A quick guide for Black lights (UV light).

[Baldrick 1]

Try a quick 1/1 burst from a Metz 60 flash gun, great lume, but don't hold it too close to the dial, it'll fry it

[warcelo 0]

TAGster, you can find some more info about the w@tchlume here:

 

http://relume.watcheswithnolimits.com/index.php/lume

 

You also can orther direct from them trought this mail: [email protected]

 

I really donpt have any clue where to buy the tritec lume, but this w@tchlume seens to be as good as.

[TAGster 5]

TAGster, you can find some more info about the w@tchlume here:

 

http://relume.watcheswithnolimits.com/index.php/lume

 

You also can orther direct from them trought this mail: [email protected]

 

I really donpt have any clue where to buy the tritec lume, but this w@tchlume seens to be as good as.

 

Thanks Warcelo, I´ll check it out.

 

And yes, I do not have any clue where to buy the tritec lume I already sent them a message via their information request form at their website, let see what happen.

 

Cheers!!

[TAGster 5]

Is it the UV that bleaches the old Tritium markers on vintage subs a lovely white colour?

 

Surely such a limited range of UV from a lamp will be les damaging than the more full range that is in sunlight? (Hence you can damage your eyes and skin with too much UV, but these lights should be fine?)

 

In one of the articles says that there UV has different wavelenghts, the longer the wavelenght is, the safer. It says that any wavelenght value under 320nm should be considered dangerous for the eyes. The UV wavelenght used in the black lights that we can find in the stores is about 365, so I understand is safe.

 

Anyway, just for fun I would really like to know how UV light can damage the phosporescent pigments. Anyway I would just be using a normal desk lamp to charge my watches when I needed to.

 

Cheers!

[warcelo 0]

All i know is the ALL fluorescent lamps produce UV and it´s transformed in the "view spectrum" by the white pigments, but not all the UV is filtered.

 

Here some spectrum diagrams:

 

Normal fluorescent;

 

Black Light:

 

 

Cheers!

Edited September 24, 2010 by warcelo

[coolin 0]

All a bit over the top for me but good work nonetheless. However! I came to the thread with the promise of and I quote "A quick guide for Black lights" I think it should have said "the complete works of Black Light Usage for advance users"

 

I gave up after 5 mins reading im more in the Janet & John brigade.

 

col

[TAGster 5]

All a bit over the top for me but good work nonetheless. However! I came to the thread with the promise of and I quote "A quick guide for Black lights" I think it should have said "the complete works of Black Light Usage for advance users"

 

I gave up after 5 mins reading im more in the Janet & John brigade.

 

col

 

Well yeah, I think the thread title is not the most accurate, sorry for that mate.

 

[Baldrick 1]

Blacklight for Dummies, sounds like a working title

[Del 4,528]

Blacklight for Dummies, sounds like a working title

 

[SirDomino 0]

Great article!

 

One thing you could consider is getting one of those mini black-light LED flashlight keychains. That way you could easily, and quickly, recharge the lume on your watches in a few seconds by shining it at your watch face.

 

I've always thought it would be neat if they included 2 or 4 micro-led black-lights in the side of the watch face housing, that ran on a battery. pressing a button would light them for a few seconds to ultra-charge the lume. Battery would probably last for years as well. If I knew enough to mod I might consider doing that.

 

Thanks again for the thread, great contribution!

[mark76 0]

I just ran into this article and it is very interesting. UV helps a lot with lume and with UV adhesives (for replacing crystals, etc.)

 

I can wake hours after I go to sleep and see my lume glowing brightly if it has been exposed to any kind of UV (sun, blacklight, etc). The initial "extreme" brightness wears off in minutes, but even hours later it it still glows nearly as bright as my watch with Tritium markers.

 

Just thought I would throw this out there from Luminova and Super LumiNova websites, since many watches (Omega, Tag Heuer, Breitling, IWC, Longines, etc., and most likely many reps) use Super LumiNova or the older (mid 1990's) LumiNova:

 

LumiNova ® Features

 

• Afterglow period of ten times current ZnS based phosphorescent pigments.

 

• Activation by a wide wavelength band (200-450 nm) but best results are obtained with an activation energy under 350 nm;

 

• Initial afterglow brightness of up to ten times that of conventional phosphorescent pigments; (LumiNova)

 

• Increase in luminescence and afterglow with longer activation time;

 

• Excellent weather and light fastness;

 

• Free of hazardous and radioactive substances.

 

Super-Luminova®:

These pigments operate like a light battery. After sufficient activation by sunlight or artificial light, they glow in the dark for many hours. Larger markings guarantee full legibility for the whole night. This activation and subsequent light emission process can be repeated again and again, and the material does not suffer any ageing. Consequently, Super-Luminova® offers full high-performance over the lifetime of a watch. Selected grades of new chemical compositions have up to 100 times better brightness than previous zinc sulphide materials.

[trailboss99 997]

My only real concern with the regular use of UV lamps to charge watch lume is that in time it is likely to damage the pigment, as Wiz said.

 

As they say at Wikipedia: "citation needed". I am yet to see this confirmed by any direct source. As someone said, sunlight is chock full of UV.

 

 

Balders: If you carefully read the the article you would see that the lume forum can be found at Glow Inc's website: http://www.glowforum.com/

[mark76 0]

My only real concern with the regular use of UV lamps to charge watch lume is that in time it is likely to damage the pigment, as Wiz said.

 

As they say at Wikipedia: "citation needed". I am yet to see this confirmed by any direct source. As someone said, sunlight is chock full of UV.

 

 

Balders: If you carefully read the the article you would see that the lume forum can be found at Glow Inc's website: http://www.glowforum.com/

 

 

The sun is a great source of UV... main source of it on Earth. It not only emits UV(A), but UVB and UVC... which causes fading, hardening, cancer.... Any UV source works great as long as it's in the wavelength. There is actually a lot of detailed information on testing of watch pigments, UV sources, etc. that I ran into... I thought it too long and probably not of enough interest to post.

 

As for exposing a watch to UV... as long as it is the "right kind" of UV (like black light around 350 nm), it's safe for your eyes (depending on how intense, of course) and should be for most everything else as well.

 

Luminova and Super Luminova's websites (http://www.umccorp.com/luminova.htm and http://www.rctritec.com/index.php?id=13) tell about ISO's and international testing standards, and they have an area to provide more information on request.

 

I personally wouldn't spend any money on lights or lamps to "charge" my watch, but if you have a proper black light and want to give it a try for 10 or 20 minutes, why not?

[offshore 0]

OK, so what is the best light source for curing UV glue?

O/S

[Tempus 0]

I loved this article (a career in optics for and lasers probably helps) However any serious night stuff I do eg rabbit and other vermin stalks I use my favourite 'tool' watch which is my Marathon GSAR tritium vial watch

 

 

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[Tempus 0]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...p;v=oZTz4Vfizeo

[mark76 0]

OK, so what is the best light source for curing UV glue?

O/S

 

 

I think it would depend on if your are doing a small amount of adhesive work or large batches... Luxtrak adhesives (just one of MANY different kinds) activate at 365 nm... that is in the range of a good black light (blue) bulb or black light (visible), sunlight...

 

So a black light in that range, or one of those nail lamps ladies use to dry their nail polish. A florescent bulb in that range would be easiest and most cost effective I would think. A sylvania 350BL florescent bulb, $9.