Glow Paint?

[Way Outdoors]

Hey All!

 

New to site and have just started airbrushing for a few weeks now.  I am painting up Walleye lures and Brad's Cut Plugs.  I am looking for some paint that holds a good glow!  I imagine I will probably have to dip them and not us the gun... Any ideas?  I am also wondering if anyone out there has any ideas about what paint Brad's uses for dipping there baits? Like the Glow Green cut plugs? I use glow for many species from Kokanee to Walleye and Salmon, and most fish in between. lol  Thanks for the help!

 

[Anglinarcher]

Welcome to the site Way, good to have new people join in the fun.

A good glow paint is difficult.  Most of the glow paints do not glow for long so many of us highlight using GloNation powders.

https://www.glonation.com/glow-in-the-dark-products/neutral-glow-powders.html

They do have a glow paint option, but I have not used it.

https://www.glonation.com/glow-in-the-dark-products/bright-time-glow-paint.html

There is another source that a lot of us use, but I have not used them.

http://www.kosmickreations.net/html/glow_in_the_dark_powder.html

You will find that many powders come in different "grinds" of how fine the power was ground to start with.  Finer grinds will mix with clear bases for application using Airbrushes, but I still use the medium or large needle on my Talon if I apply this way.

Search the forum by hovering your mouse of ACTIVITY at the top right of this screen.  When the drop down menu comes up, go down to search and click on it.  Enter glow paints or other search names and have fun.

[Way Outdoors]

Thanks a lot for the info!

[Anglinarcher]

One other thing, you might go to this link.

http://www.kosmickreations.net/html/medium.html

It gives a pretty good description of their paints, which are very thick, but ........ A good glow in the dark paint tutorial if you will.

[Way Outdoors]

Any ideas on what to mix it with?  I can brush it on, using it like a base coat and airbrush over it.  Talking about the powder.

[Anglinarcher]

This is what Kosmic says:

Can I mix with a colored medium?

I get this question asked a lot. On paper it seems like a good idea but in practice for most applications it’s not a good idea. Here’s the problem: Glow in the dark paints work by storing light energy and emitting it back out at a different wave length. For this to work the glow in the dark powder must be able to be charged by the light and able to emit it back. A colored medium will coat the glow in the dark powder and severely restrict its ability to charge and emit.

So in a nutshell it will work because there will be some glow in the dark crystals that get charged and will be able to emit. But the majority will just go to waste. However, the glow will not be very bright and it will fade very quickly.

So what’s the best medium for paint?

The best medium for paint is a clear gloss acrylic gel. I use gel from Golden Paints but Liquitex or other brands should work well. Just like with a colored medium a matte medium is also not recommended due to the frosted finish that will also limit the glow in the dark paint’s ability to charge and emit.

 

[Anglinarcher]

So, I suggest that if you are planning on using this as a basecoat, note that the overcoat will block the glow.  When I do this, I normally use it for highlight colors.

I get a clear medium from Createx and mix the powder.  It is not the clear coat, but an actual medium.  

http://www.airbrush.com/Mediums/products/1237/

I warn you, this is not what I consider "beginners art" if you are going to use an airbrush.  It takes some skill, several layers in some cases, and cleaning your airbrush often is just part of it.

 

[BobP]

I’ve used the GloNation green paint.  It came in a gel so the glow particles will suspend in it.  The particles are very large, which is good and bad.  Bad because they are too large to spray through an airbrush.  Good because the more particles there are and the larger they are, the more glow effect you get.  I painted it on thick with a brush in several coats and clear coated it with Dick Nite S81 MCU.  It leveled out nicely and the glow effect is super strong and lasts for hours without charging the paint beforehand with a strong light.  I think the gel paint would be a PITA to use for accents but I used it to completely coat jigging spoons for which it works great.

[Chuck Young]

I agree with Bob. The best glow powders tend to use large particles that do not go through an airbrush very well. I have the Createx transparent base (basically paint with no pigment). But it seemed to me that you had to spray it all on too thick for my taste. Also I like the idea of having the powder closer to the surface of the lure. So I mix my GID powders with epoxy topcoat and brush them on over a white base coat. It goes on thicker than the "paint" version does. But no topcoat is required. At times I apply another GID color mix to the top of the lure (usually a jig). I don't think you can put a lot of detail on a GID finished lure. Nor do I think it is necessary. Details would tend to be overpowered by the glow. 

[Anglinarcher]

22 hours ago, BobP said:

 It came in a gel so the glow particles will suspend in it.  The particles are very large, which is good and bad.  Bad because they are too large to spray through an airbrush.  Good because the more particles there are and the larger they are, the more glow effect you get.

Kind of figured that might be the case.

5 minutes ago, Chuck Young said:

But it seemed to me that you had to spray it all on too thick for my taste

Yep, not fun at all.  Totally agree.

I used the 15 micron version, but as mentioned above, the larger particles will glow longer and stronger.  Like I said before:

On 1/29/2018 at 4:42 PM, Anglinarcher said:

I warn you, this is not what I consider "beginners art" if you are going to use an airbrush.  It takes some skill, several layers in some cases, and cleaning your airbrush often is just part of it.

In retrospect, I just don't suggest airbrushing glow paints.

[drdmh]

I have pretty good luck with mixing glow powder with createx white opaque. 

[Way Outdoors]

Do u spay on? Our brush with hand? Also is that a topcoat after other colors and detail works done? 

[mark poulson]

I add the green/white Glonation glow powder to a bottle of Createx transparent medium, and it sprays just fine with my .03 needle.  I spray it over my paint scheme, just before I top coat.  It doesn't kill the paint scheme in more lighted conditions, but it adds a glow in low light or dirty water.

[drdmh]

20 minutes ago, Way Outdoors said:

Do u spay on? Our brush with hand? Also is that a topcoat after other colors and detail works done? 

I have a separate bottle of it mixed that I spray on.  Three coats seems to do the trick.  Then I paint my patterns.  I top coat with kbs or e-tex depending on how much time I have to finish the lure. 

[Way Outdoors]

Thanks a lot for the info!!!

[drdmh]

1 hour ago, Way Outdoors said:

Thanks a lot for the info!!!

I don't have exact measurements  but I do use some createx thinner with it.  Start with 2.5 oz of white, dump 10 g of powder (or start smaller), and thin to a proper consistency.  I do have to bump my air pressure up a bit to pass the particles through a .3 mm tip on my iwata hp-cs. 

[Chuck Young]

Mark (and anyone else who cares to comment), I have noticed that all glow powders are also fluorescent (glow under UV light or blue light) even when their charge is gone. I know many fishermen spray a fluorescent topcoat over their lures. It never occurred to me to do that with a weak glow topcoat. I will have to give it a try and see how much it actually glows. 

As for whether it obscures the paint job from a fishes perspective ... I guess you would have to ask the fish! Or talk to someone who knows more about the biology of fish eyes, lenses, and coatings than I do. I think it is like deer - who see that UV dye added to most detergents like it was lit on fire. It would make sense that fish are more sensitive to UV than us, since that is the light that penetrates water best. It also may vary from species to species. Walleye and crappie may see things differently than sunfish and bass. There are probably filters out there in some scientist lab that allow us to see exactly that. 

Then there is the aspect of whether we paint lures to attract the fish or the fisherman. We probably all do both to one extent or another.

[mark poulson]

I hadn't notice the UV glow, but I haven't looked for it.  

I will now.

I began using the Glo powder to make my baits more visible in off colored water, or in low light/night.

I don't throw Glo baits in clear water during the day.

I have noticed that the Glo powder in Createx makes the paint scheme less crisp, but I can still see it clearly.  My guess is that the glow takes over in low light conditions, when the paint scheme isn't easily seen.

[Anglinarcher]

8 hours ago, drdmh said:

I have pretty good luck with mixing glow powder with createx white opaque.

Never thought of that, great idea and results.  

 

7 hours ago, mark poulson said:

I add the green/white Glonation glow powder to a bottle of Createx transparent medium, and it sprays just fine with my .03 needle.

Better at it then I am.  I will need to try using a thinner mix.  Thanks Mark.  This is the source I used for the different sized particles.

www.glonation.com/glow-in-the-dark-products/neutral-glow-powders.html 

You can get it from 15 micron sized particles to 45 micron sized particles (25 or 35 in green or blue).  Do you know what you are using Mark?

Actually you can go up to 75 microns if you use it in epoxies or plastics, so .......

3 hours ago, Chuck Young said:

biology of fish eyes, lenses, and coatings.....

The method used to determine what an eye can see is to take samples of the cones from the eye, expose it to a specific light wave, then check for chemical changes.  If the chemical changes happen, it is assumed that the fish can see the light, no chemical change, they assume the subject does not see the specific light wave.  As you can guess, it leaves some room for discussion but, the method seems sound.  The real problem comes in determining how much of a change needs for the subject to "see" the color.  For example, a receptor for one color reacts most to that color, but it still has weak reactions to the colors on both sides of it.

It has been "determined" that Walleye can see Green and Red, but not infrared or Blue.  But, the number of Walleye I have caught using yellow, blue, and black leave me believing that the explanation is far more complex than that.

The same test have determined that Trout, specifically rainbow trout, and Salmon can see red through blue, even the near UV spectrum, but not very far into the UV.  Still, with the latest fad using UV topcoats, etc., you have to wonder.  As a side note, the test say carp and most of the "minnows" can see Infrared.  I think that Chuck may have summed that one up best:

3 hours ago, Chuck Young said:

Then there is the aspect of whether we paint lures to attract the fish or the fisherman. We probably all do both to one extent or another.

This has been an interesting thread.  First, I find I am not the only one to airbrush glow paints.  I still think that it is not easy, but if I can do it than anyone can learn.  Second, there are more ways of doing it then I once thought.

Great work guys.

[mark poulson]

On 1/31/2018 at 4:11 PM, Anglinarcher said:

Never thought of that, great idea and results.  

 

Better at it then I am.  I will need to try using a thinner mix.  Thanks Mark.  This is the source I used for the different sized particles.

www.glonation.com/glow-in-the-dark-products/neutral-glow-powders.html 

You can get it from 15 micron sized particles to 45 micron sized particles (25 or 35 in green or blue).  Do you know what you are using Mark?

Actually you can go up to 75 microns if you use it in epoxies or plastics, so .......

The method used to determine what an eye can see is to take samples of the cones from the eye, expose it to a specific light wave, then check for chemical changes.  If the chemical changes happen, it is assumed that the fish can see the light, no chemical change, they assume the subject does not see the specific light wave.  As you can guess, it leaves some room for discussion but, the method seems sound.  The real problem comes in determining how much of a change needs for the subject to "see" the color.  For example, a receptor for one color reacts most to that color, but it still has weak reactions to the colors on both sides of it.

It has been "determined" that Walleye can see Green and Red, but not infrared or Blue.  But, the number of Walleye I have caught using yellow, blue, and black leave me believing that the explanation is far more complex than that.

The same test have determined that Trout, specifically rainbow trout, and Salmon can see red through blue, even the near UV spectrum, but not very far into the UV.  Still, with the latest fad using UV topcoats, etc., you have to wonder.  As a side note, the test say carp and most of the "minnows" can see Infrared.  I think that Chuck may have summed that one up best:

This has been an interesting thread.  First, I find I am not the only one to airbrush glow paints.  I still think that it is not easy, but if I can do it than anyone can learn.  Second, there are more ways of doing it then I once thought.

Great work guys.

 

When I bought my powder there was only one size available, and it wasn't labeled.  

I bet you could ask them what size they offered 5+-  years ago.

[web]

Why not just add the powder to the epoxy over coat and brush it on with the epoxy.... like you do with glitter?

[Anglinarcher]

7 hours ago, web said:

Why not just add the powder to the epoxy over coat and brush it on with the epoxy.... like you do with glitter?

Hi Web, good to see a new person joining in.  

You have a good point, and I think that some have mentioned that they do that.  Personally I don't do it that way because I don't like how the glow powder clouds the clear.  If all I wanted was a white lure, an off white, then it would work well.  But, like the lures that drdmh made up, I want some pattern, some contrast.  

You could of course do that and then paint over the clear, then  clear again.  I just don't want to take so much time, with two cure times.