Glowpowder tips?

Hi, Im making a couple of throwing mags with aspheric lens etc using an XRE R2 and H22A heatsink - https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/203235

Ive ordered some v10 glow powder from glowinc and have found some devcon 2 ton crystal clear epoxy in the UK.

My question is how do i add the mixed epoxy with the glowpowder in it to the heatsink? i want to fill it up to the metal collar on the led. Has anyone done this with the H22A heatsink?

If so how much 2 ton epoxy do i need? Would the small 28g syringes be enough? http://www.modelsforsale.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=43554

How thick is it after mixing in the glow powder? Can i "drizzle" it in? pour it in?

I REALLY dont want to make a big mess.
Cheers for any help.
Craig.

I have never done it to any flashight. But someone told me here that you want to mix as much poweder as you can without it turning to cakebatter. Sorry not much help. If it does get thick I would suggest using a syringe.

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greenLED said:

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Thanks. I did look through dozens of glowpowder threads, spent half the night reading as often happens lol.

There isnt any exact info on how much epoxy i would need to do what i want, also the method of putting it on isnt explained too clearly.

I am hoping a largish syringe will suffice, just ordered one from ebay for £1, will see how it works out... i think the 28g devcon 2 ton kit should be enough epoxy, just hope i ordered enough glow powder now, i only got 1/4oz

It really boils down to how you want the finishing result to look like
If you use a lot of V10, it will give you a good bright glow but under
normal light it will look like a piece of grainy green plastic.
Too little V10 and you will get a weak glow and it will look like a
shiny transparent blob sitting around your emitter.

I think it would be best if you did a couple of trial runs to get the mixture
that will result in what you like the most.

As for applying your glow epoxy mixture on a H22 heatsink
What I do is to make a tight fitting "cup" that will sit around the pedestal
(The pedestal is the post bit you put the LED on)
I use a thin strip of flexible plastic covered with electrical tape to make the
"cup". Epoxy does not stick to the tape therefore removing the cup
should not be a problem once the mixture has cured.
Using this "cup" will prevent your mixture from oozing down the sides of
the pedestal and will give you a nice round circle for the mixture to cure in.
The only problem with this, is that when the mixture is dry and you peel off
the "cup", there will be a visible joint.


I have tried using a syringe but found that the flow of the mixture was too
much. I suppose I could of found a smaller syringe but could not be bothered.
What I used instead was a square of plastic cut from a plastic bag and formed
into a triangle/cone. I then cut a tiny bit of the triangle point off and squeezed
the mixture out of the hole onto the pedestal. Kind of like what chefs
do to write on cakes with icing


Try and squeeze the mixture around the emitter itself and let it ooze
onto the pedestal. Occasionally give the heatsink a couple of taps
to help the mixture spread out and level out. Keep doing this until
the mixture reaches the height you want.
Remember, you have 30 minutes before the epoxy cures, that is
way more time than you need so dont rush.

Thank you Sir, some good info there. It will have an aspheric lens with no reflector and im actualy filling the whole area of the heatsink around the pedestal but ive noted your method for just putting around the emitter.

The cake icing method you mention seems to be a decent method although i will try the syringe first. As im filling the whole heatsink hopefully the flow from it should be ok.

Ill get everything set first but as you say ive got 1/2 hour play time so should be plenty of time to get it how i want. I may get some more glowpowder as ill be making a pair of these, knew i should have bought the 1oz bag

Cheers.

I have no experience with the procedure you are proposing, but having built a boat using epoxy, have had a good deal of experience with the stuff. It is amazing, but nasty. Put down a layer of heavy paper, cardboard or plastic to protect the work surface. Wear a disposable apron and surgical gloves (cheap and available from a pharmacy, or should I say an "apothecary"). Some people may be neat enough not to need to take these precautions, but all you need is to get some of the epoxy on your skin and it will be days before it wears off. By the way, acetone is the best solvent for cleanup. It is low in toxicity, but very flammable, so use with caution.

Peri

Heh, thanks. Ive played a little with epoxy before and as you say it can be messy stuff. You can call it a chemist

I tend to be the neat type until i look down and realise ive put my elbow into it.
Thanks for the acetone tip, ive got some in the cupboard. Does IPA work as well?