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Positioning Black Lights
Since UV light is not very strong and doesn't travel very
far, its important to use the right strength and size black
light tubes or twist black light bulbs to illuminate your
Halloween decorations, props, etc. Use smaller twenty-four
inch size lights for smaller area's and displays where you
can position the unit in close. Use larger four foot units
to cover large areas, scenes and props. The darker the room
or area, the brighter the fluorescent material will glow. As
with any electrical device, care must be taken to protect
against electrocution and accidents. Make sure that the cord
is hidden from view and positioned where it won't be tripped
over or snagged by your visitors feet. No electrical fixture
should be used outdoors if the weather is bad, i.e. raining,
very high humidity, etc.
Directing Ultraviolet
Light
Most of the time you will need to direct the black light
into a particular area or directly at a particular Halloween
prop or decoration. Fluorescent Twist black light bulbs work
great when placed in a metal parabolic housing such as a
"Clamp Lamp" when you need to direct the black light in this
way. Clamp Lamp fixtures like the one pictured to the right
can usually be purchased in the hardware or lighting section
of most department stores. Its important to remember that
this method will only allow you to better direct the black
light, but will not extend its useable range. We usually
paint the outside of our Clamp Lamp fixtures with flat black
spray paint to better conceal them.
Camouflaging Black Light
Units
Whenever possible the Halloween black light unit should be positioned
and/or camouflaged so that it cannot be seen by your
visitors. While people can see the purple colored glow from
the black light bulb its self, they cannot see the
ultraviolet light that actually emanates from it. In most
cases you will want to hide or camouflage the bulb and unit
it is in, so that people will not be able to see the source
of the black light. You can also use bricks arraigned to for
a visual barrier.
A section of inexpensive metal eave trough
(rain gutter) material works well for hiding single bulb
units, but is usually not wide enough to hold a double-bulb
unit. There are several safety considerations to keep in
mind. Black light units, like any electrical device, do
generate heat and should not be placed near or attached to
any material that could catch fire, such as wood, plastic,
fabric or paper type materials. As mentioned above, the cord
and any extension cords you might need to use should be
placed wear people will not trip over them.
Glow in the Dark Dye
If
you need clothing, sheets, cotton rope (rope spider
webs), or other fabric to glow a bright blue in the dark, you can
soak it in "RIT
Whitener/Brightener". This happens because of the
natural reaction between the
phosphor's in
the whitener/brightener and the ultraviolet light.
This works best on white
or light colored fabric. To do this simply fill a
container, such as a plastic tub with enough water
to completely cover the items you want to glow. Mix
in a box of "RIT Whitener/Brightener" and stir until
it is dissolved. Immerse the items into the solution
and let them soak for about an hour. Don't rinse it
out, simply wring it out and let it dry.
Glow in the Dark Spray
"Glow in the Dark
Spray", manufactured by
Fun World is
suitable for painting Halloween decorations, props
and even costumes to make them glow. This spray is a
type of water-based paint and will visibly coat the
prop or decoration with a pale yellow coating. This
coating will glow in the dark the typical
greenish-yellow color when exposed to ultraviolet
light. Be sure to spray the paint onto the object as
evenly as possible. It helps to spray the paint on
while the prop is under a black light so that you
can actually see where the paint is being sprayed.
We use this spray on some of our Halloween props,
such as skeletons, to add extra effect. Be sure to follow the use and safety instructions included
with this product closely.
Black Light Hairspray
Not
to be confused with the product above,
"Glow in the Dark
Hairspray", also from
Fun World,
works very well for painting Halloween
decorations when you don't want the paint its
self to be visible. It goes on nearly invisible and should be sprayed onto the prop as evenly
as possible. It helps to spray the paint on while the prop is under a black light so you
can actually see where the paint going. We use this spray on some of our
tombstones and Halloween decorations to add an extra effect. This spray
can also be used as hair spray to make your hair
glow in the dark.
It will dry
invisible and should be sprayed onto
your hair as evenly
as possible. Be sure to follow the use and safety instructions included
with this product closely.
Fluorescent Paint
Fluorescent
paint fluoresces brightly when exposed to
ultraviolet light and is available in a variety of colors
including Yellow, Green, Blue,
Red and Orange depending on the particular pigment
that it contains. A different version, invisible
fluorescent paint, looks white or clear under normal
light, but glows brightly under a black light
source. Fluorescent paints are
great for painting your props to enhance them and creating
fluorescent Halloween decorations. Most fluorescent paint is
water based, but is available in oil base as well if
needed. Unlike phosphorescent paint, fluorescent
paint stops glowing the moment the black light
source is removed.
Phosphorescent Paint
Phosphorescent
paint is most commonly called "glow-in-the-dark"
paint. Not to be confused with fluorescent paint as
discussed above, this paint is manufactured with
phosphors that have the ability to absorb light and
typically glows pale green in color, but is also
available in tinted colors as well. Unlike
fluorescent paint, this type of paint will continue
to glow in the dark for anywhere from minutes to
hours after it has been exposed to light, but will
eventually fade out.
Glow
Inc.com specializes in the manufacture of high
quality, extended glow phosphorescent paints that
are up to twenty-five times brighter than regular
retail glow in the dark paint. Their solvent-based
glow in the dark paints can be recharged millions of
times using almost any light source.
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