Introduction: Ceiling Fan Glow Globe
My son wanted to make the globe in his ceiling fan glow-in-the-dark. It became a project night for us.
2 part water-clear epoxy (We used "Easy Cast")
phosphorescent powder
Step 1: Mixing the Epoxy With the Phosphorescent Powder
Follow the instructions for the 2 part epoxy that you use. For the epoxy mix that I used it was equal parts (1:1) resin and hardener. I measured out the the resin and mixed in the phosphorescent powder before adding the hardener.
Step 2: Pour the Epoxy Into the Globe
We poured the epoxy mix into the globe and evened out the epoxy by rotating the globe. I repeated this every 30 mins for until the the epoxy became tacky. This took a couple hours. The epoxy that I used "soft-cures" in 24 hours. I set the globe upright to let the excess settle to the bottom throughout the night and until we I got home from work.
Step 3: Re-install the Globe
Re-install the globe and enjoy.
Note: I have a 40W equivalent LED bulb in this fixture, heat from a halogen bulb might cause damage to the epoxy.
Step 4:
Participated in the
Make it Glow!
4 Comments
8 years ago on Introduction
What a great idea!
8 years ago on Introduction
My observations:
Yes, leaving the light on for longer periods does charge it more and the glow last longer. Leaving it on for as short as 30mins. It glows bright for about an hour, then starts to fade out. It takes it many hours to fade out. It is very close to the light source to charge it. The example in the video is using a 40W equivalent LED decorative bulb. Considering it gets dark about 6-7pm, my son goes to bed and lights out at 8:30pm (couple hour charge time) and it is still glowing when I go to bed 11pm-midnight. Not as bright, of course.
Your mileage may vary, but I don't think it would work as a night light. The amount of light produced by the glow is not enough to light the room. The globe glows and looks cool, but does not light the room. The 19" LCD monitor in my son's room works better for a night light than this globe.
In my son's ceiling fan, the light fits very close to the globe. Adding the epoxy to the inside make it more of a tight fit that I thought it would. Using an incandescent bulb might cause problems with heat, especially if it was in direct contact. this did not apply in my case, but a word of caution. His fixture also uses the decorative bulb (should have looked for that when I bought it), I'm sure other fixtures and globes have different clearances.
8 years ago on Introduction
I really like this idea. How long does it continue to glow? Does the time depend on how long the light is on? Thanks.
8 years ago on Introduction
This is a great idea! I have a couple of kids that like having a nightlight, but only really need it until they are asleep. This would be a great solution for them. Thanks!