# Glow powder & Epoxy



## firefly99 (Oct 4, 2005)

Just got half pound of Ultra Blue & half pound of Ultra Green glow powder from Glow Inc. Had try mixing it with a) epoxy, b) nail polish. But did not get good results in both cases. The glow did not last more than a minute, after exposing to light for several minutes. The powder was advertised "glow would last 12 hours"

I am trying to fill up the slots on SF G2 LOTC, with the glow powder & seal up with epoxy. After the powder & epoxy mixture had dried, it can still be peel off cleanly. It seem that the epoxy did not bind with the base material.

Did I make a mistake somewhere ? Anyone with experience on this please advise, how to make the glow last longer and stick. Thanks.


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## WildRice (Oct 4, 2005)

When I use epoxy, I use the 5min type and a heavy concentration of powder. I mix the epoxy then add about the same amount of powder by volume. at this point it is kinda goopy, but will still flow. I have put this mixture in the groove around the bezel of lights, and YES, if you pick at it, it can be peeled off. Also, if the base metal is white or silver colored, it will glow best. Try using an exacto and score up the base surface, this will give the epoxy something to grab on to.

Jeff


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## IsaacHayes (Oct 4, 2005)

I found the best epoxy to use is the 2ton 30min setup kind. The 5min will turn brown after age/heat/uv and it seems to block some UV from getting though it. The 2-ton doesn't. It will let all the UV through as I've shined a UV light on 2 different mixes and the 2 ton fnished stuff glowed right away. The 2-ton aslo cures to a harder plastic that isn't so soft. Mix as much powder as you can, it will seem like too much but them it will flow again like Jeff said.

If you're doing 2-ton let it setup for a while to get thicker before applying or it will be too runny.


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## cratz2 (Oct 14, 2005)

Jeff/WildRice was the one that clued me into how to apply it. I used the 5 min epoxy from Walmart and mixed up quite a bit of the powder into the mix. I squeezed out a bit of the epoxy, sprinkled some powder, mixed it up with a knife blade... sprinkled some more in, mixed it up again. Applied it with the corner of one of those cheap foam trim brushes. Worked just fine for me. No browning or yellowing yet and this was a year ago. I put it around one Luxeon star base and on the end of about six Maglite bulb retainers.


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## greenLED (Oct 14, 2005)

Darkzero's glow powder + epoxy recipe.
Never had a problem. Could it be due to the epoxy you're using? You could try sanding the surface lightly to enhance "grip". Also, wait until the epoxy cures completely (up to 14 hrs, depends on type) before messing with it.


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## Kram (Oct 14, 2005)

Here's another vote for the 2-Ton epoxy. I've tried a number of different ones and this one is harder when set and retains its clarity better than any of the 5 minute epoxys I've tried. Also, the slightly longer set time gives imperfections a chance to work themselves out. When the primary mix has hardened, I sometimes apply a thin coat of pure epoxy just to give it a shiny surface.

My empirically derived formula seems to be about the same as what others are saying. I get the best results when I try to mix about an equal amount of glow powder (by volume) with the epoxy mix. The result is more of a paste than a liquid, but it evens out before it sets.

Finally, I use a toothpick for application.

This stuff is fun to work with but if you get it on your clothes it will stay forever, so be careful. I have a couple of pairs of pants that glow in spots from my experiments of a couple of years ago.

Mark


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## OddBall (Oct 14, 2005)

In case it was skipped over, you are laying pure powder down and covering with epoxy, right?

This will not work.

Light can't penetrate deep into pure powder, if you mix it in with the nail polish or the epoxy, THEN it will work much better because the powder is kinda 'spread out' if you will in the mixture.

I hope you didn't waste too much! 

Good luck!

Tim.


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## greenLED (Oct 14, 2005)

I forgot to mention, if you're using the strontium aluminate stuff, it takes 10-15 minutes to fully charge and glow for the advertised 12 hours. If you shine a light at it for less than a minute, the glow will fade much faster than this. Also, a UV light source is the best to charge the powder. I leave my GID stuff by a light window during the day.


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## firefly99 (Oct 15, 2005)

OddBall said:


> In case it was skipped over, you are laying pure powder down and covering with epoxy, right?



Yes, I did try this. But the glow does not last more than 1 minute.


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## greenlight (Oct 15, 2005)

Maybe you didn't experiment in the right conditions. At night you might notice that the things you painted are still glowing many hours later.


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## proFeign (Nov 2, 2005)

firefly99 said:


> Yes, I did try this. But the glow does not last more than 1 minute.



That's specifically what not to do; unless you get good powder distribution through the epoxy then most of the powder that's being used is blocked from light entirely. 

I've had the best luck mixing about 1-2 times as much powder as epoxy and making the epoxy mix as deep as possible on what I'm applying it to... Many hours of glow for that from only a few minutes of charging. Haven't seen it last 12 hours, but I have seen it go for six plus, with good intensity for about an hour and a half.


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## greenLED (Nov 2, 2005)

yup, you must thoroughly mix the powder with the epoxy. Don't know how we missed that part of your procedure.


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## Skylighter (Nov 8, 2005)

Wow. I have been off of CPF for about two months dealing with the Halloween rush. Boy, this was not a good post to read first.

Thanks guys for helping this guy out. Here are my thoughts.

First, some epoxy's contain UV filters.

Second, it is not clear if you are mixing the pigment into the epoxy or somehow painting over it. You would have to mix it in. I always suggest a ratio of at least 2lbs to the gallon. (of course you will need to modify this ratio for your size).

I can't stress enough that we HIGHLY recommend that you use our medium.

What are you using as your charging light? All phosphorescent pigments mostly charge from UV light. Most light bulbs are sloppy and spew out plenty of UV light as a byproduct. But flashlights and some higher end light bulbs don't have this extra UV running around.

I will try to post info on an after Halloween sale if any of you are interested.

In the meantime, if any of your are interested in haunted attraction lighting effects, check out the three articles at:
http://www.biasedopinion.com

Danny Clark
Glow Inc.
http://www.glowinc.com


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## GuideSeries (Nov 8, 2005)

where does everyone purchase their glow powder from? i need to purchase some to make glow beads for lanyards and i want to experiment with coating flashlights, using a mini mag to start. Then eventuall my 6P.
thanks for the info.
J


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## Skylighter (Nov 8, 2005)

Haha, I get mine from Glow Inc.!!!! Hehehehe

All joking aside, I put the info on the After Halloween Sale in the Dealers Corner. 20% off everything. Discount code MOM.

Danny Clark
Glow Inc.
http://www.glowinc.com


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## greenLED (Nov 9, 2005)

Skylighter said:


> ... I put the info on the After Halloween Sale in the Dealers Corner. 20% off everything. Discount code MOM.



...and here's the link. I put a link to darkzero's epoxy+GID powder recipe there for everyone to see.

Skylighter, I'm following you tonight! :nana:


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## proFeign (Nov 9, 2005)

Hey Guys,

Glow Inc. makes some bad *** glow powder. I have never seen anything like it, and I'm not entirely sure I'm using it to its full potential. 

Nice product, Skylighter!

Also it's cool that you post here. I think I might give in and buy an ounce of your paint. It's really pricey, but I guess I'll know for sure how good your product can be when applied only when I've used it next to my own epoxy mixture. Also your site explains pretty well why it's so expensive, and the reasoning seems sound to me.

The DevCon long-setting epoxy seems to work phenomenally well for this, but it may have UV filters that aren't listed.

Anyway, if I were going to paint, say, the outside of a car headlight housing (a glass one) would I want the weatherproof version? It's not really clear to me (but only because I want high strength, waterproofness, and abrasion resistance) which I should choose, and two of the products seem like they would be good...

I'm not sure I'll do anything to my car, but that's a good representation of the durability and exposure that I'd like the paint to withstand (within reason, of course).

Thanks! Also it'd be sweet if you put together for purchase a sampler pack of say a half ounce of each ultra color and a quarter ounce each of three of the other colors like red, purple, orange for some price where you get maybe four or five dollars off the straight retail so that we all on CPF might be encouraged to try out some colors other than the ultras.



-proFeign


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## Skylighter (Nov 9, 2005)

greenLED said:


> ...and here's the link.
> Skylighter, I'm following you tonight!


 
Great! Now I have my own online paparazzi!

Smiles,


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## Skylighter (Nov 9, 2005)

ProFeign,

First, let me say thanks for the kind words. I am happy you like the product so much.

Weather-proof paint is made with the same medium as the solvent-based paint. The difference is that it uses coated pigments. Coated pigments have a thin covering over the individual particles to make them non-water soluable. As a result, they have better protection outdoors. But the coating also causes some seperation issues.

I am not a fan of the weather-proof paints. Instead I would suggest using solvent-based paints with a clear coat of Krylon Crystal Clear Spray Paint over the finished product. That will give you the best weather resistance.

As for the sample pack, that is easier said than done. We have tried it twice and it makes a logistical nightmare for us.

Hope this helps,


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## greenlight (Nov 9, 2005)

If your headlamps have a replaceable lamp, you might be able to paint inside the reflector. That would look cool when off, the whole thing would glow.


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## Skylighter (Nov 10, 2005)

Here are some head light pics that a customer sent to us.

He painted only the stem of the light bulb holder. So all of the "glow" was via the reflectors.


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## joema (Nov 10, 2005)

*firefly99 said:*_ "...Just got half pound of Ultra Blue & half pound of Ultra Green glow powder from Glow Inc....The glow did not last more than a minute, after exposing to light for several minutes. The powder was advertised "glow would last 12 hours....."_

I have Glow Inc. ultra green glow paint, which uses the same powder. It works superbly. Charging for 1 min, it glows so bright for the first few minutes a 1 sq. inch paint spot lights up a dark room sufficiently to see with dark adapted eyes.

I have a spot on the back of my Peak Caribbean (used three thin paint layers), and for the first few minutes I can use the glow paint itself with flashlight turned off to walk around a darkened house.

8-10 hrs later, it's much dimmer but you can easily see it in the dark.

I'd first suggest charge the glow powder by itself and see if it performs as you expect. That will determine whether it's the epoxy causing a problem or you have defective/wrong product.

In general I'd suggest just using the pre-made paint -- the binding agents are optimized for the suspended powder, and you needn't mix up anything.


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## greenlight (Nov 10, 2005)

Skylighter said:


> Here are some head light pics that a customer sent to us.
> 
> He painted only the stem of the light bulb holder. So all of the "glow" was via the reflectors.




Headlamp reflectors are focused, obviously, so some creative painting must be done to make the whole assembly glow to the casual observer. Still, a cool effect- unless your headlamps are the retracting sort.


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## Sgt. LED (Sep 19, 2007)

bump


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## proFeign (Sep 20, 2007)

Sgt. LED said:


> bump




whatchu want?


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## npkeith (Sep 20, 2007)

Has anyone tried the europium based stuff from United Nuclear? They make it themselves, and claim it glows even longer than the strontium based stuff.


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## greenLED (Sep 20, 2007)

npkeith said:


> Has anyone tried the europium based stuff from United Nuclear? They make it themselves, and claim it glows even longer than the strontium based stuff.



Yup, I've tried it. Pure marketing. Nothing special about "Europium based stuff". IIRC, Europium is what's added to Strontium Aluminate to make the stuff glow. 

The consistency of their paint is smoother than the old formulation from Glowinc.com, though.


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