Here is THE authentic, pre-WWII Fiestaware saucer made by the Homer Laughlin Company, undeniably the most well-known radioactive plate manufacturer. The pre-war plates were made before the United States (and other countries!) "diverted" (confiscated) uranium stockpiles to be used in the race for the atomic bomb. This halted all production of uranium-glazed ceramics until the mid fifties when companies were given back processed uranium to use in their glazes for its trademark color. There are multiple isotopes of uranium, but only one occurs naturally can be refined "enriched" and used as fuel for nuclear chain reactions. Enrichment level refers to the concentration of the uranium-235 isotope which fuel commercial power reactors throughout the world. When that precious U-235 is enriched a bit higher, it is frequently used to fuel naval reactors, research and isotope production reactors, and the dreams of crazy eccentric wanna-be imperialistic dictators all over the world. With still much more enrichment, it can be used as fuel for an atomic bomb; like the "Little Boy" bomb used against Japan in WWII. I tend to get lost on the way to reinforcing a point: the glaze contains NATURAL URANIUM as opposed to depleted uranium. And that's just awesome. More U-235 means more radioactivity as well. Natural uranium contains less than one percent (right around 0.72%) U-235; depleted uranium today contains little as 0.10% (more like 0.40% back in the late 50's through mid 70's when the second generation of Fiestaware was made because of improved and more efficient enrichment techniques.) This plate is in fair condition. It emits 80,000CPM combined using a standard pancake probe (equal to the 44-9). Since this is natural uranium, it's a little hotter than the post war plates which use depleted uranium. The ONLY way to acquire these items is either taking a big chance with buying something from an antique dealer based on color, or using my method: Scouring antique stores with a counter and large scintillation probe. The stares I receive are absolutely classic; particularly if I am using an A50 alpha probe with a big Eberline ESP-2 ratemeter (and especially when I forget to disable the high rate alarm! Before I was able to coherently explain what I was doing; one shop owner actually called the police. I understand her rationale about as much as I understand counterfeit dinnerware, which seems weird because this stuff wasn't all that expensive when it came out. I have a "wall of shame" collection of chances taken/guesses/counterfeits (which are so rare that I have taken to collecting them personally.) San Diego is rich with antique stores. Don't hesitate to go hunting for these, it's a lot of fun. Before an education and career, I hunted them with an Anton Model 5 CDV-700! I have an extensive personal collection of hot stuff, including some extremely hot mineral samples from central California that were collected from 1997-2011 and occasionally beyond. Some go well over a million counts per minute and are kept heavily shielded and well ventilated. Please be assured that I keep a daily dose tally whether I'm working or hobbying; in addition to various precautions as well. It's all the same radiation, just in very different contexts and much less concern about internal exposure when working! Now, the obligatory regulatory stuff: This item will be sent in compliance with guidelines specified in USPS Publication 52, and will be shipped in a manner compliant with 49 CFR 173.426. (2) Source material contained in the following products: (i) Glazed ceramic tableware, provided that the glaze contains not more than 20 percent by weight source material. (c) Any person is exempt from the regulation in this part and from the requirements for a license set forth in section 62 of the Act to the extent that such person receives, possesses, uses, or transfers: (1) Any quantities of thorium contained in (i) incandescent gas mantles, (ii) vacuum tubes, (iii) welding rods, (iv) electric lamps for illuminating purposes: Provided, That each lamp does not contain more than 50 milligrams of thorium, (v) germicidal lamps, sunlamps, and lamps for outdoor or industrial lighting: Provided, That each lamp does not contain more than 2 grams of thorium, (vi) rare earth metals and compounds, mixtures, and products containing not more than 0.25 percent by weight thorium, uranium, or any combination of these, or (vii) personnel neutron dosimeters: Provided, That each dosimeter does not contain more than 50 milligrams of thorium. (2) Source material contained in the following products: (i) Glazed ceramic tableware, provided that the glaze contains not more than 20 percent by weight source material; (ii) Piezoelectric ceramic containing not more than 2 percent by weight source material; (iii) Glassware containing not more than 10 percent by weight source material; but not including commercially manufactured glass brick, pane glass, ceramic tile, or other glass or ceramic used in construction; AGAIN, This item will be sent 100% in compliance with the guidelines specified in USPS Publication 52, and will be shipped in a manner compliant with 49 CFR 173.426. By bidding on this auction, I certify: a. Agree to hold eBay Inc. harmless in the extremely unlikely event that ANY damages occur as a result of purchase or use of this item. b. I understand that deliberately breaking these plates is both dangerous and illegal (easily interpreted legally under three different federal statutes); and that I will not alter, modify, ingest, extract any quantity of any actual or potentially regulated substance contained in this item. The item will be left intact, as sold, and will be stored in a safe and appropriate manner. I will abide by safety rules if the are applicable. c. Assure that these items will be used for their intended purpose. d. I am willing to abide by these rules with 100% compliance should I decide to transfer or resell the item, regardless of whether or not the item is sold on eBay Inc. or any other sellers venue. Geiger counter/scaler/metric equipment is not included, obviously. In fact, if you really think I'm going to toss in my best Geiger counter with a plate just for the heck of it, well, don't get your hopes up. Your measurements will vary dramatically if you are using a different counter and probe. I do use calibrated equipment to measure the activity levels. So everybody knows that my measurements are accurate (I really do have the hottest stuff on eBay, and don't use deceptive measurements!) The digital circuitry is infallible if you know this meter well, have read all the nearly 200 pages of the manual, and have taken "old stock equipment renewal" seminars that keep early 90s equipment usable. The scaler; not picture; is what I call an "EberLud inbetweener" without a name or model number; an early Ludlum breakaway design with the best engineering imaginable with dead-on accuracy for twenty years. Looks like an Eberline, works like a Ludlum. Now, back to the customer!!! This item is in used condition, unless otherwise stated. All of the plates that I sell have no structural problems, i.e. there are no cracks that may cause breakage. Alpha radiation has a particular affinity for interaction with materials; and can cause brittleness. This one has no sign of it. Each plate has different marks and blemishes, although you can see them in this case because the plate pictured is the actual item being bid on. This specimen is fairly safe to handle and use if you take a few minor precautions. Limit the amount of time that you handle the item. Wash your hands after handling, and don't have your baby eat off of it. I wouldn't recommend taping it to a pregnant woman's belly or attaching it to a belt buckle. Families have eaten off of these plates for 30+ years without any ill effect; I would not personally eat off of them, and I would urge you to follow my lead. I was a nuke worker for quite some time, so I have the misfortune of knowing exactly how much radiation I have taken... The ALARA principle exists for good reason. This is an acronym for "as low as reasonably achievable", and is something to keep in mind; particularly if you handle radioactive materials frequently. It is a good practice even if it is a bit over the top. I know the value of a human life, and want to make sure that my customers understand that ionizing radiation is absolutely fascinating, but can be dangerous in the presence of recklessness. Please contact me if you are an international buyer PRIOR to purchase! USPS will be used for shipping most of the time, although I reserve the right to change carriers. Priority mail is used most of the time, although an item will be sent First Class if it qualifies.This item will be shipped within all regulatory standards, and is exempt from NRC licensing as stated above. Thanks so much, and enjoy your item.
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