GunGlow 2-part sight paint comments?

[Vistar]

There are lots of offers for Glow On paint, but I'm not sure how long it lasts after application or how well it performs in the dark. 2-part paint sounds more durable. Anyone ever try GunGlow as listed on eBay?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GUN-SIGHT-SITE-PAINT-GLOW-IN-THE-DARK-PISTOL-RIFLE-AIR-SOFT-TARGET-7-GRAMS-/201023600673?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecdf0b821#ht_545wt_1026

 

I have a Nano that's wanting to "come alive" in the night. I'd love to find a gram of superluminova pigment, but watchmakers seem to have that hidden away in their safes.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Vistar

[z0mbies fear me]

Did some quick research and came up with a few sites that sell stuff similar to superluminova pigment:

http://www.ofrei.com/luminous-paste-for-watch-hands-and-dials.html

http://www.noctilumina.com/main/prices.php

http://www.esslinger.com/luminova-green-glow-in-the-dark-paint-kit.aspx

[Vistar]

That's outstanding research. Thanks so much. I have a superlum Omega watch and the darn thing can almost serve as a nightlight by the bed. If it works on the Nano sights anywhere near that well, I will be a very happy camper.

 

Addendum: I contacted NoctiLuminar via email (sales@noctilumina.com ) and received the following information:

 

We have a specialty pigment that I recommend for gun sights called G15E.  It is a little grainy -- kind of like a very fine sand.  The great thing about it is that it will glow visibly for around 36 hours, with a glow brighter than tritium for around 3-4 hours. Clear nail polish will work fine for a covering.  Scott Anderson
NoctiLuminaR LLC
www.noctilumina.com

 

I am eager to see how their new product performs. If it works, this will be a big improvement over many of the products available for DIY application.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Vistar

[Dolomite_supafly]

I mix glow in the dark powder with two part epoxy. There is not a solvent that I have found that will remove it once set. I use the 1 hour epoxy and this. I mix the epoxy together then mix in enough powder that it begins to look a little grainy on the surface. Then I use a toothpick to dab it into the front sight dot. Then as it dries the dab rounds and smooths.

 

A 1 second burst of light leaves a dot brighter than tritium for at least 3 hours.

 

You can also do the same with titanium dioxide for the brightest white dot you have ever seen.

[Vistar]

Thanks, Dolomite - Alkaline Rare Earth Metal Silicate-Aluminate Oxide (Glow Inc formulation http://glowinc.com) is likely similar to strontium aluminate, as used in the G15E Noctiluminar product described above. Can't wait to try this stuff. Sounds like the better than the tritium pigment used by Meprolite. I'll let you know how it works.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Vistar

[Dolomite_supafly]

I use the Glow Inc powder on all my guns. One of the first mods I do to pistols.

[seez52]

Interesting how Noctiluminar says their blue is as bright and lasts as long as the green, but Glow inc. does not claim that. I'd like to use a combo of colors but dont want one to fade quickly or be significantly more dim.

[Vistar]

Noctilumina send 2 gr of G15e and a free 2 gr sample of G15F - hard to tell the difference, but it looks like the E series is a little coarser than F. Scott Anderson at Noctilumina was helpful and advised it's important to consider granular size. He told me coarser compounds will provide longer lasting lum. Judging by the powder in bottles, both compounds are plenty bright. The GunGlow product will arrive tomorrow and then I can make an experimental comparison. I'll prepare a test strip, let the stuff cure and then see which is brightest and longest lasting in close to total darkness with the same UV exposure beforehand. Overall comment - 2 grams of powder will produce a lot of big dots. I may use leftovers to paint a circle around the keyhole in my front door lock.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Vistar

[Vistar]

Still waiting for GunGlow to arrive for comparison experiment.

[Vistar]

Experimental Results

Received 7 grams of Gunglow powder pigment with some kind of binder in a syringe. For the purpose of the experiment, attempted to equalize one of the variables by mixing all pigments with the same binder - commercial xylene (paint thinner) instead of supplied binder with the three products to be compared. All mixtures were 1:1 ratios of pigment to xylene binder.

 

Results appear below. Turns out that Noctilumina G15E was the most difficult to mix into smooth paste using xylene. The other two products mixed well, but the Gunglow shown on far right was easiest to mix and remained workable without additional thinner allowing plenty of time for gunsight application. The bright white spots indicate intense photoluminescence as captured with 7 seconds digital photo time exposure. To my surprise Gunglow from eBay retailer, Lumelab, ($17.50 for 7 grams of pigment including some kind of milky looking binder in syringe [I didn't use]) appears to be the best of the sampled products for mixing and provided brightest glow after 30 minutes aging in lightight container, as shown below. The Noctilumina was 2x the price of the Gunglow product and the Noctilumina materials will yield about 1/6 the effective yield per dollar with less intense photoluminescence under these experimantal conditions.

 

[Dolomite_supafly]

Are you going to compare V10 powder to the rest?

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

[Vistar]

Are you going to compare V10 powder to the rest?

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

I don't have any of it. It would be the most costly of the comparisons. Above pictured products ranged from $17.50 for 7 gr of the GunGlow including binder to $35 for 2gr of the Noctiluma including ala carte priced 2 gr vials of binder and thinner. I only have one gun to paint. Everything else has OEM night sights. I have enough pigment at this point to paint dots on more than 50 guns, or do some interesting brush work in a blacklight strip joint. If you ever get down to Loudon, and care to share a pinch, I'll be happy to repeat and expand the experiment.

 

Friday after work brain freeze. Failed to see glowinc is priced by the ounce - not gram. Just the same with almost $13 UPS shipping for 1/4 OZ, will beg for a sample instead.

Edited March 14, 2014 by Vistar

[Dolomite_supafly]

PM me your address and I will send you some to compare.

[seez52]

Just thinking back on this did the final test ever get done? I'm still wanting to do this to a couple pistols and you guys had done some pretty good analysis.

[Dolomite_supafly]

Just use the stuff I linked. I have used it on a lot of pistols and it works great. Make sure to use CLEAR two part epoxy that sets in like 5 minutes. One minute epoxy sets to quickly and one hour just takes too long.

[zybysco]

Have you tried the paint that link recommends for gun sights? How does it compare?

[Dolomite_supafly]

You can also get tritium vials for front sights for under $10 shipped. They are .95mm wide by 3mm long and should be easy to install.

[seez52]

You can also get tritium vials for front sights for under $10 shipped. They are .95mm wide by 3mm long and should be easy to install.

 

 

That's what I've been weighing. Haven't decided which way to go.

[Dolomite_supafly]

You could drill using a 1mm drill bit then use some 5 minute clear epoxy to install it.

[seez52]

Currently I've just got white dot sights. The front is a good bit larger than the rears, but when viewed from the shooting position they are all pretty much the same size. How does that work out with tritium vials? I've got night sights on a Glock but offhand can't remember how it lays out in that regard.