glow powder advice

Im looking to add some glow in the dark highlights to few of my torches but im looking for some ideas as to what is the best way to go about doing this.

Its going to need to be able to withstand high heat, mag '85 probably being the hottest in my collection, im wanting to apply it around the bulb base somewhere like maybe the bulb collar holding it on the bulb base, any ideas here, also where can i find mag head sized glow in the dark o-rings.

Is there any special way of mixing the glow powder with the epoxy and do i need to do any preping first.

And last question where do i find glow powder and the stuff i mix it with, is there a ready mix available :shrug:.

Thanks all you guys ive just built my first mag 1185 and its very:wow:

:naughty:
Here I am!

The glow powder and epoxy does not like high heat. I will not use it on incans. You might put some little holes into the bezel ring and fill them with the glow mix. :shrug: I have seen lots of SS crown bezels on here done like that.

Buy the V10 green glow powder from GlowInc. Buy the Devcon 2-ton epoxy, avaliable at Walmart and online.

DON"T use anything faster setting unless you have done this a thousand times and know the epoxy you are using well.

Mix the epoxy in a plastic baggie then pour in the powder. Use as much powder as you like but you will reach a point where the mix gets sludgy and gritty, then you have gone too far and need a bit more epoxy. If you require a mix with zero bubbles in it (I never want bubbles!) try to mix slowly with a massaging or kneading motion.

It is not a precise operation, you just have to try it and get a feel for it. Don't be afraid of it!

When you have it all mixed up in the baggie cut off the corner of the baggie and squeeze for application. Remember that the smaller the hole in the baggie the more precise the application will be. As a side note it also means you have to squeeze the baggie harder so don't use the cheap wimpy bags because you will probably burst through them and have a huge friggin mess in your hand!

Don't touch it for at least 2 hours and it will look pretty dang good. About a minute after you pour you may find a bubble or two rise up to the surface, don't panic just use a sewing needle to pop them quickly and the mix will slowly even back out where the bubble used to be.

The key to a good glow job is in the prep work and steady hands. If you screw up just be sure to remove the accident and clean the area before it sets up totally. If things go horribly wrong and it sets up in a bad way you can boil the part to make the epoxy give up. You will feel the mix heat up as the reaction happens that totally solidifies it.

Another hint for you, say you have a knife scale you want to put a glow dot into, drill the hole and put the clear scotch tape on one side of the hole then pour. Now if you want a really neat flat surface to be on the viewing side of the handle make that the side you put the tape on. I do it the opposite way since I like the glow dots to be a shiny finish and tape makes it a flat finish but I have alot of practice.

It also doesn't hurt to take a razor blade and scrape away excess as soon as you finish pouring.

Don't take too long for application or you'll end up with a glowy pancake in a baggie.............

Thanks for the hints,

How hard wearing is epoxy, is there any things i have to look out for when buying it like solubilty and drying time

abarth_1200 said:

Thanks for the hints,

How hard wearing is epoxy, is there any things i have to look out for when buying it like solubilty and drying time

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Sgt. covered pretty much everything you need to know. A couple of other things:

I use fine tipped hobbie syringes, or simply a toothpick to manipulate the epoxy+GID mix.

As far as epoxy type goes, any clear 2-ton epoxy will do, but longer setting ones are best. The 5 minute curing time is too fast to get anything decent done - get the 2 hour curing type, that'll allow enough time for you to work with and give a smoother surface.

GID v.10 from glowinc will give you a slightly rough surface because of the size of the GID particles. Use v8 or 9 if you want smoother surface, but at a slightly decreased glow.

GreenLED,

We have just released a handful of new Grade 0 powders in the smaller particle sizes. The new Ultra Green V10 35-65m should give you the same smoothness. It is not as bright as the regular V10 (which is 55-85 micron), but it is brighter than Ultra Green (aka v9) which is also 35-55 micron.

You can see the green product comparison chart on the page called "Which Green?".

I also just wrote an article called "The Grainy Issue" that also discusses particle sizes and their effects.

Sgt. LED said:

:naughty:
Here I am!

The glow powder and epoxy does not like high heat. I will not use it on incans. You might put some little holes into the bezel ring and fill them with the glow mix. :shrug: I have seen lots of SS crown bezels on here done like that.

Buy the V10 green glow powder from GlowInc. Buy the Devcon 2-ton epoxy, avaliable at Walmart and online.

DON"T use anything faster setting unless you have done this a thousand times and know the epoxy you are using well.

Mix the epoxy in a plastic baggie then pour in the powder. Use as much .............

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I want to see this as a tutorial........!
That is well put down there me friend....:thumbsup:

lumafist said:

I want to see this as a tutorial........!
That is well put down there me friend....:thumbsup:

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The recipe has been around on CPF for quite a while. Here's a post of mine on Skylighter's Glowforum.com.

...and here's Master Darkzero's original post here on CPF.

greenLED said:

The recipe has been around on CPF for quite a while. Here's a post of mine on Skylighter's Glowforum.com.

...and here's Master Darkzero's original post here on CPF.

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Well, I new I`d seen one but apparently not DZ`s....


Those pics tell the story....

Nevertheless...

Thanks for reminding me/us....!

Skylighter said:

GreenLED,

We have just released a handful of new Grade 0 powders in the smaller particle sizes. The new Ultra Green V10 35-65m should give you the same smoothness. It is not as bright as the regular V10 (which is 55-85 micron), but it is brighter than Ultra Green (aka v9) which is also 35-55 micron.

You can see the green product comparison chart on the page called "Which Green?".

I also just wrote an article called "The Grainy Issue" that also discusses particle sizes and their effects.

Click to expand...

Awesome info, Skylighter!

You can see pictures of glow in the dark flashlight mods here:

http://www.glowforum.com/gallery/images.php?cat=flashlight

and glow in the dark knife mods here:

http://www.glowforum.com/gallery/images.php?cat=knife

If you're lucky enough to have a vacuum pump rig, you can suck all the bubbles out of the mixed resin. This is pretty awesome. I do casting and built a clear vacuum chamber that opens and closes easily. Clear is good, sometimes bubbles expand so quickly the mixture foams out of its container even with a lot of headroom. If the container is clear you can see it, shut off the pump, wait for the bubbles to leave and the surface to fall back down before starting to draw more vacuum again.

One concern I'd have is that with thin epoxy and long curing times, the powder may settle to the bottom since it is suspended not dissolved.

Oznog said:

One concern I'd have is that with thin epoxy and long curing times, the powder may settle to the bottom since it is suspended not dissolved.

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Even with the 24 hour cure epoxy, that's not a concern with glowinc's powders and the type of lights/tools mods we generally do.

(The powder does settle when mixed with clear nail polish.)

I find the 2 ton epoxy works best. The premixed powder off-gasses and can mess up reflectors. I learned that the hard way.

Nitroz said:

I find the 2 ton epoxy works best. The premixed powder off-gasses and can mess up reflectors. I learned that the hard way.

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Nitroz, there's a new, water-based, GID paint that doesn't evaporate like that.

greenLED said:

Nitroz, there's a new, water-based, GID paint that doesn't evaporate like that.

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Thanks Green! But it seems as if the powder might be a better deal IMO.

If you put a trit inside the powder/epoxy, would that accomplish anything? Or would the trit be too weak?

Kraid said:

If you put a trit inside the powder/epoxy, would that accomplish anything? Or would the trit be too weak?

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Not really. Trit won't charge the GID to any appreciable level. That said, Glowinc's GID glows a lot more than trit... for a much shorter time, of course.

Good to know! Thank you!