I concur with the above - depending upon where you live, I'd check to see if there's an FBO on your airfield that does maintenance and I'd suspect a little asking about might produce a few non-airworthy pieces.
Of course there's always eBay - some surprisingly rare and vintage pieces turn up there now and then, but I've seen several lot sales of newer jumbled (and tumbled!) aero instruments to be had for a reasonable amount.
With regard to the radium hazard on the WWII era instruments, this is something of a Catch-22 situation. Many of these vintage instruments DO contain radium in the paint. As do some of the circuit breaker buttons, radio knobs and dials, switches and placards in older aircraft. And that old wind-up clock that Grandma had in the house as well, or perhaps a vintage watch in the drawer? Trace amounts of radioactive substances can be found on these items, too.
The radium threat on old instrumentation or components as described above is greatly overplayed, and that's a shame. One could certainly expose one's self to radium contamination by breaking apart the old instruments and abrading the painted surfaces (e.g. scraping off old paint). Indeed, there is no way to "contain" this stuff if you get trace amounts airborne or on your skin. But sealed instruments with radioactive particles in the paint that are not a health hazard - they're defined as being "encapsulated" and as such are not a health risk. Sealed would mean the aircraft instrument still has a glass face or housing around it, and the instrument face or the needles are not open to the touch.
Instrument overhaul shops won't work on this stuff today not because of risk to one's health, but to the wallet. Their wallets, to be specific. Silly government regulations now require shops to spend a horrendous amount of money to handle "radioactive substances" or to dispose of possibly contaminated items removed during an overhaul, and customers do not want to bear the brunt of the financial beating. In a nutshell, that's why shops will tell you they don't want to see your old instrumentation. They just don't want to have to deal with the federal headaches associated with this stuff.
I've heard rumors of proposed legislation to limit the number of vintage instruments one could keep because of the "rad levels" but this is another example of stupid government interference. It makes no sense. It's just a rally point for idiot politicians playing on the public's ignorance and fears. Truth be told, your health is far more at risk eating a fat old cheeseburger and drinking a few cold beers than standing in a warehouse full of WWII radium faced instruments.
Thanks for letting me vent. Good luck in finding some goodies for the art project!
|
