When you hear about glow in the dark paint then you are curious to know as to how they work or what exactly they are. This term is very common these days and it is used for decoration by many people in their homes. This is also very widely used for the decoration of restaurants, cafes, bars, etc.
This paint refers to the phosphorescent colors. They are made up of phosphorus like for instance the doped strontium illuminate or the silver activated zinc sulfide. They get a pale green color when they shine as a greenish-blue color.
There are various kinds of glow in the dark colors available in the market. You can check out some of these paints at thedealpot. One such type would be charged in the day time which will last during the night time for several hours. The charging takes place with the help of sunlight which gets stored for several hours like the battery of the cell phones. Such kinds of paints are known as phosphorescent. There is another kind of paint that radiates only when they are charged by the invisible UV light rays.
Some more about the glow in the dark paints:
The sun shines because it contains a lot of heat inside it. Similarly, the old bulb in the room or bathroom gets a glowing tendency because they are hot because of the heat contained in them. Normally, any light needs heat energy in some of the other forms to glow. Also, when the bulb radiates similar to the sun, you can see them glowing and many times, you can even feel the energy. Sim that they produce. Likewise, the glow in the dark colors can be seen but on the contrary when you touch them, then they are very cold as the walls of the bedroom. Therefore, it can be concluded that these types of bulbs are somewhat different from the former ones.
Another thing about this particular paint type has is a specific type of glimmer that is known as luminescence which can be made only from some typical kinds of materials. Luminescent phosphorus is one of such typical materials that are used to make these. With the help of luminescent phosphorus, you can make your paints also. It can also be prepared in the lab by scientists by mixing a few special mixtures of chemicals into paints. Thereafter the color is sold to the manufacturer and the factories. Then from there, that color is applied to various items like toys, inside the coloring pens, stickers, etc.
The sun is naturally bright so it keeps on growing all the time but with the glimmer in the dark paints, there is a different situation. They can not glimmer all then time as the sun. Much similar to the phones these colors also needs to be changed from time to time so that they glow. These colors are changed differently, for instance with the help of UV lights the glow in the dark paints is charged. The UV light is invisible and contains a lot of energy, and with the help of that energy, the special phosphorus in the paints gets charged and so they glow at night in the dark.
By what ways can you make your own glow in the dark paints?
Glow in the dark paints can be made at home itself by following some easy steps. Here are 2 different ways by which you can make your own glimmering paints at home. The first method is by using phosphorescent powder. The steps are discussed below:
- Take some phosphorescent powder or the glow in the dark powder in a container. This powder is easily available in online stores.
- Then select a color that you want to be mixed in the phosphorescent powder. If you do not want your color to be visible in the black light then it is advised that you select a light-colored paint.
- In the next step, you need to mix the phosphorescent powder with the color in the ratio of 1:5 respectively.
- Now mix both of them properly and keep stirring them until they are mixed well.
- Then you can use your dark in the glimmering paint wherever you want to use them.
The second method of making your own glow in the dark paint is by the use of a highlighter and water. The steps are mentioned below:
- Take a highlighter and then remove the top felt of it. Choose a highlighter whose color radiates light in the black light.
- Then with the help of water pour the color of your highlighter into a bowl or any other container.
- Put some amount of cornstarch in the bowl or container.
- Then add some water into it. It is advised that you use the water that you fill in the highlighter body so that the remaining color that is stuck in the highlighter mixes with the water and comes in the container.
- Add a few drops of food coloring and stir the mixture. The mixture should not be very thick.
- Thereafter your glow in the paint is ready to use. And you can see it glimmering in darkness when they are dried.
People generally bother about the age or the life of these colors. However, it is generally believed that the life of these colors is almost 2 years when they are stored properly in a sealed container. There is no harm in their performance if they are stored properly for 2 years.
Glow in the dark paint is very easy to make so it can even be prepared at home in a few minutes. You do not even require many items to make your own glow in the dark paints at home.