Look, you CFL users have to stop wasting your light!
I made some crude reflectors a while ago and spray painted them white to reflect what i thought was most of the light (read on internet that flat white reflects about 80% or something), they worked really good for my first grow.
Anyway, my new grow has been going for a while now and could do with the best possible light reflactance (sog ya see!). So i was at work the other day when i noticed how much light was being reflected from some foil coated insulation sheet. Got me thinking, so i held up a white sheet next to the board to find there was no comparison! The foil reflected about 4 times more light onto the wall.
So what iv done is made some very very cheap, easy, reflective and effective cfl reflectors. Iv spent an hour making a new shelf for the lights to fit on to. Im soo impressed with the results i had to make a thread and share this idea.
Now listen, i havnt tested this with other sized cfls which may give off more heat and be potentially dangerous (fire...) but iv tested my 18w bulbs and theres no chance they will catch on fire, for a start they aint in contact with any part of the bulb or ballast, and the radiant heat from the bulbs coudnt ignite a match! (iv tested a match). With my bulbs, i left one on for 3 hours in isolation in a safe place outside. It was covered toilet paper and didnt discolour or burn in any way. So i know IM safe with MY lights. If you do use these reflectos TEST YOURS FIRST as 42w bulbs probably run a lot hotter...
So anyway, heres the pic tutorial to save me explaining.
JUST had an idea, i used layers of paper glued together with pva glue then glued the foil to this. If you worried about the paper some how igniting - skip the paper part and just glue 5-6 layers or alu foil together. Then cut out your circles and proceed as normal...shit sould have thought about that earlier lol. But yea, thats what i would do if i was worried about the heat/fire issue some may have...
I found the size i would need for my lights/ cab. And cut some layers of paper (i used news paper). Cut one first as a template/tester and adjust the next ones as needed.
Glue 3-4 of these together by using a paint brush to coat the entire face of the circle, place the next circle on top, coat and repeat until you have your thickness right. I used 3.
If you aint using paper, just glue 5 layers of alu foil together and use the template you cut first as a guide and cut the shape out you see above, but out of foil instead.
If using paper like me...
Cut a square of alu foil, try not to crease it. Paint the face of the layered paper circle with more PVA glue. I put the shiny side down onto a piece of clean newspaper, then put the ready glued paper circle on top, glue face down obviously to stick it to the alu foil.
Leave to dry, trim.
Then just break the circle by cutting down the edge with a knife or scissors, and create the cone shape you want and either tape it or use a stapler. Hope you get what you need to do next cant explain or spell for shit hehe can make some nifty little reflectors though!
Heres them in action. Hope this helps a few peeps...
I made some crude reflectors a while ago and spray painted them white to reflect what i thought was most of the light (read on internet that flat white reflects about 80% or something), they worked really good for my first grow.
Anyway, my new grow has been going for a while now and could do with the best possible light reflactance (sog ya see!). So i was at work the other day when i noticed how much light was being reflected from some foil coated insulation sheet. Got me thinking, so i held up a white sheet next to the board to find there was no comparison! The foil reflected about 4 times more light onto the wall.
So what iv done is made some very very cheap, easy, reflective and effective cfl reflectors. Iv spent an hour making a new shelf for the lights to fit on to. Im soo impressed with the results i had to make a thread and share this idea.
Now listen, i havnt tested this with other sized cfls which may give off more heat and be potentially dangerous (fire...) but iv tested my 18w bulbs and theres no chance they will catch on fire, for a start they aint in contact with any part of the bulb or ballast, and the radiant heat from the bulbs coudnt ignite a match! (iv tested a match). With my bulbs, i left one on for 3 hours in isolation in a safe place outside. It was covered toilet paper and didnt discolour or burn in any way. So i know IM safe with MY lights. If you do use these reflectos TEST YOURS FIRST as 42w bulbs probably run a lot hotter...
So anyway, heres the pic tutorial to save me explaining.
JUST had an idea, i used layers of paper glued together with pva glue then glued the foil to this. If you worried about the paper some how igniting - skip the paper part and just glue 5-6 layers or alu foil together. Then cut out your circles and proceed as normal...shit sould have thought about that earlier lol. But yea, thats what i would do if i was worried about the heat/fire issue some may have...
I found the size i would need for my lights/ cab. And cut some layers of paper (i used news paper). Cut one first as a template/tester and adjust the next ones as needed.
Glue 3-4 of these together by using a paint brush to coat the entire face of the circle, place the next circle on top, coat and repeat until you have your thickness right. I used 3.
If you aint using paper, just glue 5 layers of alu foil together and use the template you cut first as a guide and cut the shape out you see above, but out of foil instead.
If using paper like me...
Cut a square of alu foil, try not to crease it. Paint the face of the layered paper circle with more PVA glue. I put the shiny side down onto a piece of clean newspaper, then put the ready glued paper circle on top, glue face down obviously to stick it to the alu foil.
Leave to dry, trim.
Then just break the circle by cutting down the edge with a knife or scissors, and create the cone shape you want and either tape it or use a stapler. Hope you get what you need to do next cant explain or spell for shit hehe can make some nifty little reflectors though!
Heres them in action. Hope this helps a few peeps...