How to make your bike phosphorescent ?

It's an ambitious and slightly crazy project... But if it's taken seriously, the result can be really original and surprising : painting a phosphorescent paint for a bike is done in several mandatory steps. Applying a classic paint or a phosphorescent paint to the frame of a bicycle is almost the same thing, however there are a few rules and tips to follow so that the phosphorescent bicycle is clearly visible at night!

The occasional painter who uses aerosols, or the professional of customization and spray painting, will have to respect 3 steps, therefore 3 different layers, which are necessary and must be applied in a certain order, following preference (There is a 2-step version that we will reveal below...). These are the white undercoat, the paint based on Strontium / Europium deactivated and the varnish.
Why is it better to paint the 3 coats in a row? We'll explain it to you below.

How to apply phosphorescent paint on a bicycle ?

We will skip over the obvious dismantling of the parts, because of course you cannot paint a frame and its handlebars, with its wheels! First of all, it is especially necessary to take the time and the care to prepare the support* meticulously before launching, that is to say to sand with paper 500 with water, or dry, then degrease, dry, dust ... This is the key to success. We can then paint the paint (matt base) with a white background on all the parts.
The support: it is the existing background, therefore logically, the old varnish. A primer should be used if the frame is bare (white metal primer), or a “filler” type primer if the frame is painted and damaged. In this case, we therefore apply a white primer that we will sand after drying, always with 320 or 500 (no finer, otherwise we lose the grip).

On this all-white bike, we can paint the phosphorescent paint. The goal is to apply a maximum of layers, which will guarantee a maximum photo-luminescent effect. To put it simply, phosphorescence levels are expressed in microcandella / m² with a scale from A (low) to G (ultra strong): you can obtain a phosphorescent bike with classification C in 4-5 layers, D in 5-6 layers ...
Once you have painted the phosphorescent on the bike, then you have to varnish exactly within 10 minutes to 20 or 30 minutes, to protect. The varnish does not block the effect. On the contrary, it protects it very durably.

Why is a white background necessary ?

It's simple, try painting phosphorescent on a black bike, and you will find that the intensity of the luminance effect is close to 0, it is invisible. The cause is that the paint is transparent and the black absorbs the light, while the white bounces the light.

Why do we have to chain the layers ?

It is important to paint the coats on top of each other in a restricted time interval to benefit from the cohesion and adhesion between the coats. Indeed, like any painting, after a certain drying time, the surface “closes” and you can no longer cling to it. The result: a probable detachment of the paints more or less quickly.
By the way, it is possible to carry out the painting in only 2 stages instead of 3, by using a phosphorescent varnish, of the "PHU2K" polyurethane type.

What color do phosphorescent paints have ?

They are colorless, but give a slight greenish appearance. That is to say that on the initial white background, as you apply layers of phosphorescent on the bike, the appearance becomes slightly greenish or yellowish.
This inconspicuous color is attributed to the content of Europium, a heavy and non-radioactive metal: the more yellowish the effect, the more powerful the phosphorescence effect will be at night.

Aerosol phosphorescent paint