Radium Dial Company
Encyclopedia
The now defunct Radium Dial Company, was one of a few United States
companies along with the United States Radium Corporation
, involved in the painting of clocks, watches and other instrument dials
using radioluminescent paint containing radium
. These dials are collectively known as radium dials
. However unlike the US Radium Corporation, it was specifically set up to paint dials only, no other radium related processing took place.
. In 1920 the company relocated to Peru, Illinois
to closer proximity to the clock manufacturer and major customer, Westclox
.
The product used on the dials of the clocks was a mixture of phosphorus
and radium called Luna. By 1922 the company had moved to a former high school building in Ottawa, Illinois
where it remained until the mid 1930s. At the highest point in production (around 1925), the Radium Dial Company employed around 1,000 young women who turned out around 4,300 dials each day.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
companies along with the United States Radium Corporation
United States Radium Corporation
The United States Radium Corporation was a company, most notorious for its operations between the years 1917 to 1926 in Orange, New Jersey, in the United States that led to stronger worker protection laws...
, involved in the painting of clocks, watches and other instrument dials
Dial (measurement)
A dial is generally a flat surface, circular or rectangular, with numbers or similar markings on it, used for displaying the setting or output of a timepiece, radio, clock, watch, or measuring instrument...
using radioluminescent paint containing radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
. These dials are collectively known as radium dials
Radium dials
Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with radioluminescent paint containing radium. The 1900s were the peak of radium dial production, as radiation poisoning was then unknown; subsequently, radium dials have largely been replaced by tritium based light...
. However unlike the US Radium Corporation, it was specifically set up to paint dials only, no other radium related processing took place.
History
The Radium Dial Company was started in 1917 and was in full production of painted dials by 1918. The company was a division of the Standard Chemical Company based in the Marshall Field Annex building in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. In 1920 the company relocated to Peru, Illinois
Peru, Illinois
Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area...
to closer proximity to the clock manufacturer and major customer, Westclox
Westclox
Westclox was a former manufacturer and is a current brand of clocks and alarm clocks.-Early history as United Clock Company:Charles Stahlberg and others from Waterbury, Connecticut originally formed as "United Clock Company" on December 5, 1885 in Peru, Illinois, intending to manufacture clocks...
.
The product used on the dials of the clocks was a mixture of phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
and radium called Luna. By 1922 the company had moved to a former high school building in Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
where it remained until the mid 1930s. At the highest point in production (around 1925), the Radium Dial Company employed around 1,000 young women who turned out around 4,300 dials each day.