Radium Quest

Radioactive colours of Lewes

A trip that resulted in blue uranium glass and a very dark green ashtray

Jan 22 • Michael White

1

1

1

6:39

December 2025

How the great atomic craze birthed this Substack

I founded this Substack to hunt the radioactive relics of a decade when the science wasn't understood. In a world of sterilised safety, the click of a…

Dec 23, 2025 • Michael White

1

November 2025

What is Uranium Glass?

For the uninitiated, the world of uranium glass can be a little daunting. Is it dangerous? Why does it glow? I’ve written this article for newcomers of…

Nov 19, 2025 • Michael White

3

3

Uranium-glazed antiques: The British did it posh, the Americans did it loud

A closer look at Fiestaware, Crown Staffordshire, and a mysterious European vase

Nov 18, 2025 • Michael White

6

5

1

4:54

Competition: Win a WW2 gun air pressure gauge

Free to enter subscriber competition! Subscribe, leave a comment, and the winner will be announced at the end of November 2025

Nov 7, 2025 • Michael White

113

18

12

This WW2 pocket watch is still ticking - and still radioactive

A Swiss-made timepiece became a symbol of wartime innovation and postwar radiation risks

Nov 3, 2025 • Michael White

119

11

14

October 2025

The UK pottery that was using uranium glazing in the 1960s

Eric Leaper's bold colourful designs hold a radioactive secret, many used uranium to achieve brilliance

Oct 10, 2025 • Michael White

4

Measuring the radioactivity of my WW2 aircraft gauge collection

A microsievert snapshot of aviation history

Oct 5, 2025 • Michael White

1

2:25

September 2025

Radium aircraft gauges galore at World War 2 museum

Possibily the most radioactive place in Sussex, UK

Sep 12, 2025 • Michael White

2

4

1

3:37

Hunting radioactive relics at an IACF Antiques Fair

The largest South of England fair had many spicy treasures to offer

Sep 6, 2025 • Michael White

1

August 2025

Don't keep this WW1 compass in your pocket

A prismatic compass produced by Francis Barker & Sons that is accutely radioactive

Aug 31, 2025 • Michael White

2

4:40

I accidentally built a radioactive gas chamber

The hidden danger of radon gas and how to manage it

Aug 27, 2025 • Michael White

2

1