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The Science and Seduction of Luminescent Colorants

8 thoughts on “The Science and Seduction of Luminescent Colorants”

  1. Figure 4 is undecipherable to me. Apparently there are 3 treatments, but no delineation. And what are the horizontal and vertical grooves (?). Please bear down on labeling.

    Reply
    • Hello, Chris.
      Thank you for the question.
      I recycled Figure 4 (and the descriptive text) from the 2014 article: Selecting the Best Exterior Mural Pigments
      This is an image of 2 “Q-panels” which are 3″x5″ aluminum cards used in the coatings industry for assessing permanence and weatherability of paints, primers, and sealer products. We use these in our Accelerated Weather Testing machines and on exterior test fences. The left-hand card is a paint layer of Fluorescent Red, unexposed. The right-hand card was exposed to hundreds of hours of UVA and UVB artificial light, which is part of the ASTM Lightfastness rating assessment. Half of this card was coated with our MSA Varnish before being placed into the test machine. After exposure, the cardboard color is all that remains if you do not provide UV protection. The horizontal stipe is from taping the card before the paint was applied, and the vertical line is from the heavy-handed paint brush and a shadow. We probably shouldn’t assume that artists understand what they are, and in the future I’ll include more details on images as to what we are looking at.
      – Mike

      Reply
  2. Hi Mike. Great article! I finally have a glimmer of understanding the magic of luminescent pigments. At least, it’s within site after I read the article a few times. Thanks for making a very complicated and technical subject understandable!

    Reply
    • Thank you Dean!
      There is a lot of research out there, and I found myself jumping from one rabbit-hole to the next. Not easy subject matter to absorb to be sure!
      Explaining what is going on is a challenge, and it takes several reads and sources before you can picture it in your head. In December, we put theory to practice so be sure to give it a read as well. I’m sure there will be some inspiration for your work.
      – Mike

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  3. Awesome!
    As an artist who loves to delve into the darkness to bring out the light, I found this article to be a wonderful explanation for how the magic happens 😉
    Thank you Mike!

    Reply
    • Thank you, Jeremiah.
      Be sure to tune in for the next article due in December! I’ve been doing some illuminating tests yielding exciting results!
      – Mike

      Reply

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