Vintage Shoe Fitting XRAY Machines - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

MISST3 · 01-14-2022, 11:16 PM

Does anyone remember seeing or using shoe fitting Xray machines, used back in the day? You stick your feet into the cabinet, then you could see the bones in your feet and watch them move as you wiggle your toes, thus assuring a better shoe fit. The machines were eventually removed from the stores because of long term radiation health concerns. Poor shoe salesmen!

PracTz · 01-14-2022, 11:31 PM

If you think that's bad, to make glow-in-the-dark watch and clock faces, for some decades factory workers would trace paint mixed with radium by dipping their brushes into the bins- and whenever the paint would get too scarce for the brushes to paint, they'd LICK the brushes with their tongues!

Can you imagine how much radiation those workers ingested and/or got on their tongues, mouths,etc.?

stevea · 01-14-2022, 11:42 PM

How about Mercurochrome? This antiseptic had trace amounts of mercury, and was widely used in the 50s and 60s.

Caroline13 · 01-15-2022, 02:13 PM

Oh those xray machines in shoe stores, what the H good were they? What I did miss in the last 20-30 yrs was real people helping to fit your shoes in a store. That's all gone unless one still has a mom pop shoe store and I believe we still have one unless it's gone due to covid....

01-14-2022, 11:16 PM	#1
MISST3 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jan 17, 2016 Posts: 32,762	Vintage Shoe Fitting XRAY Machines Does anyone remember seeing or using shoe fitting Xray machines, used back in the day? You stick your feet into the cabinet, then you could see the bones in your feet and watch them move as you wiggle your toes, thus assuring a better shoe fit. The machines were eventually removed from the stores because of long term radiation health concerns. Poor shoe salesmen! Attached Images

01-14-2022, 11:31 PM	#2
PracTz Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 14, 2002 Location: United States of America [Happily Living in the 20th Century] Posts: 2,711	Glow In the Dark Watch Dial Painters If you think that's bad, to make glow-in-the-dark watch and clock faces, for some decades factory workers would trace paint mixed with radium by dipping their brushes into the bins- and whenever the paint would get too scarce for the brushes to paint, they'd LICK the brushes with their tongues! Can you imagine how much radiation those workers ingested and/or got on their tongues, mouths,etc.?

01-15-2022, 02:13 PM	#4
Caroline13 Member Forum Fanatic Join Date: Jan 30, 2021 Location: So Calif Posts: 14,483	Oh those xray machines in shoe stores, what the H good were they? What I did miss in the last 20-30 yrs was real people helping to fit your shoes in a store. That's all gone unless one still has a mom pop shoe store and I believe we still have one unless it's gone due to covid....
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01-14-2022, 11:42 PM	#3
stevea 22 Years On Sitcoms Moderator Forum Legend Join Date: Aug 13, 2003 Location: Indy Posts: 44,496	How about Mercurochrome? This antiseptic had trace amounts of mercury, and was widely used in the 50s and 60s.