# Looking for IR-Reflective-Spray-Paint



## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

I am looking for a small amount of spray paint (white?) that provides a good IR refection. It will be used to paint part of a brass flywheel. Thanks in advance!!!
Bob

I am (slowly) working on modifying a locomotive for accurate speed and distance-traveled control. You can find more information here, http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/blog.php?28125-RT_Coker.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

any reason to do it the hard way??
highly reflective materials than can easily be bonded are of course gold [foil], or plexiglass ..or aluminum foil, just glue a strip on.. good for 1 to 300 micro meters ... thats why aluminum is commonly used as a reflector in infrared heaters ...
then again, brass is also a good IR refelctor, [not great, but fairly good], so just polish a strip on the brass, paint the rest good quality satin black, recommendation is spray bomb bbq paint, good IR absorbtion index..
of course this is only valid with IR emitter / detector sets in roughly the 10 to 275 um range 
if you intend to shield [enclose] the E/D set with the loco housing, a visible light set will work easier, and will be less costly, and samples can be readily obtained from cd players and other cheap disposable electronic devices that use them for speed control, pretty basic stuff


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

If you have a flywheel, you can use a tach tape like is used for the old TAS speed control or currently MTH PS/2 locomotives. You can print your own tach tapes with various stripe counts if you like using gummed label paper.


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

Wvgca,
No good reason to “do it the hard way”. I should have used a less specific question! Thanks for the input! 
The aluminum foil may work for me

John,
Thanks for the input! The tack tape descriptions I am finding on the web do not talk about their IR reflective characteristics. I may give them a try anyway.
Bob

Because I am better at painting than at foil cutting and pasting, I am still looking for somewhere to get the IR reflective paint.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

double sided clear tape and ordinary kitchen tin foil might work for you??


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

Wvgca,
Thanks for the input. I have an IR reflective surface that is working in the test setup. Now, I am trying to find a one that is suited for a longer lasting and more reliable installation in the locomotive. I can apply paint without unbalancing the flywheel, but when I add material it becomes unbalanced. I am working with limitations, no-so-good eyes, shaky hands, and a limited budget.
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

RT_Coker said:


> John,
> Thanks for the input! The tack tape descriptions I am finding on the web do not talk about their IR reflective characteristics. I may give them a try anyway.
> Bob


Well, every MTH PS/2 locomotive update uses an IR sensor array to read the stripes, and so did the TAS upgrades. The standard printed tach tapes using gummed labels have worked for me for years, so I suspect they'll work for you as well.


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks John!!!
The cheep printer paper I have is a poor IR reflector, so I assumed I would need some special surface. I will have to get some gummed labels and try them. I am assuming that I would need glossy type labels.
Bob


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I've printed them on the label paper that I buy to print USPS shipping labels. They're 1/2 sheet sized papers that you peel and stick to the package with the shipping info, bar code, etc. I just buy the labels from the cheapest source on eBay as I ship lots of stuff. The paper is not especially glossy, it's just that the contrast between the black and white stripes has to be sufficient. For old tach tapes, I've been known to use a marker to blacken the black stripes.


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## RT_Coker (Dec 6, 2012)

Thanks John!!!
The label idea was just what I needed. I ended up printing what I would call tach-wheels on silver-foil labels. These are giving me the voltage swing needed for a direct binary-processor input from the sensor.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Glad it all worked out.


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