this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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traingang
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the tiles look like they're made out of that radioactive glass used in kitchenware
Uranium Glass!
Interestingly, not available in this aesthetic, since the US banned the use of uranium salts and production ended in 1958. Most examples are from before that, and were typically depression glass pieces.
oh curious, I always thought that was a post WW2 era thing
Most was pre-war. The US government put a huge amount of effort into covertly redirecting uranium salts and ores for the Manhattan Project without clueing people in to the fact that they were doing something weird with it. At the time, it wasn't really a useful element for any industrial processes other than "idk it makes glass a fun color I guess" and wasn't heavily mined as a result.
In the 90s the US dropped regulations and some uranium glass is still made today, albeit not as large glassware pieces anymore. Despite the name and the association of uranium with radiation, uranium glass is only negligibly radioactive and totally safe (assuming they didn't put any lead paint on it).
Yeah! They do make it again, but I just haven't found any more modern pieces that I actually like.
I used to have a floral pattern plate from the 30s that I found while thrifting, but one of my professors was a nuclear chemist so I gifted it to him.