Infrared Photography And "precious Resin"

[mhphoto]

It's been known for some time that most of the more expensive pen manufactures, or the ones who would be inclined to use the term "precious resin" to up sell a plastic pen, have been creating pens with material that is transparent when viewed in the infrared portion of the EM spectrum.

 

And having just gotten my first dedicated IR camera, I just couldn't resist getting some of my more swanky pens out for a nice family portrait.

 

From left to right: Namiki Falcon (SF), Pilot Falcon (SEF), Pelikan M400, Pelikan M405, Pilot Custom (14k), Platinum Century #3776, Pilot Custom 74, Pelikan M800, Pelikan M600, Pelikan 140, Pelikan 400.

 

Here are the pens in the visible spectrum (iPhone 5):

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/823/1n4d.jpg

 

And here are the pens in the near-infrared spectrum (Canon T2i at ≈ 800nm):

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/841/hvkyb.jpg

 

Here's a visual aid:

 

http://imageshack.com/a/img850/1272/dhk.gif

 

Here are the Pelikan M400 and M405:

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/834/pzz6o.jpg

 

And here's the section of the Pelikan 140:

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/853/q4no.jpg

 

The two Falcons and the Pilot Custom are able to be seen through, but just not with the ease of the obvious ones. I only have one Montblanc, a 344, but I can't find it. When I do I'll take a pic and post it here.

 

And I find it very interesting that either the Pelikan M400 or M405 has an opaque rear twist cap…

Edited July 4, 2014 by mhphoto

[Xqmano]

Wow, that's really cool! Thanks for sharing that.

[Lyander0012]

Well, wow. This just looks amazing! Thanks for sharing this, mhphoto! Haha, have you any Sailor pens lying about? I'm curious about those as well. Also, it's only natural that I'd be curious about Montblanc as well, I think

 

 

Cheers!

 

Kevin

[orfew]

Very interesting, thanks for the photos.

[fledermaus89]

very very interesting! I wonder if most plastics are transparent in the IR range?

[alexander_k]

Great! Never thought of that. So, with an IR camera and a macro lens you can actually see what's happening in a pen (e.g. clogging). Clever!

[Art]

Really neat. I've never given that a thought before.

[Dillo]

Hi,

 

Very interesting!

 

Also, a lot of black Pelikans glow red like MB pens when you shine light through them.

 

Dillon

[andymcc]

Very cool, thanks for posting these

[perth]

Nobody needs demonstrators anymore once you've got an IR camera.

[Inkysloth]

The 6th pen in from the left looks like it has two large cracks in the barrel - are they flaws in the plastic?

 

BTW - this is very very cool!

[yogalarva]

Well that's pretty neat. :-)

[Bo Bo Olson]

[Brotzmann]

Nice! I agree, thanks for sharing!

[WaskiSquirrel]

This thread made the physicist in me very happy!

[OcalaFlGuy]

Wow, that's really cool! Thanks for sharing that.

 

While I couldn't care less about any Precious Resin, In THIS, I'm 100% in agreement with.

 

THANKS! MHPhoto.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[tarheel1]

This is great. Thanks for taking the time to take the pics.

[sotto2]

OMG. Ain't science grand?

And here's a link on how to convert your old cheap digital camera to an IR camera:

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/infrared-digital-camera---the-real-way/

 

Edited July 4, 2014 by sotto2

[Joker4Eva]

The 6th pen in from the left looks like it has two large cracks in the barrel - are they flaws in the plastic?

 

BTW - this is very very cool!

 

I'm not sure, it looks to me like the ink level. But I might be wrong though.

 

EDIT: Forgot to add- Darn, that's super sweet! Guess there's now a new way to examine a pen for cracks!

Edited July 4, 2014 by Joker4Eva

[sotto2]

mhphoto:

 

Could you please provide more details on your Canon T2i camera? Did you have to alter the camera to get it to shoot in the infrared range, or is that a "feature" that comes on the camera? I've tried to look into this, but don't seem to be having much luck getting specific info. How much $ would a person need to sink into a camera like yours to do this? I know I included a link above to convert a regular digital camera to shoot IR, but is there a cheaper camera that comes ready-made to be able to shoot hi-res images like yours?

 

Many thanks!

Edited July 5, 2014 by sotto2