Who would have thought making invisible ink would be so easy? With simple steps and very few items, you can enjoy sending secret messages to family and friends. Below I have one simple recipe for creating invisible ink. You will also find two different methods for revealing the secret messages.
Invisible Ink Method # 1
Supplies:
- 1/4 cup Baking Soda
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 cup of Grape Juice (100% juice)
- White Paper (thicker paper like cardstock is best)
- Q-tips
- Cotton balls
- Bowl/cup for mixing
- Spoon for mixing
In a bowl, mix the baking soda and water. Be sure to mix well; however, the baking soda may not dissolve all the way, and that’s okay. Once you have the solution prepared, you can use it as ink!
Using a q-tip, dip it into the solution and began to write or draw your secret message.
Allow your paper to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Drying time is dependent on how much “ink” you used. It could take up to 15 minutes before your paper is dry, so be patient.
Now to reveal the hidden message, you will use the grape juice.
Dip a cotton ball into the grape juice, and then rub it on your paper. As you rub the cotton ball onto the paper, the message will appear in a grayish/purple color.
Invisible Ink Method # 2
Supplies:
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda
- White Paper (thicker paper like cardstock is best)
- Q-tips
- 1/2 cup Rubbing Alcohol (at least 70%)
- 1 tsp Tumeric
- Cotton balls
- 2 bowls/cups for mixing
- Spoon for stirring
Prepare your ink solution like above, and if you are trying both methods at the same time, then your ink is ready. Just be sure to give a little mix before writing the secret message. Again, let the paper dry completely before moving to the next step.
For this method of invisible ink, instead of using grape juice, rubbing alcohol and turmeric will be used. Please be careful when handling rubbing alcohol!! To prepare this solution, you will simply mix the alcohol and turmeric together. As above, dip a cotton ball into the solution and rub it on your paper to reveal the secret message.
As you can tell, the rubbing alcohol and turmeric mix is much more vibrant and also my favorite method to use when using invisible ink. I hope you and your family enjoy this activity and exchange lots of secret messages. Please leave a comment on how this activity went or if you have another method for invisible ink.
Enjoy
Ms. Chantel – KCKPL Main Library