Glow Car

Glow pigment can easily be used to paint a glow in the dark car or other vehicle that looks professional.

The procedures will vary depending on the experience level of the painter.

Concepts and Ideas

The simplest design is to simply paint the whole vehicle in a heavy glow color.  This makes a serious statement driving down the street.

Glow in the dark pin striping is a great way to get a unique look without being overly tacky.

"Ghost Flames" are flames made with white paint and a dark contrasting paint.  They are then lightly highlighted with a glow paint, typically Ultra Blue.   This paint scheme requires an expert air brush artist, but is truly a work of art in both the day and night.

Procedures

Quick and Easy Vinyl Pin Stripes

The simplest vehicle enhancement is done by purchasing vinyl adhesive backed pin striping from a local store that carries vehicle enhancement products.

Measure the panel of the car where you would like to apply the pin stripe.  Add 2" inches and cut a length of pin stripe.  Lay this strip on a large table and paint it with our standard premixed glow paint in 3 thin layers.  In some cases where excess falls off the sides, you may have to use an Exacto knife to follow the lines.

Paint a sealer layer of Krylon Crystal Clear over the glow paint.  Apply to vehicle following manufacturers instructions.

Glow Paints for Vehicle Air Brushing or Painting

You can use our premixed glow paint in an airbrush or air gun if you add a small amount of acetone to delay the drying time.  For the more experienced painter, you may wish to custom mix your own glow paint.

Most vehicle clear coat manufacturers will produce a solvent-based clear coat that does not include ultraviolet filters.  Since this is a specialty item, you may need to contact the technical department of the manufacturer to get the proper part numbers.  Clear coat with UV filters can also be used, but typically increases the charge time to about an hour in the sun as opposed to the 5 minutes.  Do sample tests regardless to check for compatibility.

The good news is that glow pigment does work like an ultraviolet filter to protect the underlying paint.

Mix the powder into the clear coat at a ratio of up to 2 lbs per gallon.  You may also need to add a thinner to counteract the thickening properties of the pigment.

Prepare the car using standard techniques.  Then paint one or more thin layers of glow paint.  We suggest the use of a black light to ease in tracking and catching missed areas.  One or more coats of pure clear coat should be placed over the glow paint as a protective layer and to increase life.

The final decision is how much powder to add to the paint.  This ratio can vary depending on your intended application.  For a bright glow in a solid matrix, use 2lbs of pigment (powder) per gallon of clear coat.  Use a lower ratio for effects needing a more subtle glow.  You should also read our page on mixing ratios and medium choices, as well as the page on painting techniques.

Some of our customers have used our solvent-based acrylic glow paints to good success as well.  It takes between 1 and 3 gallons to paint a whole car.