talkmagic.co.uk

Howdy,
I recently saw a lovely little piece of mentalism with some disappearing ink. Without trying to give anything away, it involved a number being revealed (from a previously drawn design) by being held over a candle.

Does anyone know what ink is used for this? Tried googling it and either a chemistry lecture comes up or an ad for "Smiffys Disappearing Ink", used as a practical joke (a mean one, if you ask me...). This stuff is pretty cheap - can this be used? (i.e. used in cheap fountain pen perhaps) and if not, does anyone have any knowledge on the subject...?

If I remember correctly, lemon juice will do that.

oeb is right, lemon juice will work perfectly. As too will milk.

Hi guys - thanks but I'm actually after disappearing ink as opposed to invisible ink... the opposite! I need ink that looks blue (like normal ink) but when exposed to heat will disappear.

I maybe very wrong on this but I think Marvins do this. Or try to find one of them kiddies secert spy kits where you get a maginfying glass and pens and stuff.

I have worked with the smiffys ink and it is great.

http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/p-jokes/dir ... g-ink.html
£1.25 aint bad but the P&P is probably more.

It doesn't dissapear with heat, but that might possibly make it dissapear quicker? Not sure. The thing that makes it dissapear is just being exposed to the air. It doesnt take too long.

Right - bit of an advance on this... not quite there though...!

Apparently it's a pen that's designed to be able to be rubbed out - it uses the heat from the friction. However, I tried one of the "erasable ballpoints" (eraser-max I think, by papermate) and that ain't the stuff. But supposedly it's widely available at stationary shops...

I bought a set of 'eraseable' pens from ASDA a while ago for £2 (same as featured on The Real Hustle). They work quite well.
Good luck anwyay.

There is a particular magic product sold that does exactly what you specified in your first post. David Stone demmed it in his lecture at my club but unfortunately the silly sod only brought five with him and sold out before I got to the front of the queue.

Unfortunately I can't for the life of me remember the name of the product but someone mentioned that you can buy the right type of pen from a stationary shop if you know exactly what you're after. One of the Alakazam staff mentioned they might be getting some in but I haven't enquired since, give them a ring and they should at least be able to tell you where you can get one. For the record I think the pen was going for about 15 quid, well worth it if you ask me.

The effect in question is, I believe, Mathieu Bich's Sympathetink.

Bingo Demitri. That's the one.

i know this isnt what you want, but as an alternative, i've been using FUSE quite alot recently, im just blown away at how good it looks...

you show a sheet of tissue paper - and "light" it with a smouldering match or fag end, and it burns whatever image you decide to design on it...a little like in cartoons when you see gunpowder dripping from a keg and it's then lit...that little sizzle and draws whatever shape you wish...

i've used it recently in an egyptian thing i've been doing, and the eye of horus is slowly burned out of a piece of paper...

I remember a kid's TV show, sometime early 1960's, probably called Magic Box, Bag of Tricks or similar, which featured ( I think!) Billy McCombe and a token young lad working out various tricks and effects - a sort of 'Tricky TV' in black and white and 405 lines.

One of the ideas shown was the sort of thing mentioned above and it was easy (in those days!) to get the stuff to make the 'ink' used to draw the shapes or path to be burned away. The chemists amongst us will know of KN 03 and it's use in keeping commercially made cigarettes glowing away happily!

Guys and girls - I've actually found the correct pen for the job, and have hence edited it out of my previous post so as to keep it slightly under wraps because IMHO it's a real find!

So, if anyone wants to know where to get this pen, just PM me. It's a cheapish commercially available roller ball, but when held over a flame will disappear in a truly magical way... really good fun, and soooooo many possibilities!

thats cool. i would like to know about that pen! and by the way, i have a bottle of that practical jokers invisible ink from when i was younger, and i dont know how it works. it comes with no instructions, and you cant put it in an d empty pen.