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Like the title says, I found new tritium for my M70 (thanks Paintwerk!!), but need to pull the old vials. I have an appropriate sized drill bit, but wanted to see if there was a better way to do it than the old smash and pick.
Once I got them out, silicone to hold the new ones in? Until I cleaned the crud off, I didnt even know that the front one still glowed (but very, very faintly).
I just smashed the old one on the front sight, and cleaned the hole out real good with a needle, toothpick, etc. Also I found the hole was to deep, so I used a piece of toothpick to correct the depth for the vial to sit accordingly.
The rear sight you can push them out from either direction. use a needle to clean off the sealant that held them in, and push them out with a toothpick, or a punch, etc.
I used black automotive RTV, to seal up the openings. They havent budged since I put them in. Just make sure the metal is good and clean.
You both realize that the contents of those vials are radioactive. Right? Mild, yes. But none-the-less harmful. Kinda like Mercury. Fun to play with but will cause hell with your more sensitive systems. Let me guess... when you drilled them out, you dumped the waste in your toilet?
There's a reason why the vials are made to be installed by someone approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and not "Joe the Gunplumber". The entire sight itself can be installed by you or anyone. Not the vials.
I don't even want to know where you two got ahold of vials of tritium. Did they cost much? Night sights are fairly cheap. I had some installed years ago on my duty weapon. Bought them off the net and had my friendly neighborhood Glock armorer install them for me. He was happy to do it for no-charge.
And the manufacturer of the sights usually has a 10-15yr warranty on them, which means if they dim within that time frame, you send them back and they'll gladly replace them for you.
Wow... :confused:
Well, if he poured it, he would have other issues, as his rifle would have to be pretty darn cold. Tritium is hydrogen, with an extra electron.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium#Health_risks
here is some info on it as a pollutant - http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-co...iation-fs.html
Also, given that it has a biological half life of about 11 days, and the volume of your typical night sight is very, very small, I do not believe that you have much to worry about. I would venture that you have a higher amount of danger from the exhaust of the next passing car. You are being exposed to a volume of gas equal to a pinhead. if this were an organic mercury, then I would stop (and never have it around me), but it is not.
And I mainly think that because I know that it has a half life of 11 years, and this rifle was made new in 1991, which means its effective radioactivity is about 1/4 of it's original strength.
Yes, I am aware that the contents of the vials are, or more appropriately were radioactive.
Azzy has pointed out that the vials are well beyond there usable life, and even so the amount of tritium inside is very minute to begin with.
and of course I didnt put the contents of the 1 vial I had to break into the toilet. I fed it to my radioactive pet spider.:D
http://www.asylum.com/2009/12/16/com...usehold-items/
I so dare you to huff some and tell us if your eye balls glow.
Redneck night vision!
(or cheap Goah'ld costume)