A little Glow FAQ :)

Ok so since I hit the front page I have had a LOT of people asking the same questions, so just a quick FAQ for y'all to make life easier I'll add to this as more questions come along!

How do they GLOW??
Magic which is provided in the form of a nifty little compound called strontium aluminate. This is the standard glow compound used all over the world. You'll find it in toys, watch faces, emergency signs... It's completely safe and non-radioactive.

How long do they glow for?
Answer: It depends on the colour!

Red is the worst glow colour around ever. Although I have timed it glowing for over 3.5 hours so far, I would class a "good" glow as lasting 1.5 - 2 hours.

Bright blues aquas and greens (<-- yes he's green, it's the closest I could get), by contrast, are the absolute best as these are the naturally occuring wavelengths of strontium aluminate (which is the glow compound used in the crystals). These will glow well for up to 4 hours, although I timed them for 7 hours once, but the glow was quite dim by that point.

Oranges tend to follow greens in terms of brightness and duration, then yellows, deep blues and purples, and lastly reds.

But how do you charge them??

Like all glow in the dark stuff, getting these to glow properly is all dependent on proper "charging" with a good source of light. Whilst a few minutes of light will produce a glow, they need to be charged for an hour or so for the best results. Direct sunlight works well, as does a good lamp or a UV light if you have one. Ambient daylight will also produce a glow; when I take these photos I leave them on a bright (but not sunny) windowsill, as sometimes you can "overcharge" them and the colour will be slightly off until it settles down - for example, if you overcharge the yellow like with a UV light it has a green tint for a couple of minutes, but it goes away pretty quickly. I take my photos after they've been left on a bright (not direct sunlight) windowsill for an hour or two.

You can use:
Sunlight (best)
UV light (great, but you may "overcharge" them and get a funny colour until they settle down - don't worry, it's not permanent!)
Bright daylight (good - I use this to take my photos)
Desk lamps / lightbulbs (good - I put them under a lamp for a couple of hours before overnight testing)
Dull daylight (a little glow but not much)

Oddly enough, LEDs do not work! I don't recommend LEDs.

You can recharge them as often as you like! These will retain their ability to glow for many years. I say 15 years plus, however I've seen some literature that says strontium aluminate is rechargeable for up to 30 years!

What are the crystals called?
They don't have a name to be honest! I just call them glowing crystals

Where do you get them?
A little Wizard's Sanctum called the internet I get different colours from different places all over the world!
 
I'm afraid I do not give out my exact sources, sorry!