tritium vials...why so expensive?

[lostplanet]

Does anyone know where to get a few of these at a reasonable price?

thanks

 

[Jared]

If few, can find them in fishing type stores.

One brand:
http://gardnertackle.co.uk/carp-and...hts-isotopes/tritium-max-betalights-isotopes/

Or Merkava from CPF been selling them for years
http://tritiumkeychains.com/shop/

Complete keychain fob
http://www.fireflymarkers.co.uk

 

[Nice65]

Bare glass, or encased in borosilicate?

They all tend to be expensive, but really do last for many years. I have a blue one, well into its halflife, that still works fine on a bag that Beachlover sold me many years ago.

 

[Janne]

Minute amounts are needed, but Tritium costs around 25 000 UKP per kilo. As it is a radioactive substance the manufacture of those items is fairly expensive.

Tritium paint to paint on watch dials and hands is really expensive too.

 

[Bishop]

Why is it so expensive...

Aside from the fact you need a nuclear reactor to make it Tritium also has a darkside being a vital component of many nuclear weapons. If you could get enough of it in one place, say a lump the size of a tennis ball. Then compress it enough to cause "detonation" you would get a bang equivalent to approximately 90 metric tonnes of high explosive and one hell of a neutron burst.So it's manufacture and distribution are tightly controlled.

 

[Jared]

The vials used to be made pretty much by hand too.

Been looking for a source of 18mm diameter tritium spheres, seems they were readily available on CPF a while back. But pretty expensive.