vcal
Flashlight Enthusiast
Several forum members who have acquired 10-20 grams of the new glow powders have asked me to provide a simplified, but very effective way to use them. I've made all the mistakes, so here's my method for the best, brightest, all-night glow that is surprisingly hassle-free.
Firstly, helpful materials:
1. a 1/2 oz. bottle of lacquer-based CLEAR fingernail finish.
2. a 1/4 oz. bottle of clean unleaded paint thinner.
3. small bottle of "white out" -like typewriter "correction" fluid -to be used as a base (primer) coat.
4. 3-4" stirring stick (not plastic)
5. a 1/4 teaspoon plastic kitchen measuring spoon
6. cheap medicine dropper (for thinner)
7. piece of folded cardboard or small piece of paper for small funnel.
8. clean, empty, sealable small bottle 1/2 oz. or larger.
EZ recipe for a DAZZLING paint after-glow result:
A. pour out 3/4 (75%) of the 1/2 oz. fingernail fingernail finish into the other little empty bottle and cap it tight, so it doesn't evaporate.
B. carefully fill the plastic measuring 1/4 teaspoon of the glow mix to a little more than the level mark, and gently pour it into the fingernail liquid. FYI-that 1/4 teaspoon of pigment weighs about 2.25 gm.
C. stir the powder into the liquid thoroughly.!
D. Screw the cap (with built-in applicator brush) tightly down to prevent the mix from drying out.
-There..., now you've mixed some great paint!
I suggest keeping that little bottle of paint in motion every minute or so to prevent the pigment from settling,-and you having to re-stir.
Simple and quick application:
A. on a clean, dry surface, quickly paint a base coat of the "white out" (or other oil-based flat White paint).
B. After it dries (2-3 min)., apply a thin coat of your newly mixed Glow paint-and as soon as you have applied it, put the cap back on Quickly -to minimize evaporation. It's a very good idea to keep that bottle of new Glow-paint moving in your hand a little -to keep it well mixed.
C. All you need to do then is to apply 3-4 more thin coats (letting each one dry thoroughly -usually 5-10 minutes under average conditions, and a properly dried surface will look FLAT, not shiny), and if you're in a hurry you can use a squeeze air-bulb or even a small fan to speed the drying process.
Tip: if the paint mixture does become too thick, making it hard to apply evenly, just add 3-5 drops of the paint thinner with the dropper to thin it out very nicely....-not too much!
-And stir it in well before re-applying.
FYI-if you've stuck with my recommendations as far as proportions, you have a pigment to base liquid ratio of 30-35% by weight.
Don't do the following!:--------
1. dilute with lacquer thinner or acetone-you'll wreck the mix.
2. don't add bird or buckshot into the mix to facilitate mixing-the lead will leach into the mix!
You can do the above procedure from start to completion in an hour or so, -with decent ventilation for each coat to dry, but don't expect the painted surface to glow brightly, until the paint is dry.-that's how it works folks
When drying is complete, using the blue/green pigment, you will have a glow surface that is 4-5 times as bright and lasts 2-3 times longer than the green glow sheeting, and is 40% brighter (IMO) than Alien Skin -especially after 2 hours in darkness.
A final touch:------------------
The painted surface can easily be given a thin coat of protective clear lacquer from that second little bottle that was left over.
General Info:-------------------
The Regular green pigment glows brightly for about 8-10 hours and only need 30 seconds exposure to strong light to charge up.
The more powerful blue/green paint glows very well for 16-24 hours and requires at LEAST a full minute to properly charge, -and by strong light I mean the surface should be held 3-4" under a cool white fluorescent if possible......
The glowing surfaces will have a lifespan rivaling that of the LED, I would guess. Hoop-de-doo!
The entire procedure described above takes less time to do than the time it took to write this little article -about 70min.
p.s.-short exposure to UV light on a 2" x 3½" painted business card gave enough light storage to allow me to find my way around a house full of dark rooms for about 40 minutes, and to easily read average sized printed copy in a TV Guide for almost half an hour....
Edit-4/5/02:
One really good way to tell if you've mixed your new paint in the proper proportion is to stir the paint thoroughly and then set the jar down on a flat surface in a dark area for 2-3 hours.
Then, holding the bottle level under a strong light to charge up the mixture, note the level of the settled pigment at the bottom compared to the total fluid level. It should be no more than about 1/3 of the whole liquid.
*Edit-4/5-a last final way to tell if you've got the right mix ratio is that the Dried painted surface should feel very slightly gritty-like emery paper.
Also, the mixed paint should flow a little,-if it doesn't, then just add 2-3 drops (+) of the thinner. -If it's too "gooey", it won't go on smooothly and give you a nice Even coat..
Edit-4/20/02:
To test to see if you have picked the best base liquid to use, it would be great if you could hold a small swatch of just the Clear base painted on a White business card under a blacklight. If you see little or no discoloration, you've got a good one! I tried 5 or 6 different brands under a black light and 4 of them looked a little "blackish"
under that light. It WILL make a difference in ultimate brightness.
Addition-5/14/02
It's also best to try to mix up just a little more paint than you will need for the particular job you're doing. Over time, the lacquer medium will darken the pigment a little. So the absolute best possible results come from a fresh mixture. However, the finished painted surface will
not deteriorate over a period of time-especially if it's lightly lacquered.
-mr.glow-
Firstly, helpful materials:
1. a 1/2 oz. bottle of lacquer-based CLEAR fingernail finish.
2. a 1/4 oz. bottle of clean unleaded paint thinner.
3. small bottle of "white out" -like typewriter "correction" fluid -to be used as a base (primer) coat.
4. 3-4" stirring stick (not plastic)
5. a 1/4 teaspoon plastic kitchen measuring spoon
6. cheap medicine dropper (for thinner)
7. piece of folded cardboard or small piece of paper for small funnel.
8. clean, empty, sealable small bottle 1/2 oz. or larger.
EZ recipe for a DAZZLING paint after-glow result:
A. pour out 3/4 (75%) of the 1/2 oz. fingernail fingernail finish into the other little empty bottle and cap it tight, so it doesn't evaporate.
B. carefully fill the plastic measuring 1/4 teaspoon of the glow mix to a little more than the level mark, and gently pour it into the fingernail liquid. FYI-that 1/4 teaspoon of pigment weighs about 2.25 gm.
C. stir the powder into the liquid thoroughly.!
D. Screw the cap (with built-in applicator brush) tightly down to prevent the mix from drying out.
-There..., now you've mixed some great paint!
I suggest keeping that little bottle of paint in motion every minute or so to prevent the pigment from settling,-and you having to re-stir.
Simple and quick application:
A. on a clean, dry surface, quickly paint a base coat of the "white out" (or other oil-based flat White paint).
B. After it dries (2-3 min)., apply a thin coat of your newly mixed Glow paint-and as soon as you have applied it, put the cap back on Quickly -to minimize evaporation. It's a very good idea to keep that bottle of new Glow-paint moving in your hand a little -to keep it well mixed.
C. All you need to do then is to apply 3-4 more thin coats (letting each one dry thoroughly -usually 5-10 minutes under average conditions, and a properly dried surface will look FLAT, not shiny), and if you're in a hurry you can use a squeeze air-bulb or even a small fan to speed the drying process.
Tip: if the paint mixture does become too thick, making it hard to apply evenly, just add 3-5 drops of the paint thinner with the dropper to thin it out very nicely....-not too much!
-And stir it in well before re-applying.
FYI-if you've stuck with my recommendations as far as proportions, you have a pigment to base liquid ratio of 30-35% by weight.
Don't do the following!:--------
1. dilute with lacquer thinner or acetone-you'll wreck the mix.
2. don't add bird or buckshot into the mix to facilitate mixing-the lead will leach into the mix!
You can do the above procedure from start to completion in an hour or so, -with decent ventilation for each coat to dry, but don't expect the painted surface to glow brightly, until the paint is dry.-that's how it works folks
When drying is complete, using the blue/green pigment, you will have a glow surface that is 4-5 times as bright and lasts 2-3 times longer than the green glow sheeting, and is 40% brighter (IMO) than Alien Skin -especially after 2 hours in darkness.
A final touch:------------------
The painted surface can easily be given a thin coat of protective clear lacquer from that second little bottle that was left over.
General Info:-------------------
The Regular green pigment glows brightly for about 8-10 hours and only need 30 seconds exposure to strong light to charge up.
The more powerful blue/green paint glows very well for 16-24 hours and requires at LEAST a full minute to properly charge, -and by strong light I mean the surface should be held 3-4" under a cool white fluorescent if possible......
The glowing surfaces will have a lifespan rivaling that of the LED, I would guess. Hoop-de-doo!
The entire procedure described above takes less time to do than the time it took to write this little article -about 70min.
p.s.-short exposure to UV light on a 2" x 3½" painted business card gave enough light storage to allow me to find my way around a house full of dark rooms for about 40 minutes, and to easily read average sized printed copy in a TV Guide for almost half an hour....
Edit-4/5/02:
One really good way to tell if you've mixed your new paint in the proper proportion is to stir the paint thoroughly and then set the jar down on a flat surface in a dark area for 2-3 hours.
Then, holding the bottle level under a strong light to charge up the mixture, note the level of the settled pigment at the bottom compared to the total fluid level. It should be no more than about 1/3 of the whole liquid.
*Edit-4/5-a last final way to tell if you've got the right mix ratio is that the Dried painted surface should feel very slightly gritty-like emery paper.
Also, the mixed paint should flow a little,-if it doesn't, then just add 2-3 drops (+) of the thinner. -If it's too "gooey", it won't go on smooothly and give you a nice Even coat..
Edit-4/20/02:
To test to see if you have picked the best base liquid to use, it would be great if you could hold a small swatch of just the Clear base painted on a White business card under a blacklight. If you see little or no discoloration, you've got a good one! I tried 5 or 6 different brands under a black light and 4 of them looked a little "blackish"
Addition-5/14/02
It's also best to try to mix up just a little more paint than you will need for the particular job you're doing. Over time, the lacquer medium will darken the pigment a little. So the absolute best possible results come from a fresh mixture. However, the finished painted surface will
not deteriorate over a period of time-especially if it's lightly lacquered.
-mr.glow-
