cool. I love it!
vonKaiser
I really want a uranium glass gummy de milo now :(
AxellTheDragon
MutinusElegans
Now that's timing. I was just rewatching NileRed's YT video at lunch. https://youtu.be/RGw6fXprV9U
memefarmer69
PrincessUnikitty
I have a decently sized collection!! I LOVE URANIUM GLASS. This isn't even all of it, I ran out of room...
ThatsProbablyInMyBag
https://northstarglass.com/product/ns-137-ill-umanati/ current uranium glass, borosilicate to be specific.
UraniumMan
Oh very very nice! I feel you on the ran out of room too. I need a 6th or possibly 7th cabinet now. And also room for the cabinets. :/
PrincessUnikitty
I'm sentimental so my favorite pieces are the clover plates my grandma found in her attic coincidentally after she found out I started collecting. She gave to me without hesitation. They were my late grandpa's plates that his family had for a long time. 🥲
UraniumMan
Daaaang. Those shall NEVER be sold or parted with. I'm a sentimental sucker for things like that too. Good for you!! That's so sweet. Love it. I've bought more than I wanted to a couple times (dish and glassware sets) because they were all owned by the same person and I didn't want to break them up. I know, dumb. But I felt the sets needed to stay together.
PrincessUnikitty
I would do the same!!!! That's why I have four of those souvenir custard glass ramekins! Couldn't separate them...
UraniumMan
Oh that's coooool. And those sound like great ones! I was at an antiques faire, found a table with a bunch of pieces, all super dusty and dirty. I picked out a couple. The nice lady selling them told me she just got them 2 days before. Leftovers from an estate sale. The family had no interest in them. They'd been in a cabinet for several decades. I picked out a couple more pieces. ........ 10 mins later I had every piece. Even the ones I didn't need or want.
alcaray
If it takes a UV light source to see the effect, how did they use them in the 1800's?
notlisteningatall
To eat and drink with?
UraniumMan
It makes a couple of different unique color variations that can't be done any other way. Well at least back then anyway. So that was the attraction in the early days. Today I can still spot the unique color across a room.
hatforlife20
My mom does the pink depression wear, mostly iron with some other stuff if I recall, she doesn’t like the uranium glass (my favorite)
GigavoltFox
I got fragments of uranium glass to test my Geiger counter and they weren't potent enough to register over background radiation
UraniumMan
Ya from everything I've seen, read, and researched, it usually takes an older solid decent size piece and you'd have to be right up on it. Nice to hear that from real world experience!
Hatrax
I have a small collection of uranium glass,including this lamp which I restored. Installed a blacklight tube so this would happen:
UraniumMan
Oh daaaaang. That's a GOOD one!! Excellent job too!!
Sailormoon1992
I collect as well just picked up a pitcher last weekend at a yard sale
UraniumMan
Those are the great finds! Often they also think they just have a boring piece. :)
Sailormoon1992
Sadly it's all getting so expensive getting harder to collect at the prices people are wanting thankfully I'm still lucky sometimes still hoping to find fishbowl someday for a decent price
UraniumMan
Exactly that. That's what also makes it adventurous to find one that they don't know or care what they have, and you can get it on the cheap. :) Rare, but great when it happens.
Onlyhereforthelaughs
I've always been obsessed with radioactivity, so this is right up my alley.
UraniumMan
Look up Radium Girls. 😬
Onlyhereforthelaughs
Yeah I am aware of that one.
NowImNothing022920
I misread your comment right meow 😜 and it would've been a funny pun..... So this is LIGHT up my alley.
giganticroboticpenguin
Can you get Uranium Fever from it? https://youtu.be/acMqxcdxE0E
UraniumMan
NotTinyPancakes
that song starte dplaying as soon as i read this and i wa slike "huh must have my fallout 4 radio on" nope lol
NowImNothing022920
I've been collecting sea glass for years. Learned a little while ago about uranium glass (think also called Vaseline glass for some reason....feel free to correct me on that). Dying to get a UV flashlight and go hunting on the beach at night. I'm sure I have some pieces now, just no way to tell. Read that some get a UV flashlight to use at antique stores to confirm it's UV glass. ****BTW the piece you have in the pic is AMAZING!!!! Would love to know how you acquired it.
UraniumMan
Uranium and "Vaseline" glass are (basically) the same exact thing. They've called it Vaseline glass at times because there's a couple different common basic colors you can find it in. Green and yellow. The yellow can look just like the Vaseline product color, thus where the term comes from. Also yes, I carry a UV flashlight with me very often. Amazon has a couple really good ones. And THANKS on the compliment! It was a gift. I'm still blown away by it. Not sure their source, but I think ETSY. :)
UraniumMan
Also the seaglass is great too!! There's a couple beaches here in California that have lots of sea glass. Definitely get a good UV light and you'll have some fun!
Gcleff
Curious as to what happens when something like that breaks? Mentioned a few times in post that it's safe "ya" as long as not broken or you decide to eat it. Like if it breaks is it like, oh shit throw it away quick and that's it?
UraniumMan
Though I haven't found necessarily any definitive scientific papers or proof on it, the idea is it's kind of like asbestos. As long as it's sitting still it's fine, but if it becomes airborne then it becomes a problem. Obviously silica glass would be a problem for the human body, but radioactive silica powder glass could potentially be worse. You wouldn't have to throw it away, but just avoid it for a minute. And make sure you clean up the tiny little pieces.
Onisa
More like if you got a sliver of it stuck under your nail / ate the powdered glass. Maybe if you cut yourself on it? Depends on the strength
lucky43113
100 percent safe and large scale production ended in may of 2017 at Mosser Glass in Cambridge Ohio
EmanNiemThcin
Eh let's say 99% it's still https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_decay#Toxicity so handling it with a wound in your epidermis like for example a small cut on your hand would be decidedly less safe.
lucky43113
Incorrect such a tiny amount is used and it's trapped in the glass. It is in no way dangerous
TheCatsAsterisk
Wow! Grew up near Cambridge, Ohio and had no idea about this! Guess that explains my 3rd testicle, hypernippleosis and wandering anus syndrome...
AkuTheShapeShiftingMasterOfDarkness
And we can't turn nuclear waste products into glass because it's closed now.
SherMattLockSmith
I think there is a difference between commercial uranium glass production and the vitrification process of handling medium level nuclear waste.
AkuTheShapeShiftingMasterOfDarkness
There is, but not much. I think I read a cost-benefit analysis comparison paper on that- there's an extra step or two required in order to make sure the nw is the right consistancy to be added into the glass on some stages depending on mollecular weight.
lucky43113
The glass uses uranium oxide
AkuTheShapeShiftingMasterOfDarkness
Yea, but there are other nuclear byproducts that can be sealed in glass that were factored in to my statement. Still- uranium oxide is most of the mass of the material that we want to turn into glass.
lucky43113
Mosser Glass is still in full operation. The reason for no more uranium glass is the government started amping up production of uranium based munition like 20mm anti tank rounds
AkuTheShapeShiftingMasterOfDarkness
The uranium glass lines are closed- not the factory. Sorry, mistype.
WontWearAFedoraNorah
We discovered that my MIL's clock has a uranium glass face. It was so nifty!
UraniumMan
Oooo that sounds like a really good one! Rare find!
WontWearAFedoraNorah
It was her grandmother's clock, and she thought she had lost it in a fire that took most the antiques, but it was in a storage unit.
UraniumMan
Oh that's a beautiful face and I really like the number font as well! Looks like some nice wood carving as well.
WontWearAFedoraNorah
Suovetaurilia
@uraniumman do you use any of your pieces or are they only for display?
Morgan96
I use salt and pepper shakers and some other miscellaneous pieces. I’d use more, but, cats.
UraniumMan
I haven't used any yet. So far display only. But still plan on having a nice small get together under black light at some point in life. :)
Suovetaurilia
That sounds like it would be really cool
OhIfIMust
Where the heck does one get that big-ass trefoil in the picture???
UraniumMan
It was a gift. So I don't know the exact source. But.... I believe it was found on Etsy.
OhIfIMust
Yep, only one I can see is on Etsy, Sold Out...
whipster
I love uranium glass and everything like it. I have a yellow glass oil lamp from my mom that glows a nice iridescent orange under UV light.
UraniumMan
I love the oil lamps!! I have 3. But not a yellow one! That fantastic. They are definitely some of my favs. :)
whipster
I just so happen to have pics readily available.
whipster
whipster
My sister got to keep the Fenton Fairy light
whipster