Hi, I recently purchased a Mach Meter with the intention of partially
disassembling it and installing the front portion of the gauge in my
truck. (bit of an aviation nut?). Anyway, it donned on my that the
gauge face may have been screened in Radium paint. How can I find out
if this is the case with out access to a Geiger counter? Normally the
small amount of radiation from Radium watches and the like doesn't
worry me too much, but since I'll being taking it apart...

It's a Kollsman made A-2B Machmeter with a range from Mach .5 to 1.5.
On a hunch I'd say that it was manufactured in the mid 50s to the early
60s, though there's no date stamp on it that I can find. Does anyone
know when the Air Force stopped using radium instruments?

The paint has an off white appearance and seems slightly thick,
especially on the needle. While it doesn't glow, I've read that the
radium used on watch faces (an I assume instrument faces as well) can
"burn" out the phosphorescent mixture in the paint leaving a non
glowing, but still radioactive coating.

Basically I want to know if this is Radium paint or just white
Phosphorescent paint designed to fluoresce under UV light in a cockpit.

Sorry for the long post.

Thanks
-Ben