Lum-Tec powder + Epoxy= Poor Man Night sights

looks like Europium doped powder...

these guys sell similar materials

http://www.unitednuclear.com/glow.htm

When looking at post #20, I realized that the ambient light in the PHOTO was not the same. Look below the cable box - you'll see that the white space is actually brighter in the second photo. The camera likely adjusted the white balance in this - enhacing the white balance, which would make the glow in the dark stuff appear brighter.

Just added as a point of reference - still looks cool.

To my mind, the real test would be to charge up the glow in the dark stuff, then put the gun in a drawer and let it sit there for three days. Then one night at midnight (which is when we typically hear the bump...), open the drawer in a dark room and see if you can see the sights.

Big difference between tritium and glow in the dark. Of course I'm also a huge fan of flashlights...

Check out Glow Inc. ( glowinc.com ) for these products and all the tech specs you can handle. They also have a forum to help and they are gun friendly.

that glow inc stuff looks real impressive and it's a big plus in my book with them bein gun friendly and all...

did you see the claim on the one that said itd last 24hrs...

I know a claim is just that but if its for real then I want some...

I would like to see the vids but all I get is "this video was removed by the user" also I must have missed the part about what epoxy you used? I plan on doing this to all my guns.

I'd like to see how brightly these would glow from a 1-2sec point blank taclight burst, then after 10 mins. I have no clue if this is even a reasonable expectation....I'd just like to see how well this stuff would perform in a "middle of the night" scenario, where a brief light flashing as you get out of bed is as much light as can be delivered without stalling over it.

Of course pre-charging is the best answer, it's that blasted Murphy fellow and his law that tend to pop up at the worst times

how did the nail polish work? also I think when I do this I will order two different colors, the front sight being orange or blue the rear sight being green. Just seems like it would be easier to distinguish the two sights that way.

Finally got around to doing a test on my S & W 469 after I painted the white outlline rear and white vertical bar front using the already prepared United Nuclear "UltraGlow" paint they sell for $10 per 4oz bottle.

I covered it completely and left it on my night stand for a couple days to make sure it didn't glow any more and didn't pick up any ambient light .

Then after it got real dark outside (about 9:30 p.m.), I gave both front and rear approximately a 3 second flash with one of those NEBO Tools "CSI" flashlights using the UV setting.

The sights lit up really bright and stayed that way for about a 30 seconds then faded down to "dim but useable" over the next 30 minutes. They were still glowing very dimly at 6 a.m.

I keep the flashlight alongside the handgun and it's really easy to "flash" the sights with UV (first switch click on the flashlight) and just drop the light on the floor without bothering to switch it off. The UV position still gives off violet, visible light, but it's quite dim and doesn't show much. Leaving it lit on the floor away from my actual position could give the BG a false target and cause enough of a distraction to allow me to get the upper hand.

I've also painted the 3 dots on my Benelli Nova "Tactical" 12 gauge with the ghost ring rear / white dot post front sight and am working on a UV setup on the gun rack to give them a 5 second UV flash every hour during the nighttime hours.

Thanks for the info. I'll probably get some of this stuff soon then. This is a great idea for those that can't get tritium lights for their handgun.

KSCCHTrainer, did you cover the paint with a protective coat of expoy or nail polish or is that unecessary with the paint as opposed to the powder/medium application?

HKUSP45C said:

KSCCHTrainer, did you cover the paint with a protective coat of expoy or nail polish or is that unecessary with the paint as opposed to the powder/medium application?

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I did not coat it with anything because I wanted to see how it would stand up to normal cleaning and use of the firearm. So far, I've seen no adverse effects, but that may be due to the fact the the 469 is my nightstand gun and doesn't get fired a lot. I've only used one of those silicone impregnated cleaning cloths on it and haven't used any cleaning spray or other solvents on it yet. That will be the next test.

Very cool!

Here is a link to something else that may work, and is a heck of a lot cheaper. Also, I read on glowforum.com that the lum-tec powder may be the same thing, but is more expensive because it is sold under the "lum-tec" name.

http://glowinc.com/detail.aspx?ID=42

Epoxy exposed to UV will turn yellow.

It may affect the glow.

Ok, I finally caved in and ordered a 2g bottle of LumTec GX.

I should have it in a day or two, and I plan to do some experiments with different primers, and mediums. Hopefully I can shed a little more light on the subject.

I love this idea, but I definitely want to find the best way to do it. I can't help but assume that there are certain methods that could substantially increase the effectiveness of this process. I guess I'll just try some different combos on scrap material.

I'm curious how something like silicone or rubber cement would work as a medium. I'm going to try this with some sort of white background and see what the results are. Anyone have any thoughts on it?

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions for experiments let me know and I will probably try it out.

It sounds like I'm going to have enough to play around with.

I've used clear nail polish and it seemed to work OK. The instructions say mix the liquid into the powder. Hard to know exactly how much to mix but it's usually too much when you first start. To keep from wasting any of this expensive stuff have several projects ready and prepped so none goes to waste.

I something like in the Midway catalog last week. Glad it was brought up and it will solve one of my long term problems. How the hell will I be able to replace the sights on 6 XD's without beating the crap out of them getting the old sights off and not take out a second mortgage.
Ordered 1 LumTec GX and 1 4oz UltraGlow. (I'm trying them both).
My front sights are probably in the worse shape and I'll try to clean them first then try both brands on my two 40's first.

Some colors don't glow as long as others, I think green is the longest lasting and red is the shortest.

Just bought 1/2 a pint of the V10 ultra green paint from Glowinc.com . Gonna have to see how this works. For $55 and I dont have to mix it I cant beat it.

I ordered my Lum Tec on Thursday and got it today (Sat.). Wow that was quick.

If you are going to order some, go through Wiegand Custom Watches. They are quick and a little cheaper. Here is the link to their Lum Tec 2g vial:

http://www.wiegandwatches.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=93

I started on some experimenting tonight and I should have some results up soon. I tried some different mediums to see how much they could hold and how well they hold up when dried. I've started with 100% silicone, Lexel, generic craft epoxy, And two types of clear nail polish. One of the Nail Polishes seems to hold the most and stay in good form.

More to come soon. Lum Tec is awesome!

i need to follow this for a bit.... sounds interesting.....

Sounds like you have some backround in this stuff. I bet you get some good results and new tips for us

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If you mean a background in DIY experimentation, I might as well have a PHD. Otherwise, not so much.

I just mixed up a new test subject: Polycrylic. As far as I can tell, it's all about finding the substance that can hold the most powder and remain durable and clear. It's looking like polycrylic is the best.

I'm currently charging my camera so I can get some pics up. Hopefully tomorrow I can do some photo documentation. I'll probably just start a new thread so keep a look out.

BAHHHHHH..... don't start a new thread!!!

We already have this one and know where it is.... the last thing we need is another thread on the same subject that we need to find and subscribe to....

At least a link here for crying out loud