charging phosphorescent luminous paint with a flashlight

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DB731

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Feb 10, 2013
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I am assuming that multiple coats of paint produce the longest and brightest glow, up to a point.

1) Does having another color underneath (white or yellow for example) make a difference and if so, why?

2) Does a brighter flashlight produce better results, everything else equal?

3) Does a longer exposure to the flashlight (up to a point) produce better results, everything else equal?

4) Does a lesser distance from the flashlight produce better results, everything else equal?

5) Does having a smaller number of clear coats over the luminous paint produce better results?

6) Are all phosphorescent paints created equal, in terms of performance?


Thank you. :D
 
I can't answer any of your questions, but I still think I can help. A UV flashlight (or black light) will give you the fastest results. You can probably find one for $5-10. Google: "UV flashlight lume"
 
I'm assuming that this is the same paint that is on watch markers.

Scott Free is right, you need UV light to charge it. My LED flashlight is around 120 lumens and it gets my watch very bright, much brighter than the light from our incandescent bulbs do from a farther away distance. However, nothing compares to the charge it gets from some direct sunlight. Sunlight makes my watch look like it has LEDs inside of it and makes the charge last a lot longer.
 
Scott Free said:
Actually, I only know the little that I do because I've been researching this very thing over the last few days. I'm expecting a uv flashlight to be delivered this week just so I can play with my watch lume. :)
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Hahaha well your research is correct! I know pure UV light worms well because of an old violet laser pointer I had. That thing charged glow in the dark objects like nothing else.
 
the only question I can answer is that not all paints are created equal, there are a couple of different chemical compounds that are used for the glow, and each of them can come in a few colors. So depending on which you get, and what color, that can affect the brightness and glow time. I don't have the names on the top of my head, but you should be able to find them pretty easy. I think strontium alumate is one.
 
DB731 said:
I am assuming that multiple coats of paint produce the longest and brightest glow, up to a point.
1) Does having another color underneath (white or yellow for example) make a difference and if so, why?
2) Does a brighter flashlight produce better results, everything else equal?
3) Does a longer exposure to the flashlight (up to a point) produce better results, everything else equal?
4) Does a lesser distance from the flashlight produce better results, everything else equal?
5) Does having a smaller number of clear coats over the luminous paint produce better results?
6) Are all phosphorescent paints created equal, in terms of performance?
Thank you. :D
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These answers are based on my experience with my Reactor Trident watch which has super-luminova, a specialty paint designed to glow very bright for longer periods of time.
2) In my experience it will just charge it faster.
3) Once the paint is fully charged it can't be charged any further.
4) Once again it will help it charge quicker.
6) No, they're are many different kinds depending on use and quality. Some are brighter, some stay bright longer.
With all luminous paints there is an initial period of the paint being "super charged" which will wear off within 5-15 minutes. After that brightness slowly declines over a period of time depending on the quality and quantity of the paint.
 
STAINLESS90 said:
These answers are based on my experience with my Reactor Trident watch which has super-luminova, a specialty paint designed to glow very bright for longer periods of time.
2) In my experience it will just charge it faster.
3) Once the paint is fully charged it can't be charged any further.
4) Once again it will help it charge quicker.
6) No, they're are many different kinds depending on use and quality. Some are brighter, some stay bright longer.
With all luminous paints there is an initial period of the paint being "super charged" which will wear off within 5-15 minutes. After that brightness slowly declines over a period of time depending on the quality and quantity of the paint.
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Why do you suppose UV lights work better? I noticed that all of my regular flashlights seem to work, including the tiny LED keychain ones that are given away free.
 
DB731 said:
Why do you suppose UV lights work better? I noticed that all of my regular flashlights seem to work, including the tiny LED keychain ones that are given away free.
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Okay so I did some reading and it appears that most glow in the dark materials are strontium aluminate based as gadgetgeek said. strontium aluminate replaced copper-activated zinc sulfide which used to be the typical material used. strontium aluminate is on average 10X brighter than copper-activated zinc sulfide, but also 10X more expensive to produce. I typically leave my Trident on the counter in direct sunlight to charge but sometimes at night at work I will use the 800 lumen flashlight on my belt. Both sources seem to do the job but using a little science I learned that the sun produces 98,000 lux while my flashlight only produces 800 lux with lux being the measurement of lumens per square meter. Most phosphors charge through visible light of any kind regardless of source, so a flashlight and sunlight of the same intensity will charge at the same rate with the same power. That is why the sun will charge brighter because it has so much more power behind it.
 
Now after all that book-learnin my head hurts so here is a bear riding a dirt bike.
[video=youtube;UqZ44gH2sGY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqZ44gH2sGY[/video]
 
Yes, that makes sense. Brighter source = more robust effects. That's why I was puzzled by the UV/black light claims. I looked at several of them yesterday, and they didn't strike me as particularly bright.

btw, my mother-in-law could beat that bear...if she could find a motorcycle large enough.
 
DB731 said:
That's why I was puzzled by the UV/black light claims. I looked at several of them yesterday, and they didn't strike me as particularly bright.
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They don't look particularly bright, because UV light is mostly outside the visible spectrum. Don't dismiss it as merely a claim that even a cheap UV flashlight will outperform an expensive visible light flashlight when it comes to charging phosphorescent materials.
 
You can try www.unitednuclear.com for info. They manufacture uropium glow pigment and even have a recipe to make paint (add to polyurethane) or you can purchase premade.

I made a carved magic wand for my son with a glowing vein running through it using their glow powder and some 5 minute epoxy. Sunlight charges it the best followed by (in diminishing order) a UV light, full spectrum light, LED flashlight then light bulb.

Glows strong for about 20 min. Then glows dimmer for 20 + hours.
 
Scott Free said:
They don't look particularly bright, because UV light is mostly outside the visible spectrum. Don't dismiss it as merely a claim that even a cheap UV flashlight will outperform an expensive visible light flashlight when it comes to charging phosphorescent materials.
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I bet they would be fun to take along to cheap hotels too. :D:D
 
DB731 said:
I bet they would be fun to take along to cheap hotels too. :D:D
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I'm expecting mine to arrive on Saturday. I'm debating whether or not I really want to know what nastiness is lurking around my own house. Ignorance is bliss. :)
 
For UV lights, I am assuming you look for the ones with the shortest wavelength?
 
I was only wanting mine to charge up my watch lume. From everything I read, any cheap UV flashlight will do. Your needs are different than mine, though. However, if you read the reviews on that big online retail site, most of the lights reviewed are around have a wavelength of 395-400. Most are being used for finding cat and dog urine, and these inexpensive lights are reportedly working great for this as well. I've seen recommendations for shorter wavelengths, but not sure of the intended purpose for such lights.

Edited to add:

Since I'm curious about this myself, I just did a bit more research. The lower wavelength lights are better for finding things such as scorpions or bodily fluids because less visible lights means those scorpions and the dog pee will stand out more from the dark background. I suspect a lower wavelength light will charge up lume a tiny bit faster than a cheap light, but I also suspect the difference is negligible.
 
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