Eliminating or limiting the amount of UV light that can get to the glow in the dark powder is going to potentially reduce the effectiveness of the paint. UV light is by far the best charging source there is. To UV or not to UV? What was that question? Just like with a colored medium a matte medium is also not recommended due to the frosted finish that will also limit the glow in the dark paint’s ability to charge and emit. I use gel from Golden Paints but Liquitex or other brands should work well. The best medium for paint is a clear gloss acrylic gel. However, the glow will not be very bright and it will fade very quickly. So in a nutshell it will work because there will be some glow in the dark crystals that get charged and will be able to emit. A colored medium will coat the glow in the dark powder and severely restrict its ability to charge and emit. For this to work the glow in the dark powder must be able to be charged by the light and able to emit it back. Here’s the problem: Glow in the dark paints work by storing light energy and emitting it back out at a different wave length. On paper it seems like a good idea but in practice for most applications it’s not a good idea. So save yourself all the problems and stick with acrylic mediums. My point here is that there is absolutely no reason why you should ever consider using a solvent medium or pre mixed solvent glow in the dark paints. However, when I finally removed the mask the fumes in the room were so high I swear that a lit match would have blown me to the stars I was painting. I finished that room easily and without almost passing out. When I painted my second room I was wearing a full active carbon respirator. Even though I had left a window open there was no way my kid would be sleeping in that room tonight. By the time I finished the first room I was so excited I never noticed how intoxicated I had become. When I started out painting star murals years ago I purchased a quart of solvent paint from a very good company. At Kosmic Kreations all of our glow in the dark powders except for the zinc red, which we are phasing out, are coated. The largest grain powders 55-80um and larger often flow like sand when coated but to the untrained eye it’s a crap-shoot. You have to trust the retailer where you bought the powder. So how do you know if your powders are coated or not? Basically you don’t. If you plan on using a solvent or oil based medium then either type of powder can be used. So if you want to work with a water based medium such as acrylic paint or gel then you must use coated powders. If they are exposed to water they will start to break down until they lose all their ability to glow in the dark. Uncoated glow in the dark powders are just the same. If you’ve ever made crystals with those toy chemistry sets you’ll understand that they are soluble in water. Glow in the dark powders are actually tiny crystals. Glow in the dark powders basically come in two forms: coated and uncoated. It’s important to know what mediums are compatible with your glow in the dark powder to avoid a costly mistake. Not all glow in the dark powders work with all mediums. Choosing the right medium for glow in the dark powders Not all glow in the dark powders are the same.
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