Is the UV Light test the ultimate test?

[Maximiliano]

Black light test ist other tool but nice tool.

taste, eyes, touch, forum, black light and....knowledge



Cheers,

Maxi.

[all1knew]

burn test

Hello all,

I know that the burn test and the black-light test are good, but how else can you determine if an item is made from "modern" synthetic threads? Please let me know either way. Thank you.

William Kramer

[carlosR]

Has anyone tried this test on helmet decals? I am not at home or I would noteven ask but I will when I return.

[Scott C.]

I discovered something interesting in the yellow twisted cord collar piping of my early Luft NCO tunic. Under UV light, the yellow piping doesn't glow, it turns an alternating yellow and dark blue about every 1/4 inch all the way round the collar. Turn the UV light off and there's no trace of the blue. Wierd

Scott

[Eric JB]

Another problem.......bad storing of photos, death cards etc, placing them in plastic sheets made of plastic with softeners/weakeners in it, or in a new white photo album, and that for years, can make some of your material that first didn't glow at all, now glow after years of wrong storage.

yours
Eric-Jan

[Skullhead]

Great thread, I had always heard glowing thread to be fake.

[CSP]

I will post some scans of an article I have had for years regarding the black light. Given that it is a printed document and we are limited to size in posting pictures, I hope it is either readable or you all are able to click and save it, then open it in an editor where you can read it.

I have always found it convincing. Have mentioned it several times on the Forum in the last several years....but finally dug it up off an old zip disk.

Bottom line is that it states phosphoresing dyes were used well before 1900...and thus, things from 1934-1945 will glow.

Such has been my experience.

My own opinions are (and based on items I am convinced are original...but I may have been wrong):

it is "a" test and can help...but can also cause unnecessary distress, because things pre-1945 do glow.

All original Panzer items do not have to glow orange...some do not glow at all and some glow pink (later war - perhaps?). I have seem some original pink items glow almost yellow.

Dark green badge cloth can glow a grayish color and still be original.

Post war printed photos that are obviously post war reprints seem to always glow on the backsides - bright white. Wartime ones do not seem to glow anywhere near this and if they glow at all, it is subtle.

I have never tested it, but believe things like dry cleaning fluids and detergents can make an item glow. Just makes sense with al the chemicals and color preservants.

An item usually looks fake before the blacklite test shows that it also glows.

Here is the 5-page article.

[CSP]

page 2

[CSP]

page 3

[CSP]

page 4

[CSP]

and...page 5

[CSP]

Sorry if I killed the discussion by posting this...is all doubt removed or was I just a day late and a dollar short in commenting?

[MMM]

Thanks Scott

A great post, with awards the most the so called burn and blacklight "tests" can do is cause the buyer to consider the originality of the ribbon but then as your article states the ribbon itself may well be original.

I have seen buyers put off perfectly OK pieces becuase the ribbon glows. The ribbon might glow but it does not mean the award itself is bad or even the ribbon is bad.

Again I have seen others burn threads and state they are not happy but when pressed they cant explain why or tell you what its was they burnt.

many thanks

Mark

[münster]

Blacvklight testing IMO is just a helpful step but not a final determination. I had a LW summer visor with the removable top for cleaning. Guess what, The removable top glowed while the unwashable bottom section did not. Both parts were definitely the same material, Picky post war officers wives with phosphate cleaning detergent, I would bet my life on it.

[John_B]

I have always used a blacklight for initial tests. on paper it is usually 100% correct, but on cloth its another story, something only has to be washed with modern day detergents, and there you have it, it glows like a searchlight