Anyone experiment with glow-in-the-dark paint?

I usually despise graffiti, especially when I encounter them underground in quarries or bunkers but had to make some friends within that community because I can think of quite a few bright ideas with glow in the dark paint underground where I spend a lot of time. It was easier to ask the experts.

To summarize:
1) you cannot escape first applying a white base layer.
2) You can buy the paint, try several because their qualities widely differ. It's expensive.
3) You can make your own clear lacquer and add pigments to it. This works really well since you decide how much you put in. The more you add pigments, the more light.
4) Not all pigments are made equal !!! I have seen "pure pigment" adultered with something, probably fumed silica as it just takes space and doesnt hinder the light much. The absolute best pigments I've seen, and also the cheapest if you compare to some eBay / Amazon prices are the ones Onyxmet.com sells.

And one last tip, bring a UV lamp. You'll want to take pictures of whatever art you are going to make I assume
UV allows you to charge the pigments much faster which in turn helps with an "even" lighting from the pigments if your masterpiece is big.

Quote: Originally posted by paulll

NileRed's video on the subject, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OfI-XpYAqM0 might be of interest to you if you haven't come across it.

Quote: Originally posted by Lionel Spanner

You can create pretty much any colour by mixing red, green and blue in appropriate proportions - they are the primary colours of light. With that in mind, the easiest way to achieve purple is to mix red and blue. Strontium aluminate has a very different electronic structure to zinc sulphide, so the same elements will have very different effects on the colour. Going by Onyxmet's website, doping with europium results in green luminescence, and doping with europium and dysprosium results in blue luminescence.

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber

I usually despise graffiti, especially when I encounter them underground in quarries or bunkers but had to make some friends within that community because I can think of quite a few bright ideas with glow in the dark paint underground where I spend a lot of time. It was easier to ask the experts. To summarize: 1) you cannot escape first applying a white base layer. 2) You can buy the paint, try several because their qualities widely differ. It's expensive. 3) You can make your own clear lacquer and add pigments to it. This works really well since you decide how much you put in. The more you add pigments, the more light. 4) Not all pigments are made equal !!! I have seen "pure pigment" adultered with something, probably fumed silica as it just takes space and doesnt hinder the light much. The absolute best pigments I've seen, and also the cheapest if you compare to some eBay / Amazon prices are the ones Onyxmet.com sells. And one last tip, bring a UV lamp. You'll want to take pictures of whatever art you are going to make I assume UV allows you to charge the pigments much faster which in turn helps with an "even" lighting from the pigments if your masterpiece is big.

I dont know what you are painting on and where it will be so I cannot really answer your question.
That's more a question for the guy working in the paint section of your hardware store but:

- You'll always want to first apply a white coat. If your surface is dark it will dim the light.
- You dont want to use paint that already has pigments. Go for a lacquer, a varnish I dont know how to call it. Something that is transparent. You can sometimes find data on how much pigments are in commercially available products and this can give you an idea on how much you need to get yourself. That's also very important if you plan to use different colors on your work. Your blue will never be as bright as your green if you use the same weight of pigments.
- Some people suggested that it would be better to use pigments to enhance a painting. For example, picture a musician playing on a stage under spotlights. You could use phosphorescent pigments in the circle of the spotlights. I've seen people paint stars with blue pigments on a black background. It works... but it's the worst combination. Kinda cool to sleep under though

In my case though (stone surfaces, underground with high humidity and people passing) I'd go for a paint that has good mechanical performance. Water based paints cant really be brushed of cleaned so they are out.
You can tell if your landlord is cheap by the paint he used in the bathrooms and kitchens.

What's your project anyway ? A form of art or something else ?

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber

Go for a lacquer, a varnish I dont know how to call it.