Can I Use The Sun To Charge Glow Art?
The easy answer to this question is that yes the sun will absolutely charge any glow in the dark material very well. That being said, there is more to consider when planning to use phosphorescent materials outdoors.
First, while the sun will charge your paint or powder to its full potential, it doesn’t instantly go from bright and sunny to pitch black outside. What happens instead is that the sun gradually sets and it doesn’t get really dark until pretty late in the evening. This is also assuming there aren’t any streetlights etc. to ruin your night vision.
Glow in the dark is true to its name. It requires DARK surroundings to be fully appreciated. It is true that lots of our colors are so bright shortly after charging that you can see them in even a well-lit room, but once the charging source goes away (the sun in this case) they quickly start transitioning from their brightest output to their afterglow stage. The afterglow is what is commonly referenced as lasting 8 to 12 hours for strontium aluminate pigments like the ones we sell. During this afterglow stage, you probably need to be in a very dark environment to see the glow at all. This is due to both the glow fading and the fact that your eyes are much more sensitive once they are adjusted to the dark.
So back to our outdoor glowing item. During the time between sunset and the time it actually gets really dark, the charging source has gone away and it’s not that dark yet. This means that you may not see any glow during this time unless you quickly recharge the item with an ultraviolet flashlight. If you were to not re charge it, then you would probably start to see the glow later in the evening once your eyes are adjusted to the darkness.
Second, volume matters. A wood table with a half inch of glow powder infused resin is going to glow brighter and longer than one or two thin layers of glow paint on a similar table. This isn’t to say that using glow paint outdoors won’t work, but try to stick to the brightest colors (aqua and green) and use several coats to build up the glow pigment. For example, using glow in the dark infused lacquer on top of a table instead of painting it with glow paint will give you the better result.
This post was definitely not written to discourage you from using phosphorescent materials outdoors. Instead, we want to set your expectations about the capabilities of glow in the dark technology so that you end up with the best result possible.
If you are wanting to get more glow during the time between sunset and when it gets really dark, we recommend picking up one of our 9 LED UV flashlights which can top of the charge of your glow art in seconds. For a more substantial charge we recommend these lights that are available on Amazon: American DJ Black Light Fixture, OPPSK UV LED Light Bar, Sunlite CFL Black Light Bulb.
If you have any questions or comments please leave them below or email us at info@artnglow.com.
Hello Karen,
Really you can use any kind of pots. If you want the pots to have a certain color in the daytime, we would recommend that you paint the pots with a regular acrylic paint first as the base coat. Then you can apply 2-3 layers our of glow paints. Our brightest and longest-lasting colors are our Neutral Aqua and Neutral Green paints and powders. Here are some additional tips for using glow products on outdoor projects:
It only takes a few minutes of charging for the glowing effect to be visible. However, working with glow in the dark products outdoors can be a little tricky, since there are a few hours between when the sun goes down, and when it actually gets dark enough outside to see the glow. These products are best appreciated in complete darkness, with minimal light pollution.
It is true that lots of our glow colors are so bright shortly after charging that you can see them even in a well-lit room, but once the charging source goes away (the sun in this case) they start transitioning from their brightest output to their afterglow stage. The afterglow is what is commonly referenced as lasting 6 to 12 hours for strontium aluminate pigments like the ones we sell. During this afterglow stage, you probably need to be in a very dark environment to see the glow at all, due to the glow fading and the fact that your eyes are much more sensitive once they are adjusted to the dark.Here is an article from our blog that goes into further detail about the use of glow in the dark products outdoors: https://www.artnglow.com/blogs/news/can-i-use-the-sun-to-charge-outdoor-glowing-materialsWe would suggest having a UV flashlight or similar UV light source handy to quickly and easily charge your glow product after dark.
Want glow in the dark for outdoor glow pots. . What kind of pots do I
need and what of your products make them look like they are lit up?
Hello Kevin,
Our glow in the dark powders can be mixed into a wide variety of clear and transparent mediums, including epoxy resin, acrylic or oil paint medium, crafting glues (such as Mod Podge), many different clear/gloss/glaze clear coats, clear nail polish or acrylic powder for nails, and much more. While we haven’t used the specific paint you mentioned, we believe it will work for your application.
We typically recommend using 7 grams of powder for each fluid ounce of the medium. This ratio is designed to give your project the brightest and longest-lasting glow. However, there is room for experimentation if you wish to use more or less glow powder. The mixture may look off-white, but it should be fairly transparent when applied. We would recommend experimenting on a small-scale project before proceeding with your big project to ensure you achieve your desired look.
I want to put a “wet look” concrete sealer on my fire pit. I purchased 1 gallon of Valspar 100% acrylic waterproofing sealer and I have 4 bags 12 grams of your neutral sky blue glow powder.
1) will the powder mix well in this product ?
2) how much powder should I mix to get the maximum effect without making the sealer look cloudy?
Thanks
Lisa,
Neutral Green and Neutral Aqua are our two brightest and longest-glowing colors so these are the colors we typically recommend using for outdoor projects. We would also suggest having a UV flashlight (like the one we sell in our store) or similar UV light source handy to quickly and easily charge your glow product after dark!
Chris,
Our Neutral Green glow paint should work great for your project, and you can add a clear coat on top of it to protect from the elements if you’d like! You can also increase the brightness of your glow by applying more coats – we recommend at least 2-3 for the optimal glow, but you can add as many coats as you’d like (allowing 10-15 min for the paint to dry between coats).
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