UV Reflective Paints

[slookabill]

I recently saw someone post in a FB group a bust painted/accented with UV reflective paints, and it gave me some ideas(since I'd never heard of using that before). Any suggestions for finding and airbrushing with these paints? Any brands or type to try for vs others? Thinking I'll use it on my Z-95 and/or E-wing kits I've got...

[irishtrek]

Sounds to me like glow in the dark paints. If so you can find such paints at any craft store like Michaels or Craft Wearehouse. There's also a glow in the dark substance you can add to any color paint of you choosing, and they are acrylic based.

[Ant]

I expect he's talking about flourecent paints. These do not emit light themselves but will glow brightly in the presence of UV.

[Saturn]

Testors Flourescent set on Amazon

TBH, I think the "glowing" nature of these paints, even under UV/Black Light is overblown.

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

I've used the fluorescent/glow-in-the-dark lacquers by Gaia Notes. I believe it is the UV-reflective element of the paint that forms very hard clumps on the bottom of the bottles which need to be stirred very well in order for the paints to work properly. They glow in the dark, but they aren't like "Ohmygosh, look at that glow!" They do reflect blacklight rather well.

[naoto]

I've used the fluorescent/glow-in-the-dark lacquers by Gaia Notes. I believe it is the UV-reflective element of the paint that forms very hard clumps on the bottom of the bottles which need to be stirred very well in order for the paints to work properly. They glow in the dark, but they aren't like "Ohmygosh, look at that glow!" They do reflect blacklight rather well.

On a sidenote... how many of us remember the blacklight poster fad?

... and yet another sidenote -- regarding fluorescent lighting and usage of ... intoxicants... One of the most entertaining sights at Disneyland is observing the stoners freaking out on rides like Mr Toad's Wild Ride and Alice in Wonderland (especially during the CSF Night event). The other attraction where it was amusing to observe the reactions of stoners was the Enchanted Tiki Room.

[swhite228]

I've used the fluorescent/glow-in-the-dark lacquers by Gaia Notes. I believe it is the UV-reflective element of the paint that forms very hard clumps on the bottom of the bottles which need to be stirred very well in order for the paints to work properly. They glow in the dark, but they aren't like "Ohmygosh, look at that glow!" They do reflect blacklight rather well.

UV pants don't reflect. the color you see is the pigment giving off light when exposed to UV light. It is possible to have UV paint that is clear in normal light and brightly colored when exposed to UV. Theaters use it a lot when an outside backdrop has to be used for both day and night. Windows, and doors will be coated with the clear UV paint as well as stars or the moon. Drop the daylight lighting turn on a blue light and add UV and you have a backdrop you can see but it now has bright lights.

The down side to Fluorescent and UV paints is they have a short life span when displayed in a sunny room. or outside. Most will fade into nothing in about 6 months if left in a sunny area.
I would suggest if any of you want to play with some professional UV paints you check out your local theater supply store. Ask them if they carry "Wildfire UV paint", most do or will order it for you. Get the sample kit which has a bottle of each color paint they sell, or visit their website to learn more like this "Wildfire Luminescent Paints mix well with each other and with other water-base acrylic paints (such as Modern Masters JWR Acrylics) giving you access to every color shade imaginable—even subtle earth tones."
www.wildfirefx.com

[TurkeyVolumeGuessingMan]

On a sidenote... how many of us remember the blacklight poster fad?

Yeah, in the '80s my friend had a Led Zeppelin blacklight poster. It really glowed when he shined his blacklight on it. Spencer Gifts had a lot of that kind of stuff in the back of their stores. Dunno what they're like anymore.