bigcozy
Enlightened
I have appreciated other Glowsheet reports, and wanted to share my experiences with other CPFers. This is glowsheeting from www.extremeglow.com
Charging the sheet.
I found that the most effective method was, obviously, exposing to direct sunlight. Next most effective was a halogen floor lamp like almost everyone has in their house. Even in a lit room the sheet would glow brightly from a halogen charge. I then tested it with lights I could carry, as that is the most practical. Lights used were:
Princeton Tech Photon
Pelican L1 LED
Surefire E1 at 15 lumens
Surefire 8X at 110 lumens
The photon would charge the sheeting, but its lack of focus wouldn't let it really get much intensity, but it worked. The Pelican L1 charged very well, but it worked best when less than 1" from the sheet. The E1 gave about the same result but chaged a larger diameter. The 8X is perfect for charging glowsheet because of the focused beam. Even with a recent charge of light the 8X would bring out even more light. One thing I discovered, oddly, was that placing the bezel on the sheet and giving a 10-20 second charge, the sheet seemed to be charged an equal amount between the three lights used that had a bezel. They also seemed to have about the same duration of charge as well. I noticed no difference between charging the sheet with a flashlight for 5-10-30 seconds and 1 minute. It seemed to charge all it could within 5-10 seconds. A high intensity charge "bleeds off" within a few seconds and seems to degrade at a consistent rate after that. I get about 2-3 hours of good glow, after that it degrades but is still visible. In zero light conditions, you would probably be able to see a faint glow after 6-8 hours or more. These are just my observations.
Applications
At first for a few days I just experimented with a 12"X8" sheet. Seeing what charged best and other things. After that I began to use the sheeting for some pratical applications. I marked my doors at 12" (in case of fire) and at doorknob height. Then all my light switches,and just for fun on two of my ceiling fans. I wrapped the bezels of each of my lights once with glowsheet about one-half inch wide. I keep a whole bunch of stuff on my nightstand, so I marked most of those things with left overs from earlier cuttings. My scanner (I live in Tornado Alley and usually the scanner is the only way to get info when the power goes out), my cell phone, even my stainless steel coffee mug with an arrow pointing which way the lid was. Other apps include, knives, multi tools, the butt of my Glock 19, zippers on my sleeping bag and my tent. These seem like simple things, but in the dark, they are more handy than I would have believed. A good shot with the 8X for a few seconds before bed and everything glows till morning. I picked up a wierd habit from my girlfriend years ago, she keeps the bathroom totally dark for her morning shower. I am not a morning person and this really helps me not to get blinded first thing after sleeping. I took a little glowsheet and put it right by her make up lights and put some on the step into the shower. The make up light is so strong it keeps the glowsheet so charged it glows just bright enough to see your way around, and the piece on the step keeps you from banging a toe on it. She was very impressed by this.
A few conclusions.
If you are a member of CPF you have to get some of this stuff.
If you have children, you have to get some of this stuff, they will mess with it for hours.
This is not good to read by, even charged, green is hard to read by, even good chem-sticks.
It is best used for marking things. The bigger the piece the better it holds the light and longer the duration of charge.
Cut it in arrows or pyramid shapes to point to things, like light switches or the way out of a room.
A dime size charged piece of glowsheet is much brighter than a traser ring or a Luminox watch.
I highly reccomend this stuff, it is fun, and it is very practical.
Charging the sheet.
I found that the most effective method was, obviously, exposing to direct sunlight. Next most effective was a halogen floor lamp like almost everyone has in their house. Even in a lit room the sheet would glow brightly from a halogen charge. I then tested it with lights I could carry, as that is the most practical. Lights used were:
Princeton Tech Photon
Pelican L1 LED
Surefire E1 at 15 lumens
Surefire 8X at 110 lumens
The photon would charge the sheeting, but its lack of focus wouldn't let it really get much intensity, but it worked. The Pelican L1 charged very well, but it worked best when less than 1" from the sheet. The E1 gave about the same result but chaged a larger diameter. The 8X is perfect for charging glowsheet because of the focused beam. Even with a recent charge of light the 8X would bring out even more light. One thing I discovered, oddly, was that placing the bezel on the sheet and giving a 10-20 second charge, the sheet seemed to be charged an equal amount between the three lights used that had a bezel. They also seemed to have about the same duration of charge as well. I noticed no difference between charging the sheet with a flashlight for 5-10-30 seconds and 1 minute. It seemed to charge all it could within 5-10 seconds. A high intensity charge "bleeds off" within a few seconds and seems to degrade at a consistent rate after that. I get about 2-3 hours of good glow, after that it degrades but is still visible. In zero light conditions, you would probably be able to see a faint glow after 6-8 hours or more. These are just my observations.
Applications
At first for a few days I just experimented with a 12"X8" sheet. Seeing what charged best and other things. After that I began to use the sheeting for some pratical applications. I marked my doors at 12" (in case of fire) and at doorknob height. Then all my light switches,and just for fun on two of my ceiling fans. I wrapped the bezels of each of my lights once with glowsheet about one-half inch wide. I keep a whole bunch of stuff on my nightstand, so I marked most of those things with left overs from earlier cuttings. My scanner (I live in Tornado Alley and usually the scanner is the only way to get info when the power goes out), my cell phone, even my stainless steel coffee mug with an arrow pointing which way the lid was. Other apps include, knives, multi tools, the butt of my Glock 19, zippers on my sleeping bag and my tent. These seem like simple things, but in the dark, they are more handy than I would have believed. A good shot with the 8X for a few seconds before bed and everything glows till morning. I picked up a wierd habit from my girlfriend years ago, she keeps the bathroom totally dark for her morning shower. I am not a morning person and this really helps me not to get blinded first thing after sleeping. I took a little glowsheet and put it right by her make up lights and put some on the step into the shower. The make up light is so strong it keeps the glowsheet so charged it glows just bright enough to see your way around, and the piece on the step keeps you from banging a toe on it. She was very impressed by this.
A few conclusions.
If you are a member of CPF you have to get some of this stuff.
If you have children, you have to get some of this stuff, they will mess with it for hours.
This is not good to read by, even charged, green is hard to read by, even good chem-sticks.
It is best used for marking things. The bigger the piece the better it holds the light and longer the duration of charge.
Cut it in arrows or pyramid shapes to point to things, like light switches or the way out of a room.
A dime size charged piece of glowsheet is much brighter than a traser ring or a Luminox watch.
I highly reccomend this stuff, it is fun, and it is very practical.
