Noodler’s Blue Ghost Fluorescent Bulletproof Ink
By
Noodler's Blue Ghost Ink along with a Lamy Safari
Glow in the dark office supplies? Really? Sure, why shouldnt your office supplies glow in the dark? Today’s review will take a look at Noodler’s Blue Ghost fountain pen ink. This is probably not something that you would find an every day use for, but it definitely fits into the category of cool office supplies so I had to try it out and share it here.
Open bottle of Noodler's Blue Ghost fountain pen ink
Noodler’s Blue Ghost fountain pen ink is a really cool item, that you may or may not have a good use for, but it is definitely cool to just have around if you are looking for a fun ink. You can pick it up from most places for about $13-$14, and it is even one of the bulletproof inks from Noodler’s that is tamper and fraud resistant, meaning that its pretty damn permanent.
Noodler's Blue Ghost loaded in a Pelikan M205
Although I did the writing samples for this pen using my Lamy Safari, I couldnt resist also filling my Pelikan M205 demonstrator with the Blue Ghost just to see what it looked like filled up with glowing ink. The first picture you see above is the ink loaded in the pen, but under normal light. You will notice that the ink in the pen has a slightly yellow color to it under normal conditions.
Noodler's Blue Ghost in a Pelikan M205 Demonstrator glowing under black light
Now with the lights off and the black light on, you can see the Pelikan demonstrator full of Noodler’s Blue Ghost glowing brightly. You can also see the parts of the pen that the ink leaks into. This might be another use for this ink, meaning if you have a pen that leaks but you cant tell where it is coming from, this might be a helpful way to find and seal a crack or seal in a pen.
The Rhodia Web Notebook and Noodler's Blue Ghost writing sample
I tried the Noodler’s Blue Ghost on multiple different papers and it seems to get the best results when used on non-white paper, especially a non bright AND non white paper. The Rhodia Web Notebook with 90g paper in the cream color got by far the best results. The photo above shows the writing sample in that Rhodia Webnotebook . The light that I used for getting these pictures is from Feit Electric, which is a compact fluorescent light, so its even environmentally friendly. There are many better and worse options for a fluorescent light, so do your research and find the one that is best for you, but also be aware that lights like this can be dangerous for your eyes, so exercise care when using them.
So by now you are probably back to asking yourself “ok, but seriously, why do I need glow in the dark office supplies?” Im glad you asked. Although Im sure that you can find plenty of uses for this, here are a few quick ideas from the bottle and from my own head:
- Private notes or letters
- Hidden editing marks on documents
- Personal watermarks
- Highlighting
- Password lists
I’ve actually considered using this ink to make a list of passwords myself, but I just have not gotten around to it yet, but now that I have two pens filled with the Blue Ghost Ill probably go ahead and do it. The interesting thing about writing with this ink is that its hard to write unless you have the fluorescent light on as you are writing or else it is very hard to tell where you have left off and hard to keep writing in a straight line.
Noodler's Blue Ghost used for highlighting text in a book
In addition to the writing samples, I thought Id also show the above photo which illustrates how the Noodler’s Blue Ghost looks when you use it to highlight in a text book. On top of all of the uses listed out above, this would probably also be a good ink for keeping kids entertained with the cool glow in the dark properties and the ability to write secret notes, but again, keep in mind the potential dangerous effects of the lighting if not used properly.
So yeah, at the end of the day I dont think anyone NEEDS glow in the dark office supplies, but this ink is certainly pretty cool, and there are a few practical applications for it, but I dont think Ill be using this enough to worry about burning through the whold 3 oz bottle any time soon.
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VERY cool review!!!
What a cool ink! I used to make invisible ink as a kid, and I’ve seen this online, but I always wondered how it performed. Thanks to your excellent review – now I know!
Possibly one of the coolest office supplies ever, now if only there was a really good use for it. http://officesupplygeek.com/ink-review/n...
Very interesting stuff…thanks for the review.
i dont have a use for it – yet i want!
RT @OfficeSupplyGee Possibly one of the coolest office supplies ever, now if only there was a really good use for it. http://officesupplygeek.com/ink-review/n...
That’s some pretty cool ink, but who has an extra black light just lying around the office?
Adding to the list of potential office uses:
Lets say you’re the owner of Toon Town and you decide it would be a good idea to keep your living will a secret, just in case it falls into the corrupt hands of Judge Doom.
Can you add say yellow ink to it to make fluorescent yellow?
Is it actually glow in the dark, or is it just UV-reactive? Because I could find many, many uses for a gitd ink (drawing on the walls in the bedroom!), but not so much for UV-reactive, since blacklights just give me a headache.
@Speedmaster – thank you, much appreciated!
@Sam – Sounds like fun making your own, was it the kind that required heat to make it appear?
@Kelly Seltzer – No problem, Im glad you enjoyed the review and thanks for stopping by to comment.
@Sara – so true, I didnt really have a use for it when I bought it, but I just kind of felt like I had to have it.
@Andrew – Probably nobody, but I dont think I implied anyone would…just a fun thing to consider buying if the urge strikes you, thats all.
@Tom – Too funny, but a perfect additional example….I have not seen that movie in a while.
@Kirk – Im not sure if that would work. I can give it a try and let you know, I still actually owe someone else an update on my last highlighter review I did so I should do both of these together. Also, just FYI, many regular yellow, pink, and orange highlighters do react under black light.
@Marte – Thanks for keeping me honest/accurate here. I think in my enthusiasm I just interchanged the fact that its actually UV reactive with being “glow in the dark”, but it is technically not “glow in the dark” material. I should probably correct the post to be a little more accurate.
Great stuff! Another use is mixing it with Noodler’s other bulletproof inks since you can mix BP with BP and not lose the features. This way, you have yet another layer of fraud protection. Imagine a black light court room scene where the real signature or check amount or whatever is dramatically revealed!
@bardharlock – Another good suggestion, I might give that a try and post an update to the review.
I have used the Ghost in a journal I keep by my bedside that is made of Crane cream paper. I really enjoy the use of the ink for this purpose, but I had to start marking the pages after I used regular ink to write in the book over the top of the Ghost ink, having forgotten I had writen with the Ghost previously. It is very difficult to read the Ghost writing with black ink over the top of it. Plus about the same time my grandson decided to leave me a note in the journal and he wrote over a page of Ghost writing in a green ink and crayon and that page is totally unreadable. In order to prevent this from happening again, I have gone through and marked each page “Ghost” so I know the page has been used. Probably defeats the secrecy aspect, but definately helps to preserve the writen words.
@GrannyKass – I can totally see that as being a problem. I wonder if instead of writing “Ghost” you could put a small dot on each page to at least keep it from being too obvious.
Yes, just a dot could do the trick. I’ll have to try it going forward.
I’ve been enjoying your blog since this morning when I got turned on to it via Rhodia Drive. I’m a big fan of their products and read their site every day. You are now on my everyday reading list too.
Great stuff, good reviews.
@GrannyKass – Flattering that you enjoy the site so much, and I agree, Rhodia has some really fantastic products.
Sounds perfect for a school supplies sleuth! Or passing notes in class…
@School Supplies Sleuth – It might be a giveaway when you have to bust out the UV light in class to read it though.