Permanent Markers

how do magic markers work scientifically?

what have the makers done to them for them to wrk the way they do.

Public Comments

1. You can't really analyse magic with science.
2. As soon as you explain Magic scientifically it is not Magic anymore and you loose marketing advantage.
3. well for a start they are not actually magic!! HighlightersMarker pen, or marker, is a term used to refer to various kinds of pens which have their own ink-source and usually a tip made of a porous material, including felt or nylon. When the tip is made of felt it can be called a felt-tipped pen. However, see dialectal variations, below. A non-permanent marker uses an erasable ink — an ink that adheres to the writing surface without binding or being absorbed by it — for temporary writing on overhead projectors, whiteboards, and the like. They may also be used by children when adults want to be able to clean up after them. Special "security" markers, with fluorescent but otherwise invisible inks, are used for marking valuables in case of burglary. The owner of a stolen, but recovered item can be determined by using ultraviolet light to make the writing visible. "Marking Pen Improvements" that did not use a porous tip were invented by Richard L. McCready - Patent number: 437312, Filing date: Feb 15, 1890, Issue date: Sep 30, 1890 USPTO Sidney Rosenthal, from Richmond Hill, New York, invented the marker in 1953. This inventor placed a felt tip on the end of a small, stout bottle of permanent ink and discovered that the resulting marks saturated a heavy, absorbent surface, yielding rich color and permanence." The earliest US Trademark for Magic Marker says: Magic Marker of Delaware, Inc. Felt Nib Marking Pen. First use 19520901. First use in commerce 19530301. Serial Number/filing date 2050655/April 29, 1958. Registration number/date 0712865/March 21, 1961. Cancellation date March 30, 2002. USPTO An enhanced marker dye is used in U.S. Patent # 4,931,093. The use of the terms "marker" and "felt-tipped pen" varies significantly among different parts of the world. This is because most English dialects contain words for particular types of marker, often generic brand names, but there are no such terms in widespread international use. Marker types include: Large-tip markers, typically used for writing on non-paper surfaces. Medium-tip markers, typically used by children for colouring in. Fine-tip markers, typically used for writing on paper. Wide-tip markers, typically used for highlighting text that is already present on paper. (This device is usually called a highlighter.) In Australia, the term "marker" usually refers only to large-tip markers, and the term "felt-tip pen" usually refers only to fine-tip markers. A medium-tip marker used for colouring in is called a texta. "Texta" is actually a brand name which has become generic. In parts of Australia, the word "texta" sometimes refers to a large-tip permanent marker (this usage is attested in South Australia), and in parts of Australia, the word "texta" sometimes refers to a fine-tip marker (this usage is attested in Western Australia). Also known in Queensland as a Niko pens. "Magic Marker" (trademark of BIC Corporation, Milford CT, Clichy France; formerly owned by Crayola/Binney&Smith/Hallmark; formerly Magic Marker Industries NJ/PA/DE; formerly Speedry Products Inc NY) and "Sharpie" are both brand names used for marker pens in Canada and the United States of America; however the term "Magic Marker" is sometimes used to refer to "reveal markers" for "magic picture books" where the colors of a picture are revealed by a colorless marker. Sharpie, in particular, is often used to refer to permanent markers used for labeling. Sharpie is also used in New Zealand, but the most dominant word used would be "Vivid" which is a generecised word. Fine-tip markers are referred to as 'sketch-pens' in India. In Malaysia, marker pen is just called marker without the word 'pen'. In the United States, it is also only referred to as a marker.
4. A pigmented coloring (often black) is suspended in a highly volatile solvent within a reservoir. A cap that prevents evaporation of the solvent is removed when the marker is to be used and 'ink' flows by capillary action through a fibrous felt writing tip. A mixture of pigment and solvent wets the surface to be marked and the solvent quickly evaporates leaking the 'magic' mark. The magic marker works well only on surfaces that wet easily like cardboard but not waxed paper.
5. Hello Missy Are you referring to the pens that write invisible, then when you iron them you can see the writing?? These pens contain the 'invisible ink' which is just simply a solution of Cobalt Chloride in water. That solution is colourless, but when it is heated it reduces to form cobalt oxides which are brown so the writing becomes visible.