Nukestuff.co.uk

Collection of Ionizing Materials

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All my ore pieces are stored safely in a thick-walled aluminium metal box. To read more about how to safely store ionizing materials, see below my collection showcase.

I'm awaiting on delivery of a radon monitor before I can get photos of my most active pieces;

Safety is important and it's handy to know the base level of radon in the room I'm keeping

source materials in, before they're exposed to open air!

Kasolite #1

Kasolite

Colour: Green, light green, grey, yellow, yellow-brown

Size: About 4cm

CPM: ???

Uraninite #1

Uraninite

Colour: Dark grey, silvery-white, quartz tan

Size: About 5.5cm

CPM: 28,000

Notes: This is by far my hottest piece of mineral. It is true "pitchblende" with characteristic orbs of uranium deposit on a silicate composite material. The high radon risk means this piece has to stay sealed in an airtight container. 

Uraninite #2

Uraninite

Torbernite #1

Torbernite

Colour: Mint green, emerald green, orange brown, dark brown

Size: 3.5cm

CPM: 3000

Notes: I have two pieces of Torbernite. This is my biggest and heaviest one. The green area is incredibly flaky and I have to be careful not to brush over it. The green flakes sparkle in the light and the brown section looks burnt.

Torbernite #2

Torbernite

Uranocircite #1

Uranocircite

Boltwoodite #1

Boltwoodite

Colour: Pale white, grey, quartz white, pale pink

Size: 3cm

CPM: 300

Notes: The first piece of ore I have ever purchased. I bought this in 2016, but did not get a geiger counter until 2021.

Autunite #1

Autunite

Colour: Bright yellow, green, lime green

Size: (particulate) >5mm

CPM: 4000

Notes: My second ever purchase of ore. This started out as a vibrant green but dry heat has caused it to turn yellow over time.

Uranium Glass #1

Uranium Glass

Colour: Neon green, transparent glass green

Size: 7cm x 4.5cm x 1cm

CPM: 250

A novelty item crafted with reheated and reshaped antique Czech uranium glass from 1950. 

Note: CPM stands for Counts per Minute

Aliexpress Anti-static Negative Ion Waterproof Bracelet

A green rubberized wrist strap with an interlocking hexagonal skin mounted on a thicker, denser black silicon material which connects together with two nut-shaped pins. The size can be altered. There is a central decorative bezel featuring a lightning bolt motif. 

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: 150

The back section of this wristband is not all rubber- there are two inlays of a different coloured material that have the appearance of "glitter". Due to this part of the wristband activating a high count on my geiger counter, this material is assumed to be thorium, or a thorium-laced sillicon blend.

There is it

Energy Armour

Rubber

Wristband

To be completed when photographed

Is this radioactive?

Not Tested

CPM: ???

To be completed when photographed

Quantum Pendant with

Energy Card

This is a tidy bundle of grossly radioactive materials; the chalky grey medallion has a speckled appearance that glistens under a microscope, revealling crystalline white flecks included in its plastic material. Packaged within the "gift box" is a warranty card that looks like a regular credit card but without the chip. Considering its glossy surface and mundane solid-plastic bank card appearance, it's difficult to understand exactly why this card is hitting such high counts per minute. Fortunately, the box doesn't seem to be very radioactive at all, likely just carrying micro particles that have dusted off the other two items. The packaging is mostly cardboard with a small square plastic viewing window (you can see the card logo!) with a rough "leather" finish and sparkly, glittery text.

 

See MICROSCOPE imaging and further high-res images of this item here!

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: 1100

This is the most radioactive non-mineral item I own. I will assume that this product has thorium baked into the plastic with very little consideration to contamination of the packaging, as with no pendant or card inside the slide-out tray, it still registers a high reading for radioactivity. It's possible that even the box has thorium dust caked into it. Note; my Geiger counter was still picking up medium levels of radiation (99CPM) while 20cm away from the boxed pendant. Even the warranty card appears to dramatically spike radiation levels when placed under the counter, the box however does not appear to be ionizing.

Pro Balance Energy (Pro Ion 5000) Bracelet

Less of a rubber strap and more like an actual bracelet, fitted with a sizeable buckle just like a watch strap, this wristband seems more refined than all the others and exudes quality. It's striking in green and black but the holographic biohazard warning symbol on the central decorative disc is a little bit sinister. The only downside to the product as a whole is the packaging; it's stuffed into a pouch with a zipper and it looks a bit like a freezer bag. Despite not being opened much at all (maybe once) it appears to have gotten damp at some point and the plastic is sticking to the cardboard insert.

 

See more high-resolution images of this item here! 

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: ???

Some text will be added here later

Amazon 7 in 1 Negative Ion Germanium Band

The middle feature of this wristband is entirely metal but connected by two dense rubber straps. This is a different material to the Aliexpress green band, it's slightly more brittle. The reverse of the metal feature has a set of inlayed coloured orbs which are not likely to be gemstones but just painted plastic or synthetic mineral. 

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: 135

It's unclear exactly what part of this wristband is causing counts on the geiger counter, but it's presumed to be either the coloured orbs on the back, the blue bezel on the front, or even the strapping itself. A small piece of the strap fell off (a buckle) and was tested separately, which did elevate readings on my GMC 600+. The packaging was tested but did not cause any counts on my geiger counter to increase.

Power Balance Rubber

Wristband (PB)

A pleasant lemon-yellow strap with a holofoil disc featuring a patternated PB logo and watermark behind the text. It came in some extremely elaborate packaging with a uniquely identifiable serial number and mark of autheticity, showcasing the lengths that these companies will go to prove their confidence in a revolutionary product. It's important to remember that some companies excel more in their marketing and packaging design rather than the genuine functionality of their products. 

Is this radioactive?

Not Tested

CPM: ???

To be completed when photographed

PBE Rubber

Wristband

To be completed when photographed

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: 115

To be completed when photographed

PBE ION (Pure Strength Extra)

Wristband

An extremely small (they only had this size) super flexible, super stretchy red and white two-tone band with a holographic mirror-foil logo that is extremely difficult to photograph. The writing on the inside says "Pure Strength Extra" and "Power Balance Energy", perhaps it's marketed as both names on some storefronts in case a similar product already exists. I'm not sure of the purpose of the square shaped raised bezel that is only on one side of the band, but it might be there to strengthen a weak point as the band narrows in that section.

Is this radioactive?

Yes

CPM: 148

For such a small wristband, this PBE ION has a lot of activity. It's not clear what part of the band might contain hot material, but it's likely just baked into the material or inside the decorative bezel. 

How to store radioactive items

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My wristbands are kept in their original packaging and stored in the same aluminium lock-box as my ore samples; there's no issue of a runaway reaction happening or another phenomenon called "Bremsstrahlung" which is essentially very fast charged particles colliding with other charged particles, and creating X-Ray radiation as a result of the collision. There are reasons why using a regular consumer-grade metal container is perfectly fine for storing radioactive materials;

  1. Uranium ore mineral is low grade and predominantly releases alpha radiation. 
  2. Alpha particles cannot pass through surface skin barrier, and can't travel very far through air.
  3. Even a plastic bag can prevent alpha particles from passing through.
  4. If being stored loose in the container, fine particles of mineral are unlikely to contaminate the surrounding environment if handled carefully.
  5. Radon emission can be controlled by keeping samples inside an airtight container, also stored inside a metal box.

It's always best to minimize touching the surface of your mineral samples to prevent particle falling and skin contamination. Alpha particles can't pass skin but accidentally ingesting heavy metal will make you very sick. Some uranium ores produce more Radon gas than others depending on their concentrations of Radium-226, a precursor of Radon; minerals such as Uraninite and Carnotite produce more radon because they contain more concentrated amounts of Uranium which decays into Radium-226, as such these should be kept inside a secondary container that is airtight.

Measuring Radiation: A How-To

If you're looking to get into collecting and hunting for radioactive things, you'll need to get yourself a geiger counter. There's loads of different types available, but you're probably looking for a geiger counter that can detect alpha particles (since all natural isotopes emit this type of radiation as a primary source!). Alpha-capable GMCs are quite expensive, so if you're not willing to spend upwards of £250 on one of these models, you could always stick with one of the entry-tier counters such as the GQ GMC 500 plus, which runs about £120. 

 

My two counters are both the GQ GMC machines; a GMC 500+ and a 600+. The 600+ cost me £250 not including shipping from where they are made in Washington, USA.

 

Free Mobile Apps? Those are fake!

Not everyone is going to be wise to the fact that every single app for detecting ionizing radiation is completely fake and is randomly pulling data from nowhere. Apps that appear to be counting something genuine are likely to be falsely advertised or misinterpreted; those are Electrical Magnetic detectors and cannot collect any kind of radioactive data whatsoever. It's also debateable if those even work, but I'm not concerned with those apps anyway.

 

It is possible to record data using a specific instrument designed to attach to a phone, but these devices are extremely overpriced for their much worse reliability and inaccuracy in data reading. You're paying substantially more for the convenience of plugging a usb-fitted tube into your phone so you don't have to carry around a larger unit, but an actual geiger counter will have been calibrated and tested specifically for its purpose. I would argue that a lot of these tube-to-phone devices are also fitted with vastly inferior geiger muller tubes, perhaps even something else entirely. There's a chance for a huge margin of error in your readings- a geiger counter is NOT something you want a huge margin of error on!

A GQ GMC 500+ Geiger Counter