How to create photoluminescent epoxy resins ?

Glow in the dark resin castings have been popularized by some work circulating widely on the web : let's see which epoxy resin colorant to use – especially with phosphorescent powder. The technique is quite easy, as it consists of mixing the phosphorescent powder with any kind of epoxy resins. Instead, we are going to explain to you in detail, the things not to do and the pitfalls to avoid.

First, is it dangerous to use these products ? No, the pigments should not be inhaled or ingested of course, but they are completely non-hazardous particles under normal conditions of use. The product is neither radioactive nor toxic.
Concerning the implementation, it is necessary to prepare its ingredients, the balance, a pot for the mixture, with a ruler, and above all avoid all metal containers. Choose plastic, glass or ceramic pots. Next, you need to determine the right amount of pigment to incorporate to create effective phosphorescence.

How much phosphorescent powder to incorporate in the epoxy resin ?

The strontium aluminate powder is dosed by weight; we will generally add 1 to 10% of the final mass of the resin without the hardener. Above all, add the pigments well before applying the hardener. How do I know how much to put exactly ? Indeed, if you plan a casting 1 cm or 10 cm thick, it will be useless to put 10 times more pigments in 10 cm deep.

We must rely more on the quantity of phosphorescent powder per m², than on the quantity of epoxy resin: the important thing is that the phosphorescent powder diffuses the light on the surface : So, the rule is to count 200g to 250 g/m² for a powerfully luminous phosphorescent resin. To return to the resin mixture, it will be necessary to count 10% for 1mm, 1-3% / 1cm and 1% for 10cm. There are other important points to consider including the type and color of phosphorescent powder.

What type of phosphorescent powder to choose for the resin ?

There are fine and coarse powders: in general, it ranges from a few micrometers (µm thousandths of a millimeter) to around a hundred microns.
Big pigments shine brighter and longer, but finer ones diffuse the light better because there are more of them !
In the end, be aware that you have to use the finest phosphorescent powders (1- 5µm or 5-15µm), to make phosphorescent epoxy resins, because they are the lightest, and they are the only ones that will be able to remain in suspension before the resin hardens.

About mixing resin

Above all, put the pigments in the resin, before mixing the hardener, because you won't have time to do any calculations or weighing after adding the hardener !!!
And finally, choose good resin, so that it hardens quickly, because if it takes a long time to harden, then all the pigments (which are quite heavy) will fall back to the bottom.

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