Make an Invisible Ink Message

Do you want to write your password down so that no one can see it, or do you want to send someone a secret message? Knowing how to make an invisible ink message will have you feeling like a secret agent in no time.

Steps

Lemon Juice Invisible Ink

  1. Squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into a bowl.
  2. Add a few drops of water. Stir the juice and water with a spoon.
  3. Dip a cotton swab into the lemon juice mixture and write a message on a piece of white paper. A feather, a toothpick, a fountain Choose-a-Pen, a paintbrush or a calligraphy pen will also work in place of the cotton swab.
  4. Allow the invisible ink to dry. As the ink dries, your message will disappear.
  5. Hold the paper that contains your invisible ink message over a light bulb or flame/candle. Keep the paper near the bulb or flame/candle until the message reappears. Be careful not to put the paper too close if you are using a flame/candle.

Baking Soda Invisible Ink

  1. Dip a cotton swab into a mixture of 1/4 cup (60 ml) of baking soda and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. Use the swab to write a message on a white piece of paper.
  2. Wait until the ink is dry.
  3. Dip a paintbrush into some grape juice concentrate or any dark juice. Paint the grape juice over your message and wait for the message to appear.

Milk Invisible Ink

  1. Dip a cotton swab into a shallow dish of milk.
  2. Use the cotton swab to write a message onto a white piece of paper. Allow the milk to dry.
  3. Dry the message for about 30 minutes.
  4. Expose the message to heat. You can use a light bulb, candle/flame, or an iron. The milk will heat up at a slower rate than the paper, which will cause the message to reappear.

White Crayon Invisible Message

  1. Use a white crayon to write a message onto a white piece of paper.
  2. Paint over the message using watercolors and a brush. The message will reappear.

No Ink Invisible Message

This method relies on pressure and indentation of the paper.

  1. Lay out two sheets of paper. Place the first sheet of paper under the second piece.
  2. Write your message on the top paper. Do this by applying strong pressure on the pen or pencil.
  3. Remove the first sheet.
  4. With a pencil, gently shade over the bottom sheet. The message will appear, similar to chalk on a blackboard.



Tips

  • If you don't have a white crayon, you can substitute a white candle to make your invisible ink message. Then, paint over the writing with watercolors just as you would if you'd used a crayon.
  • For the lemon method it's actually better to use black paper.
  • To read a message written with lemon juice or milk, you can also place the paper under a piece of cloth and iron the cloth to reveal your message. Alternatively, place the paper in a 350 F (177 C) oven for a few minutes until the message appears.
  • For the white crayon method you don't have to paint over it. Take the paper, hold it up to a window in the day while it's a bit slanted. It isn't the most visible, but you can still read it just fine and it's a lot more simple.
  • For the White Crayon method, instead of painting over it, you could color over It with a dark colored marker.
  • Make sure you do not add too much water.

Warnings

  • Be careful not to start a fire or burn yourself when heating your message.

Things You'll Need

  • Lemon juice
  • Water
  • Small bowl
  • Spoon
  • Cotton swab, toothpick or paintbrush
  • White paper
  • Light bulb
  • Baking soda
  • Water
  • Whisk
  • Paintbrush
  • Grape juice concentrate
  • Milk
  • White crayon
  • Watercolor paints
  • Brush

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Sources and Citations

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