The black light test

[Simon O.]

Hi all
Since finding out not so very long ago about the black light test on cloth insignia and getting a nasty shock into the bargain i was just wondering if absolutely everything which 'glows' can be labeled as post-war.


Simon

[Jeff]

No, both original items can can glow as well as fake.And bothe original and fakes will not glow.So learn what your looking at, the materials used in construction and a general feel for the item.Know where you buy it from, run adds and try to buy from vets.Most dealers will tell you anything to make a sale.Don't get me wrong, there are reputable dealer sources but you should always be on the up and up as things tend to slide in their inventory also.Blacklightis not a magic wand to say real or fake.Learn construction and materials.

[Allan P.]

Hi Simon,
If you look in the archives there are some great discussuions on the 'black light test'
Regards,
Allan

[Simon O.]

Thanks guys, I guess we all live and learn. I doubt there's a collector in the world that hasn't been caught out at some time or another.


regards

Simon

[PhilCarpenter]

Could some one please tell me what sort of places sell black lights and how much do they cost.

Cheers,

Phil

[Liontas]

I got a good one cheap at Spencer's Gifts in the mall. It was less than $20.00 if memory serves me correctly. The only problem was they only sold a large sized one, so it can get kind of cumbersome.

[Steve in Florida]

From what I understand, the black lights have to be the ones that emit the harmful eyedamaging rays. The recreational blacklights sold in headshops for making posters glow are no good for our purposes. The ones that the police use for detecting hidden substances as sold by Sirche Labs out of North Carolina are the ones we need. You also need total darkness and don't hold the light too close. Original Panzer pipe pink will glow bright orange and scare the bejeebers out of you at first, but this is nothing to be concerned with. It is perfectly natural.

[Mark S.]

I scored a little hand held one on Ebay for a buy it now price of $9.95. I see them there frequently.

[CSP]

I would emphasize looking in the archives of this Forum for some more through discussion of the black light and some facts regarding wartime production materials and dyes.
Scott

[CSP]

And one more thing to think about - if you are familiar with Heer field police (Feldgendarmerie) Gorgets, they had luminous letterein, buttons and emblem. So, to believe that the Germans only used these dyes on that one device does not pass the common sense test.
By the way, Wal Mart sells black light bulbs (60's throe back) and these work great if you put one in the lamp in the room that has your collection. Close the doors and shades and do it at night. You will be surprised at what glows here and there! And, ,it will be original stuff.
Scott

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Scott, talking about the Feldgendarmerie gorget, the paint used on the insignia and lettering, was in fact slightly radioactive! I am not kidding! Years ago you could buy this paint, but no longer due to health & safety laws. I wanted to buy some to retouch the instrument dials on my Jeep's speedo. I discovered about it through a friend who is a research scientist.
Cheers, Ade.

[PhilCarpenter]

Are black lights the same as these that are in sunbeds? as I have never used a blacklight.

Phil

[Steve T]

You can just use the same kind of thing a stamp collector uses.

You can just buy them in a hardware store in the US but I'm not sure where in the UK so just do a search on the web for UK Stamp collector supplies.

The same kind of thing is used to look at UV fluorescent security marking pen so maybe you will find one in Homebase or someplace similar.

Steve.

[CSP]

Didn't know the luminous paint was radioactive, but it makes sense. We still use Tritium on the aiming sights on our mortar systems in the US Army and it is taken rather seriously when one leaks.
Scott