RED and UV camp light

OK first post on this board, just wanted to run this idea by you guys and see if it sounds like it would work.

Zippers on the tent and sleeping bag and all are always a pain to find at night and one thing I've thought about doing is mixing some of the newer glow in the dark pigment stuff (can't recall what its called off the top of my head) into something like Mod Podge to make a glow in the dark coating. This would work in theory but I don't think they would receive enough light before dark to have a decent charge and since one would most likely have a flashlight with them on their way out to use the bathroom anyway I had another idea.

Take something like a photon type light but with at least 2 LED's. One thats all red to start with would work great, then replace at least one with a UV LED. (I've seen claims that one of these in a dark room will light up a black light poster) Since UV does such magical things to anything GITD and red helps preserve night vision you'd end up with a nice mix of immediate light without causing everything else to go black and your zippers and other important things (like perhaps tend lines) would be glowing and visible perhaps even beyond the range of the red light. Thus you'd have the perfect tend light.

Thoughts?

Interesting concept. If you're planning on using the zippers with a flashlight, however, you probably don't want the new GITD stuff. It takes a LONG time to get properly charged up, much longer than you would have the tent up during daylight hours (unless you're camping in one spot for your whole trip).

What I think you actually want to use is some sort of fluorescent material. You know, something that glows under blacklight. Lots of things that are brightly colored are called "fluorescent" but the deffinition involves a process where the material absorbs the UV (or blacklight, as it's comonly known) and then re-emits it at a different wavelength. UV does do magical things to GITD stuff, but not in the way you're thinking. It merely charges it faster than normal light because it has more energy. You would want the instant brightness of a fluorescent paint. The best way would be to get your UV led and then take whatever it was you were considering painting your zippers with into a really dark place and see if your led causes fluorescence. You'll know it when you see it. It's the same effect as you get with a blacklight.

Interesting idea, though. The UV would be enough outside of your visible spectrum (and thus be appear to be dim enough) that it probably would not ruin your nightvision, while the red would be dim enough (and on the other end of the spectrum) also not ruin your natural nightvision.

It would most likely have to be a custom light, though, since the UV would have to run at a very different and much higher voltage than the red. You would want to use a high quality, short wavelength UV light, though, because most of the higher wavelength ones (like you find on eBay) would be way to bright and not "uv" enough to cause the glow without ruining your NV.

How about a glowring attached to each zipper? That's what I use /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Best regards,
Randy

From what I recall as a kid, we used to cut on the black light when friends slept over and I don't think it hurt night vision at all. I beleive the UV LED's apear as a soft blue if you look into them but I'm under the impression they don't really cast a beam.

I'm not sure about the voltage thing, I thought they ran about the same voltage as a normal LED.

One of the banners here (the one that say's "it makes light of the dark") has a 4 LED product thats half red, if the two whites could be swaped for UV and the voltage works that would probably be idea. (And expensive I'm sure)

As for the GITD stuff, I didn't know the new stuff takes longer to charge so that would be a concern, I supose the old mess would work then and GITD paint is easy enough to find.

IMO GITD would stand out a little better then other things since even if its completely drained it will glow instantly under the UV and remain glowing for a second or two but more importantly it will look different then anything else. For instance cutting up a plain white t shirt and tieing on a piece of it to the zipper would flourece nicely under the black light but its possible (not too likely) that the tend itself will do the same thing along with the socks you pulled off in the tent ect. while something GITD will have a distinctive glow and afterglow that will make it stand out.

Another option might be a mix of the old and new GITD compounds although I don't know that this would mix right, but it might be fun to play with.

Any speculation as to weather or not a tend set up near a campfire would gain any charge at all? (I'm thinkin no)

Also does anyone happen to know if spectra fiber glows under UV? It would be overkill but you'd never break a tend line if you used spectra, don't know how well it glows.

They do make reflective tent lines (like Kelty trip tease line) but I don't know how well such things would reflect in the red light

Darkgear what product did you mean specifically by a glow ring?

I have the newer GITD stuff. The powder is ok and charges quicker but the grittier stuff (used for gel candled takes longer to charge but glows MUCH better. a charge ofabout 2min is good. I can see glow in a dim room for 6+ hrs. Also, better not to usee ModPodge or a water based product. I found a 30% mix of Glow powder in Epoxy is best. I have used Dentene Ice wrappers as molds and just leaving round blobs on wax paper to make quarter sized waffers. these could be made into 'keyrings' no problem. Also Aqua and Green have the best glow. IMO Aqua stays visible longer.
Also, on the Dorcy AAA I removed the front rubber ringlet and put a bead of 60sec epoxy with a 40%mix of Aqua glow powder. I can still find it in the dark after 8hrs.
Jeff

These.



Glows without charging. Comes witha split ring you just attach to the zipper pull.

Best regards,
Randy

I asume they have a battery in them?

How long does the battery last and whats the price on those?

No batteries. Tritium. They reach a half-life of brightness in 10 years. Nothing to do but stare at them and enjoy. They are, unfortunately, illegal to import into the USA.

Oh yeah forgot about that little tiny detail. Blah, who pays attention to details anyway

wtf... so then its radioactive?

No need for alarm /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif read Craig's review here or do a search here and you'll find plenty of info about these.