+Card Shark78 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I'm thinking of creating my first Night cache, I was thinking of using the UV Paint to mark where to go, but i know its more common to use the fire tacks, What are pros and cons of both types? Quote Link to comment
+Card Shark78 Posted May 25, 2014 Author Share Posted May 25, 2014 I didn't mean to post it twice I apologize Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Pros and cons? Well, off the top of my head... Reflectors (whether FireTacks or some other type) work with a normal flashlight; fluorescent paint/ink requires a UV flashlight, which isn't as common. Reflectors don't degrade when exposed to sunlight; fluorescent paint/ink fades when exposed to sunlight. Reflectors can be seen during daylight; fluorescent paint/ink can be mixed with non-fluorescent paint in ways that camouflage the information unless viewed in the dark with a UV light. Reflectors convey very little information other than their location; fluorescent paint/ink can be used to record more information. Quote Link to comment
+Touchstone Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I think a mixture of the two would work well, but UV paint by itself would be very difficult to follow the same way you could a tack with a regular flashlight. Like Nirad pointed out, I think you would have to protect the UV paint somehow, like a small piece of paper in a container to protect it from light, in order to keep it from fading over time due to exposure to sunlight. Good luck with the idea! Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I'm thinking of creating my first Night cache, I was thinking of using the UV Paint to mark where to go, but i know its more common to use the fire tacks, What are pros and cons of both types? You can buy UV penlights on ebay for about a dollar with free shipping. So if nobody has one, the penlight could be in a container at the start of the trail. Minerals that fluoresce in UV light might be a good choice. Unless all the local rocks glow in UV light (and if they do, you may use minerals that fluoresce in another color), strategically placed stones could guide the way and would not fade. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 I'm thinking of creating my first Night cache, I was thinking of using the UV Paint to mark where to go, but i know its more common to use the fire tacks, What are pros and cons of both types? You can buy UV penlights on ebay for about a dollar with free shipping. So if nobody has one, the penlight could be in a container at the start of the trail. Minerals that fluoresce in UV light might be a good choice. Unless all the local rocks glow in UV light (and if they do, you may use minerals that fluoresce in another color), strategically placed stones could guide the way and would not fade. Various plastics and many other materials fluoresce, which also may be low maintenance (non-fading). But lots of people just put out a bunch of fire tacks. Quote Link to comment
+T.D.M.22 Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 UV paint degrades in the sunlight. Depending on the quality it may only last one month. Firetacks work great if you have someplace to put them. I use retro-reflective decals(the stuff they put on Firetacks) which is what they use for street signs. It works great, resists the rain and heat and all the bad stuff outside. And they go anywhere. You can put them on trees like Firetacks. Stick them to handrails and mail boxes and such. Put them on plastic and hang them. Put them on street lights, and buildings. The best part is it's cheap. You don't need a lot. I was given a 18 inch by 12 inch scrap for free from the local sign shop. And I have some up from 2 years ago, still there, while the paint would have degraded, and Firetacks stolen(which they where for both caches I've used them on) Quote Link to comment
+Mn-treker Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 UV paint degrades in the sunlight. Depending on the quality it may only last one month. Firetacks work great if you have someplace to put them. I use retro-reflective decals(the stuff they put on Firetacks) which is what they use for street signs. It works great, resists the rain and heat and all the bad stuff outside. And they go anywhere. You can put them on trees like Firetacks. Stick them to handrails and mail boxes and such. Put them on plastic and hang them. Put them on street lights, and buildings. The best part is it's cheap. You don't need a lot. I was given a 18 inch by 12 inch scrap for free from the local sign shop. And I have some up from 2 years ago, still there, while the paint would have degraded, and Firetacks stolen(which they where for both caches I've used them on) A big problem with UV flashlight is you need to be close to the UV marked object. I have a UV led flashlight and from a distance you can't see the object. But with fire tacks a regular flashlight works great from a distance. so if you were walking down a trail at night looking for UV markers there is a good chance that you would miss them. I have one night hide and three UV hides myself. The UV code goes into a container to protect it from the elements. Quote Link to comment
+Card Shark78 Posted May 28, 2014 Author Share Posted May 28, 2014 Thanks everyone for the responses you definitely gave me things to think about and suggestions to consider. Quote Link to comment
+lowca Posted May 28, 2014 Share Posted May 28, 2014 Tacks also degrade - I visited yesterday evening one cache that has marked path with tacks and they were in really poor condition - faded and some not reflecting light anymore Quote Link to comment
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