# glow-in-the-dark dye 'n stuff **URL:** \ **Category:** Yo-Yo Mods and Maintenance\ **Created:** [September 29, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390 "2012-09-29T19:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/1 "2012-09-29T19:30:49Z")
i’m going to do some anodization as a part of science project thingie, so i was wondering, could i use some kind of glowing dye to ano my aluminium yoyo with, that would just look awesome. also, is there something else i should know about dyes in general, what kind will work, what won’t etc. all input will be appreciated, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![juliang22](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/juliang22/32/939_2.png) [@juliang22](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/juliang22)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/2 "2012-09-29T20:28:27Z")
Anodization is not dying a yoyo. its when you put a piece of metal into a vat of acid and shoot electicity through the acid. Just the materials to anno are a couple thousand dollars at the least. ---
**Author:** ![anonyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/3 "2012-09-30T01:55:53Z")
Having a yoyo that has been anodized using a glowing material would be pretty cool though. ---
**Author:** ![yoyospirit](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/yoyospirit/32/219875_2.png) [@yoyospirit](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/yoyospirit)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/4 "2012-09-30T02:14:51Z")
Don’t try, just don’t. ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/5 "2012-09-30T08:40:29Z")
> [@juliang22](#): > > Anodization is not dying a yoyo. its when you put a piece of metal into a vat of acid and shoot electicity through the acid. Just the materials to anno are a couple thousand dollars at the least. i do understand that it’s a not so easy electro-chemical process, and that it’s not like dyeing plastic, but “cooking” or bonding the pigment to the outer layer of aluminium, but i fail to see how it could cost me thousands (i have my schools chemistry and physics labs in my disposal :wink: ) > [@yoyospirit](#): > > Don’t try, just don’t. awww, don’t be such a buzzkill, i have time, couple beat yoyos and (afaik) all the equipment i need, besides, it will all be done under supervision of my chemistry teacher, what could possibly go wrong? > [@Studio42](#): > > Having a yoyo that has been anodized using a glowing material would be pretty cool though. exactly ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joshinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@The\_Joshinator](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/The_Joshinator)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/6 "2012-09-30T22:20:06Z")
To my knowledge, the anodizing process just electrochemically builds up a thicker than normal layer of aluminum oxide on the outside of the yoyo. Then, that layer can be colored because it’s clear and more porous than plain aluminum, thus being able to hold various dyes. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as a GITD dye, though… AFAIK, you’d have to use powdercoating or paint to get a glow effect. ---
**Author:** ![mullicabob](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/mullicabob/32/1108_2.png) [@mullicabob](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/mullicabob)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:45am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/7 "2012-10-01T01:45:32Z")
Powder coated blue or violet, not shown, options. ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/8/f/3/8f3902365184a813173736e57017f75430ed82ec.jpeg) ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/yoyoexpert1/original/4X/1/d/e/1def9b50f0f56df97ccc8a99d243786ecbdd7369.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/8 "2012-10-01T09:55:40Z")
OK, so i guess i’ll have to give up un the glowing idea, i have no way to powdercoat. maybe later i’ll buy some GITD paint and hand-paint in just for fun. back to dyes, are there some kind of specific kind of dye that works better? what would you recommend? ---
**Author:** ![PlasticWhip](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/plasticwhip/32/896_2.png) [@PlasticWhip](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/PlasticWhip)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/9 "2012-10-01T10:45:00Z")
You probably can’t do GITD, but you probably can do a florescent dye. ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/10 "2012-10-01T13:27:48Z")
> [@WildCat23](#): > > You probably can’t do GITD, but you probably can do a florescent dye. isn’t that the same? ---
**Author:** ![anonyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/11 "2012-10-01T15:34:04Z")
> [@paulsansics](#): > > > [@WildCat23](#): > > > > You probably can’t do GITD, but you probably can do a florescent dye. > > isn’t that the same? No. The florescent dye will “glow” with black light. Glow in the dark will glow without the need for an external light source although it will need a good charging from an external light source(preferably bright light I think), but black light does help. ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/12 "2012-10-01T16:13:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. sounds like glowing in dark to me… ---
**Author:** ![anonyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anonyo](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/anonyo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/13 "2012-10-01T18:12:38Z")
> [@paulsansics](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. > > sounds like glowing in dark to me… But this is an “active” process: Put energy in while getting light out. Glow in the dark is “put energy in, then it glows, releasing the energy”, it’s active(charging), then passive(releasing in the form of glowing). ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/14 "2012-10-01T19:03:55Z")
[http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/23484660.jpg](http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/23484660.jpg) i didn’t fully understand that, but i do understand enough to admit that you probably are right. enough of that, what regular dye could you recommend me? ---
**Author:** ![PlasticWhip](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/plasticwhip/32/896_2.png) [@PlasticWhip](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/PlasticWhip)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 9:01pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/15 "2012-10-01T21:01:22Z")
GITD [http://f5torefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nooka-mercury-gitd-sunglasses-f5.jpg](http://f5torefresh.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/nooka-mercury-gitd-sunglasses-f5.jpg) Florescent dye [http://www.clemson.edu/media-relations/archive/newsroom/multimedia/images/2007\_images/august/McNeill1.jpg](http://www.clemson.edu/media-relations/archive/newsroom/multimedia/images/2007_images/august/McNeill1.jpg) From what I’ve heard, GITD stuff is very hard to work with and is not a good choice for anodizing. You could probably use florescent dye, as it is similar in the way that its a liquid. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Joshinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@The\_Joshinator](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/The_Joshinator)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/16 "2012-10-01T21:11:03Z")
Most people just use regular Rit Fabric Dyes for coloring anodized aluminum. You can probably find them at a fabric or craft store. I believe Caswell sells fluorescent dyes that work for anodizing, but a quick Google/eBay search will probably turn up other stuff as well. Fluorescence, in a nutshell, is where the atoms in something absorb UV light and immediately re-emit it as visible light. This normally occurs within about 10 nanoseconds, so it’s basically just changing the wavelength of the light bouncing off it; the effect ends as soon as the light source is gone. With glow-in-the-dark, also known as phosphorescence, that absorbed energy is slowly released over several hours instead of being shot out all at once. This allows something to charge up with high-energy light for a short time and release low-energy light for a long time. Does that make more sense? ---
**Author:** ![paulsansics](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forums.yoyoexpert.com/paulsansics/32/1134_2.png) [@paulsansics](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/u/paulsansics)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/glow-in-the-dark-dye-n-stuff/43390/17 "2012-10-01T21:53:21Z")
> [@The\_Joshinator](#): > > Does that make more sense? indeed it does, thanks a lot kind sir!