General Glowstick Modding For Beginniners! =]

[melvenorc12 24]

Welcome to GSC and glowsticking.

 

The purpose of this thread this is teach beginners the basic modifications to glowsticks that glowstickers often do to make glowsticking a better experience.

 

 

Fixing the Tips of Glowsticks:

 

First General tip is for all glowsticks that come with a hook on the end such as the one in the picture below.

 

Tip: CUT OFF THE HOOKS.

 

The hook is bad whether you are a freehander, a glowstringer, or both. They often catch onto other strings, your clothes, or even the hook of another stick. For this reason almost every glowsticker will just "round off" the tip by cutting off the hook. It's easy to use scissors or any other cutting utility. This is why many stringers carry around nail clippers with them. For freehanders, some prefer not only cutting off the hook, but cutting off the entire tip. Proceed to cut as such:

 

 

These sticks are generally avoided by glowstickers because the tips hurt for wrapping/tracing, and the tips will break very easy if you're a stringer. If you get them anyway, then just cut off all the excess parts so that it doesn't catch on to anything.

 

 

While away from home, many people will simply bite the tips and twist the stick until it comes off. Afterward you can scrape the tip against the ground until it becomes round. If you don't then the tip might be sharp and cut you. If there is no cement on the ground, and you happen to have a lighter, that will also soften the plastic.

 

Changing Glowstick Brightness and Duration:

 

To change how bright a glowstick glows or how long a glowstick lasts you have to change the temperature of the glowstick itself.

 

The hotter the glowstick is, the brighter it will be, but the shorter it will last. (Generally used on 8-12 hour sticks)

The colder the glowstick is, the dimmer it will be, but the longer it will last. (If used, generally on High Intensity sticks)

 

The safest way to heat up a glowstick is to heat up water and then pour it on the glowstick, or just run it under really hot tap water.

 

The EASIEST way to heat up a glowstick is to just microwave it. MAKE SURE YOU ONLY MICROWAVE IT FOR 10 SECONDS TOPS. If you microwave it for too long, or your microwave is extremely powerful then your glowstick might explode like this:

 

 

There are two ways to go about microwaving glowsticks: microwaving before use, or microwaving after use.

 

Here is what a microwaved 12 hour green will look like vs the same stick not microwaved.

 

 

 

Now after you used glowsticks while practicing at home and they look like they're starting to die, to get a few more minutes of brightness out of your glowsticks you can head back to the microwave and put them in for a few more seconds.

 

 

When cooling down glowsticks, it's easiest to just leave them in the freezer before use. You can freeze them after you use them to keep them lasting longer.... but at that point you're glowsticks will be so dull that it'll be a waste of your time.

 

Storage (not really modding)

 

For glowsticks it's important to keep them out of the light before cracking. For this reason you should always try to keep glowsticks inside their foil wrappers or bags that they come in. The longer exposed to light they are before cracking, the more dull they will be and the shorter their life. If for some reason you don't have a wrapper just wrap them in foil and put them inside a drawer.

[Afro-Nitr0 5]

wow, i learned a lot from reading this thread =P. Thanks for the post Brian XD

[ryan041493 2]

i say to just bite, twist, and scrape on carpet. it works wonders

[Ph0toN 33]

Very nice tutorial, we've been needing something like this for a while. Great job!

[redforeva 0]

i've always wondered if cutting off that tip would balance it out

 

well, i guess it does xd

[djsolarflare 0]

wait so were those 12hrs???? O_o

[melvenorc12 24]

wait so were those 12hrs???? O_o

 

yup yup =]

[PatrickSwayze 2]

Nice tips Brian!

But yeah, I also suggest boiling up some water (~100 degrees), placing the water in a cup, and then placing the sticks in the water as another source for brightness...

[akamrchubs 0]

yup yup =]

if they were 12 hours then whats the point of buying ultras

[DreiHarteZero 0]

if they were 12 hours then whats the point of buying ultras

Because you can't get that brightness unless you microwave the 12 hrs. Not to mention the heat speeds up the chemical reaction, effectively making them 5 minute sticks.

[akamrchubs 0]

Because you can't get that brightness unless you microwave the 12 hrs. Not to mention the heat speeds up the chemical reaction, effectively making them 5 minute sticks.

yeah arnt ultras 5 minute sticks in the first place??? well i see the point that you might need ultras if you go some where else like a meet-up or massive. but then i c no point in buying ultras if your gonna use them for something like videos... and arnt 12 hours cheaper than ultras?

[DreiHarteZero 0]

Yup, they are, but again, it takes more effort to warm a stick up and crack it than it does to just buy ultras.

[InVaZn 2]

Does this mean that we should stick our glowsticks, wrapper and all, into the freezer before we decide to use them?

[Agent Gibber 0]

only if you want them to be very dim, but last a while. Or if you've already cracked them and want to save them for another night. I used to crack a pair of sticks, practice with them for about an hour, then freeze them. Then next time I wanted to practice, i'd heat em up for a few seconds in the microwave and they'd be about as bright as before. I'd even repeat this proces once or twice, but really you cant get more out of it than that.

[Drownrat 0]

I'm definitely going to have to try microwaving my next set of sticks

[RaverBebe 0]

Great tutorial Brian. I have yet to try microwaving sticks. I've heard about it but never tried it. After watching the videos I wanna go do it now LOL.

[etnan 0]

Thanks for the Tut, i was actually just wondering about what to do with the hook on the end of my glow sticks :3

[Draz 0]

Hey just a quick question.

 

How long does the microwaved 12 hr sticks last in that "ultra" state? 5 minutes?

[got glow? 0]

yeah I do the same things since I freehand - biting off the hook and scraping it on the ground or carpet to make it nice and smooth - plus more rounded too

 

And to make glowsticks last longer, let's say at a "party" - I get a big cup of ice and place the sticks in it - works like a charm - well, to me anyway

[Anderson 0]

Genious.. Next time I f<insert magical chemical here> Im going to microwave glowstick and then cut it open and paint the forrest with Ultra!

[H3ATMANJ 0]

omg that amazing, this just wrinkled my brain

[Samuri 0]

learned alot! thanks a bunches.

[mrneumann5000 0]

So what happens if you microwave Ultras? And how long do the 12 hours hast after microwaved? Thanks.

 

 

[Tact11 0]

Dang, this helped me, yo. Thanks a bunches!

[jlmartin 0]

wow i did not know all of that i am wondering tho is there any glowstick that are consittered the best tho bright and last a long time