Fun outside the visible spectrum

[sheafferkid]

I saw the Blue Ghost at Art Brown in NYC and considered buying some. Can you see the ink on the paper, or is it like invisible ink until a blacklight shines on it? Thanks!

 

Evan

[Mocksy]

OK, here's the shot done with some thought to the setup. Larger by popular request.

 

And yes, the ink is invisible under normal light.

[Mocksy]

And another shot while I'm at it

[captnemo]

That's WICKED COOL.

 

 

Thank you!

[Elaine]

You can not see the ink on the paper at all without the black light. I love this ink!

[Mocksy]

Ack. I suppose technically a Vista is a Safari. Oh well, perfection is meant to be approached but never achieved. :bonk:

 

At least I don't have an art director giving me the gears.

[guitarman19853]

ACK!!! Noodler's better not stop making this color... because I WANT THIS PEN/INK COMBO!!!!!! And now i have no money to spend on pens!

[a11en]

While I don't have a Vista, (I'll seriously be on the lookout for one when I get some cash now that I see these awesome photos), I do have ghost and use it quite frequently. It's wonderful ink, and I get a chuckle every time I use it.

 

It's fantastic for labelling books from others you've borrowed from... Dad and my brother for instance... I just write down who's it is, and they're none the wiser. So, when the inevitable question about whether this Terry Pratchet is Dad's or Bro's, I just fire up the black light and the problem is solved.

 

Now, I just need to replace the LED on my keychain to UV...

 

-Allen

[HDoug]

Okay, there will be a run on the market for Ghost, the Vista, and... any recommendations for a UV lamp for writing and reading?

 

Doug

[Eternally Noodling]

Working on many more light specific inks. There are many inks that are "works in progress" that have been held back because of a requirement that the return rate must be below 1.5% Plastic feeds that are poorly made and are unable to draw up simple tap water to their rear fins when held at a perpendicular angle to the drop of water...are becoming an industry problem. I wish they all used ebonite - it would expand the range of inks four fold. Plastic feeds often need detergents to enhance their capillary and cohesive abilities - but they never have reached the abilities of ebonite feeds. A nib adjusted to the flow desired by the user for a given grade of ink and a generous ebonite feed design...can do just about anything with ink!

 

These images of the Blue Ghost are stunning. If I can't figure out how to get them on film with my collection of demonstrators (a few are shown here) I'll either need help in exchange for ink or a different camera and technique. It is not as easy as it looks to show the natural perception of a color - especially Blue Ghost and Firefly - within this medium of monitors and digital images! Quite a challenge!

 

These images have too much green in them, several black lights were tried...when I get this right - I will post again.

 

Back to the ink - for the love of the hobby and its expansion and prosperity, may fountain pen collecting always be a source of pleasure for an ever growing number of people who not so long ago would not even have shown interest in our addiction!!!!! That includes southpaws...Swisher Ink...and any other group previously without complete utility and satisfaction in the realm of the almighty fountain pen!

[Eternally Noodling]

Another black light...but I fear I simply need a new camera with a variable aperture setting...low light settings..etc...

 

The prior poster's images are true to the naked eye's perception. Amazing. My congratulations.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Eternally Noodling

[a11en]

Technically, we're viewing these pictures in the visible spectrum... so, really, we're still in the visible spectrum... except that we are exciting the fluorescence with non-visible spectrum light.

 

He he he.

 

Nathan- I totally love Blue Ghost. It's a fantastic ink!! BTW, is that a different colored ink I see in the works?

 

My hat's off to the photographers and of course, to the creator of this wonderful ink.

 

I wish I had a demonstrator to try this out on.

 

Cheers, guys!!

-Allen

[Eternally Noodling]

If one uses an incandescent black light, it works for reading and writing "Blue Ghost" using a desk lamp...yet for photographic effect and to increase the number of paper grades the ink is functional upon...nothing beats the fluorescent sourced black lights. A camera with low light settings also helps a great deal. The following photos show the difference.

 

I have a question... If research has developed a number of radical inks - but they are dependent upon certain specific light sources for their maximum performance...do you believe the public would truly utilize such inks (not just 3 bottles a year because it is unusual/rare ink??)? Blue Ghost is an extremely durable ink. Once you have found a paper grade (non-coated cellulose, of course) that exhibits good contrast with the ink - experimentation with cleaning products and bleaches will show the ink to be bulletproof - in fact one of the most durable of them all. Firefly is not bulletproof (though we have one in a couple overseas stores for limited testing) as many suggested it should enable a classic text to revert to its original state after a year or two have passed. That quality has not been reached, but nobody wanted firefly to be permanent. If you think it should be - or there should be a version of firefly that is permanent....let us know.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Eternally Noodling

[Eternally Noodling]

Demo pens included...

Edited July 26, 2007 by Eternally Noodling

[Eternally Noodling]

Last one for now...

Edited July 26, 2007 by Eternally Noodling

[a11en]

Love the photos and ink, Nathan! Excellent stuff!!

 

I have to admit, in regards to your question about other light spectra ink... I have to admit it took me a bit of time before I could utilize Blue Ghost because I had to go and find a nice fluorescent (I strongly suggest avoiding the incandescents- they waste most of their light spectra as heat, and output a very small portion of UV). It might be fun to have an ink which can only be viewed with a very specific spectrum of light that is rare- but I might suggest that you also offer a product, or links to where one can buy a product, that can view the ink. I guess I'd start by asking how well Blue-Ghost is doing, and approximate a percentage of those sales as users. So, if it's a really esoteric ink, perhaps only 50% of blue-ghost users will bite?

 

Difficult to say, really. I for one am very thankful you're making your inks, Nathan. I think they're bringing new advancements to fountain-pen users.

 

Love the images!!

-Allen

[Eternally Noodling]

There will be a demo Kaweco Sport eyedropper in future with a clear feed/section sleeve...just need the right clear feed for the image. For those of you that asked, these demo pens are: a Waterman capillary filling x-pen demonstrator, a Lamy piston filler demonstrator (early), a Japanese areometric bulb filling demonstrator with Sheaffer nib (1950s), a Kohinoor "Roll-Ku-Li" ruby tipped piston filling roller pen (like a stylo with greater control of ink flow), and a more modern piston filling roller fountain pen with radial section feed. Most are 1950s and rare...but I did not have anything modern to photograph (at least I did not go all the way into the celluloid, lucite and bakelite demos!).

[Eternally Noodling]

...the x-pen close up.

Edited July 26, 2007 by Eternally Noodling

[Eternally Noodling]

Note the aerometric bulb filler...a very simple mechanism - yet it holds so much ink vrs. piston fillers! Only the eyedropper and Dunn designs hold more per barrel volume. The Postal bulb fillers could hold incredible volumes of ink for their size.

[Eternally Noodling]

A little extra photography and art can't hurt the group...I hope nobody objects.

 

Here are some more photos involving Firefly, the Blue Ghost, and the updated artwork on Noodler's "Devil Red" (Swisher Pens). This was thought to be the company's highest risk artwork since Iraqi Indigo (one of only three labels that have caused death threats...hopefully this one won't be that bad). Who thought the ink business could generate things like that?! It's just ink and paper.... :ph34r: