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- Glow Powder Basic Guidelines
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The basic structure of the particle is crystalline, which has a
tremendous capacity of absorbing, storing, and emitting light. The
crystals absorb any ambient light, including regular indoor light.
This provides incredible potential in safety, novelty, and industrial
applications. A whole new era in luminous materials have arrived.
Properties of our Glow Powder
1. Non toxic and non radioactive.
2. Longer afterglow.
3. Afterglow and brightness, ten times stronger than Zinc Sulfide
powder.
4. Shelf life of more than 10 years.
5. Comes in 11 different colors.
6. Weather resistant.
7. Glow Powder does not change the characteristics of the medium.
8. Water-based and non-water based available. |
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| These Super Phosphorescent Pigments for solvent-based mediums can
be mixed in just about any medium that is non-aqueous. Mixing these
pigments with water (or even ambient moisture in the air) will damage
the particles and decrease glow. The reds and oranges will produce
a smell when they come in contact with moisture. |
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These Glow Powder (or phosphorescent pigment as it is also called)
Basics gives you some guidelines as to the usage of the Glow Powder
products. These are just guidelines and the user should use their
best judgment in working with the pigments.
Basic Guidelines For Using Glow Powder.
1. More powder, higher percentage will produce brighter, longer glow.
2. Use a white, or light color as a background for best results. Any
color other than white will diminish glow.
3. Use the clearest vehicle possible. Any pigment in the vehicle will
decrease the brightness and length of glow.
4. The thicker (to a point) the layer of Glow Powder will produce
longer and brighter luminosity.
5. Try to prevent moisture in the manufacturing process.
6. Do not use vehicle with high acidity.
7. Do not grind the Glow Powder, it will destroy the crystal structure
and therefore decrease luminosity.
8. The larger the particle size of the Glow Powder the greater the
glow.
9. Ratio of Glow Powder to medium is from 10% to 50% by weight depending
on application and manufacture process. |
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- Two of the most frequently asked questions in regards
to Glow Powder are:
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| What can I do with it?
- The problem is that you can do almost anything with it. You
can mix it into a plethora of mediums such as wax, paint, caulking,
ceramic glaze, plastics, glue etc. It has numerous industrial
applications for safety and fun for home use in arts and crafts.
It is the all purpose Glow Powder in its truest sense. These Glow
Powders have been used in everything from candles, printing, shirts,
and of course paint.
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| How much powder does it take?
- This universal question has one answer. It is up to you. The
amount of powder to medium will depend on how much glow desired,
cost effectiveness, type of application method etc. The Basic
Guidelines dictate from 10% to 50% by weight. If you are producing
a low cost item, then a lower percentage would work best for you.
If you are screen printing shirts and want to make only one pass,
a higher percentage would work better. Please also consider the
particle size of the powder and the color of the surface to which
the medium is going to be applied. Experimentation will be the
best method of determining ratios after following the guidelines
found on this site.
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- Other Frequently Asked Questions About Glow Powder.
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| What is Glow Powder?
Glow powder is actually called phosphorescent pigment. It is the basis
of just about all glow in the dark products. This powdery substance
absorbs light and then re-emits it over a length of time. |
| Is the glow powder safe?
Yes the glow powder is non-toxic and non-radioactive. As with any
powder substance (including flour or plaster) you will not want to
breathe it for long periods of time. For home use these pigments are
really safe. |
| How do I use Risk Reactor's Glow
Powder? You can use the glow powder in just about
any application. Mix it with paint, caulking, glue, plastic, inks,
wax, plastisol, etc. Limitations are endless, just follow the basic
guidelines (see Basic Guidelines) to make sure you get the right pigment
for your application. |
| What does the particle size have
to do with anything? The larger the particle
size the brighter and longer the glow. Our clients use the smaller
particle size when the process of manufacturing dictates that need.
Risk Reactor ships only the largest particle size unless a specific
request is made. If you are screen printing or have settling problems
a smaller particle size might help. |
| How does it get charged?
The powder is a photo-luminescent pigment which gets its energy from
photons or light. Any ambient light will charge the powder. Sunlight
works the fastest but black light will also charge the pigment very
well. |
| How many times can you charge
it? You can charge the pigment an infinite amount
of times as long as you follow the basic guidelines (see Basic Guidelines)
you will maximize the usage. |
| Will sunlight ruin the glow powder?
All of our glow products with the exception of our short glow are
very stable outside and can last many years. The Short Glow products
can not withstand long exposure to outside elements. |
| Can you put the powder in water?
We carry PPWB-10. PPWB-00, and PPWB-06 pigments which can go into
water based mediums. The other pigments will start deteriorating after
exposure to any ambient moisture including humidity. |
| How much glow powder goes into a ounce,
pint, gallon? We recommend to start with around 15 grams
of glow powder to an ounce of paint, 256 grams (10 ounces) of pigment
per pint and 2048 grams (2 kilograms, 4.4 pounds) per gallon. After
working with the material you can adjust the ratio to suit your particular
needs. |
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| The How To section allows give you enough information to get started
in making your own inks, paints, plastic etc. These are just guidelines
and only trial and error in your environment would dictate a correct
process. |
How to Make Glow Ink and Paint:
These are the guidelines to making luminous ink, phosphorescent coatings,
glow in the dark screen print ink. Your application may require some
adjustments to the technical material below. Please read the Basic
Guidelines also for more information.
1. Mix the Phosphorescent Pigment into clear vehicles. Any pigment
in the medium will obscure the luminosity.
2. Viscosity of ink should be about 3000-5000 micro-poises. During
printing viscosity should be adjusted by using a diluting agent based
on printing speed.
3. Apply a white background coat under the luminous material layer
to improve afterglow. Having the glow on top of any other color will
diminish the glow strength.
4. 100 um film thickness is required to achieve the best results.
If you want the maximum luminous effect use 130-150 um thickness.
Sometimes more than one pass will be necessary to obtain the level
of glow required.
5. If screen printing clothes try to use white fabric, any other color
will decrease the glow. If using a non-white fabric, place a white
layer below the luminous layer for the best glowing effect.
6. Due to the nature of the Glow Powder, an anti-settling agent may
be required. Photo-luminescent pigment is heavier than most vehicles
and settling might occur. Therefore use a viscous vehicle or an anti-settling
agent, but always stir before printing.
7. One kilogram of dry Glow Powder can cover an area roughly 3.3 square
meters or 12 square feet with a 150 um thick film. One gram covers
approximately 25 square centimeters.
8. Use inks with pH levels around 7.
9. Generally speaking 10%-50% by weight is the best ratio for mixing
Glow Powder to a vehicle. The percentage depends on how much glow
is desired, how many passes you want to make, the screen mesh size,
etc. Determine the thickness, size, and resolution of the printing
area. If the base is a color other than white you may need to add
more Glow Powder to achieve desired results. |
How to Make Glow Plastic:
These are the guidelines for using Risk Reactor's Glow Powder in
Plastic.
1. You can mix Glow Powder in with acrylic, polyester, polypropylene,
epoxy, PVC, polyethylene (HDPE, LDPE etc.) polymers.
2. You can extrude, mold, dip and cast this material. |
Technical Support 212-367-7561 - Call
if you need information regarding your specfic projects! |