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Posted: 9/25/2009 8:00:54 PM EDT
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Wanna shoot steel at night.
Where can I find some IR reflective paint? What colors does it come in? Could you get Brown IR paint? Also in looking for this on the web I came across a suggestion to use Tiger Balm - WTF? TIA |
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I look forward to the responses. I tried shooting steel last winter at 400 yards using a 6x Raptor and Da Torch. Even with the torch the steel blended into the background and I was shooting at an 'inferred' target. I knew where it was well enough to hit it but really couldn't see it.
You got me thinking though and I found this article on the web about making reflective paint. I would think this might do the trick and will try it out in the coming months. I also found a product by Rustoleum but haven't looked for it in local stores. http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=125 Any thoughts? Matt http://www.ehow.com/way_5161942_diy-reflective-paint.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art Reflective paint has many uses both in a home or on your favorite big toys. It can be used on a boat, motorcycle, bicycle trail or to mark the gas meter installed in your lawn. Reflective paint is basically made from paint and small reflective crystals. It is something you can make yourself with a little ingenuity. Paint to Use Start with white or silver paint because, traditionally, this is the color most often used in reflective paint. It is also more visible than any other color in low light conditions. You can use interior or exterior paint, depending on the application. For outdoor use, choose a heavy-duty exterior latex and for indoors, a light wall paint will suffice. Mix with Glitter Some reflective paint simply has a lot of glitter mixed into the base. This glitter causes the paint to be reflective. Add glitter to a can of paint at a ratio of 1 pt. of glitter to 1 gallon of paint, and mix thoroughly with a paint stick. You can test the mixture by painting a section of plywood or whatever it is you want to paint. Add glitter or add paint to the mix to get the proper ratio of glitter and paint. Wait until the paint dries to decide what you should add. If glitter sheds from the paint, add more paint to the mix. Crystals Other paints have reflective crystals mixed into the paint. These crystals are made from crushed glass micro beads or plastic with a reflective coating. You can buy these at a craft store or specialty paint store. These are mixed into the base paint at a ratio of 1/4 gallon crystals to 1 gallon of paint. The size of the crystals is important. They must be very small so that there is enough dispersion in the paint. The crystals should also be large enough to show through the surface of the dried paint when it is applied in one coat. |
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You might be on to some thing here.
On the note of making your own, since it be nice to be quick about it for mid session repaints I think a can of white and a big jar of glitter nail polish with some extra glitter added to it might be just the ticket. Good tips. |
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Watch how the reflective stripes are painted on roadways. The reflective crystals are not mixed into the paint, they are applied to the surface of the wet paint. When the paint dries they are stuck to it. The striping trucks do it automatically. When they paint smaller areas like crosswalk lines the workers take handfuls of the crystals out of a bucket and throw it on the wet paint.
For your purpose, you might be able to paint it with whatever color you want and apply the crystals while it is still wet. |
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