The Radium used on a/c instrument paint is Radium 226. It's about one million times more radioactive than Uranium and has a half life of 1,600 years. Over 90% of the radiation it gives off is in the form of Gamma waves but it also emits Alpha and Beta. The Radium itself is not what glows in the dial paint. The radiation exites a phosphor (I think they used Zinc Oxide?) and that phosphor is what glows. you do not need to "charge" Ra-226 painted dials. The problem is that the phosphor eventually burns out and the dial stops glowing so just because it does not glow, do not assume it is not painted with Radium paint. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence in this case so just make sure the glass on the face is intact. You really really don't want to ingest any Radium particles. The human body treats it like one of its neighbors on the periodic chart, Calcium, and likes to send it to your bones, right where you don't want it. I used to think all the talk about Radium was just a tempest in a teapot. These days, I have a healthy respect for anything that has Radium on it or in it. I can send you some links if you want more information about Radium on a/c instruments but suffice to say, don't lick the dial or scrape the paint off onto a cheese cracker.
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