Miscellaneous Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes utilizing our premium grade glow crystals such as air-brushing glow in the dark images and making glow in the dark grout, candles, spoons, rifle-sights, and glass.

Vehicles

Procedure
The simplest design is to simply paint the whole vehicle in a heavy glow color. This makes a serious statement driving down the street. Glow in the dark pin striping is a great way to get a unique look without being overly tacky. The simplest vehicle enhancement is done by purchasing vinyl adhesive backed pin striping from a local store that carries vehicle enhancement products. Measure the panel of the car where you would like to apply the pin stripe. Add 2" inches and cut a length of pin stripe. Lay this strip on a large table and paint it with glow in the dark paint in 3 thin layers. In some cases where excess falls off the sides, you may have to use a sharp knife to follow the lines. Paint a sealant over the glow paint.

Mixing
Add 120-180gms or 4-6 oz. of glow crystals to ½ liter or 1 pint of ready to spray clear. Mix thoroughly. Stir between coats as setting occurs quickly. Spray immediately after mixing, as this product may not store well when mixed. An agitator cup can help keep product mixed during spraying. Use with urethane finishes.

Glow Time
Glow time will vary based on application, base color and light exposure. Maximum glow time for Natural Green is 8-12 hours.

Vehicle Air Brushing or Painting
You can mix our glow crystals with clear paint and apply using an airbrush or air gun by adding a small amount of acetone to delay the drying time. Most vehicle clear coat manufacturers will produce a solvent-based clear coat that does not include ultraviolet filters. Since this is a specialty item, you may need to contact the manufacturer to get the proper materials. Clear coat with UV filters can also be used, but typically increases the charge time to about an hour in the sun as opposed to the 5 minutes. Do sample tests regardless to check for compatibility. The good news is that glow glow crystals does work like an ultraviolet filter to protect the underlying paint. Mix the powder into the clear coat at a ratio of up to 2 lbs per gallon. You may also need to add a thinner to counteract the thickening properties of the glow crystals.

Prepare the car using standard techniques. Then paint one or more thin layers of glow paint. We suggest the use of a black light to ease in tracking and catching missed areas. One or more coats of pure clear coat should be placed over the glow paint as a protective layer and to increase life.

The glow crystals to paint ratio can vary depending on your intended application. For a bright glow in a solid matrix, use 1kg of glow crystals per gallon of clear coat. Use a lower ratio for effects needing a subtler glow. It should take between 1 and 3 gallons to paint a whole car.

Spray the car with the base coat and clear coat in the regular fashion. Maximum glow effect is achieved when application is over a white base. Other color bases may be used for unusual effects, but glow time will be reduced.

While the clear is still very wet we apply the dry glow crystals using a tribol powder application gun (powder coat gun) to get an even coat of glow crystals.

Charge up powder and spray in the dark to assure an even distribution. Estimated quantity is 1-2 kg. Recoat with 3 coats of clear to obtain a smooth finish. Avoid the hood if possible, the glow may distract from driving.

Glow in the Dark Concrete and Grout
It is becoming popular to light driveways, sidewalks, and curbs for safety. But traditional electrical lighting systems become obstacles and often break within a year. Long duration glow effects are becoming very popular. The sun can charge the glow in the dark concrete during the day and then provide a nice glow in the evening.

Professionals use this method because you can get an extremely bright glow for very low cost. You need to purchase an industrial size saltshaker like those used in restaurant kitchens. Place the powder into the shaker.

Pour your concrete following normal directions. After it is poured, shake the powder over top of it. You are trying to get an even, very thin layer of powder sitting on top of the concrete. Allow to dry fully. Sweep off excess glow crystals for reuse. Dry completely.

Candles
Glow crystals do not actually dissolve in candle gel. They are suspended. Mixing powder with candle gel creates an opaque looking material. Using 30% glow crystals 70% candle gel is a good starting point. Adjust glow crystals content to determine effects desired. Make sure that good dispersion is achieved by mixing well just before pouring.

For paraffin candles, melt the candle wax into a container and add glow crystals to melted wax. Make sure you mix well before dipping the candles. Dip into the glow crystals and was mixture only for the last layers to save on cost.

Basic Glow in the Dark Spoons
We suggest you simply take a store purchased spoon or lure and dip it in Natural Green glow crystals and paint mixture. Then hang it to dry for 20 minutes. When dry, coat it with clear overcoat. Now go fishing and enjoy yourself.

Professional Glow in the Dark Spoon
Manufacturers use airbrushes and masking to paint spoons. Proper airbrush techniques can give you the ability to apply a smooth consistent surface with impressive fading effects. For tips on using an airbrush, consult our painting techniques section. Also remember to use a sealer.

Professional Glow in the Dark Lures
If you mold your own lures, you can add up to 10% of glow in the dark glow crystals (powder) directly to the medium before filling the mold. This makes a lure that glows from the inside and does not usually need a sealer.

The thicker you apply the paint, the brighter and more effective it will be. That being said, a light thin coat still does quite well. One of the biggest problems with night fishing is seeing your rod tips. Even good lighting and brightly colored rods are a bit tough to see. The glow paint helps out here a lot. A great solution is to use a coffee stirrer or drinking straw, depending on the diameter of your tip. You cut the straw to a length of about 2 inches and then cut a slit up one side. Paint the straw with a thick coat of glow paint and sealer. Then slip it onto your rod. In fact, we recommend you paint the straw after you have it on the rod because it looses some flexibility after a thick coat of paint.

Glow crystals can be added to clear coat and coated over lures. Another method is to use a strong adhesive and coat the lure, then spray a clear topcoat for protection.

For silicon lures, just add glow crystalss to silicon in the liquid state, then pour into moulds. Adding anti-settling agents will prevent glow crystalss from settling. The higher the glow crystals content, the brighter the afterglow. It can also be added to a rod wrapping epoxy. Different colors travel different distances through water and different fish species are attracted to different colors. Blue travels farthest, with green following, and yellow, orange, and red in decreasing order of distance traveled.

Glowing lures are charged by ultraviolet light. On a bright sunny day, the sunlight is full of UV rays that charge these lures and they will be visible in water.

Rifle Sights
Easy-to-apply phosphorescent luminous paint greatly enhances sights on rifles, shotguns or pistols, especially in low-light situations. Glow crystals is activated by brief exposure to light and can be recharged indefinitely. Meets military specs. Highly resistant to water and oil. There's 30 or more applications per 1/2 oz paint or powder.

Glass
Impregnating glass with glow in the dark glow crystals will create an effect similar to having a light under a glass figurine. Our Natural Green, Ocean Blue are compatible with raw molten glass.

There cannot be any sulfur, uranium doped, or large amounts of zinc mixed in with any of the glow colors as this causes a chemical reaction to the glass. Silicate base can aid with the color actually melting into the surface.