gxseries Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Is it possible to modify a typical scanner such that you can remove the normal "light" and replace it with a UV light version? I came across a fascinating banknote (a Swedish 100 kroner banknote) and what I view under UV light is just astonishing. When I tried to photograph it, it just wouldn't show up!!! (of course, this is to deter counterfeiters...) Any ideas what I can do to take decent photos in a dark room with just UV light? Edit: I was looking at a 500 kroner note, not 100 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 Man, I wish! - That's one of my big fascinations with paper money is the hidden images. If you find a way, let me know. Right now I am using a black light from a store called '50% off Card Shop'. I never would have thought to find one there, but I did. It was 5 dollars and is about 7 inches long. This beats the older one i had that was beeper shaped and the light was less than an inch, and not bright at all. What I was planning on doing soon was playing with the blacklight and photographing them to post some photos on a web page of some of these hidden images. The websites out there now don't do them justice. You need a tripod and a longer exposure (and no flash!) but it works pretty good. - A scanner with a black light would be better, though! I tried to manipulate the photo editing software to only receive UV light, but there was no such luck, as the light in my scanner doesn't cross into the UV spectrum. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trantor_3 Posted December 24, 2005 Report Share Posted December 24, 2005 regarding the scanner, it's not only the light that has to be a UV light source, but also the ligfht sensitive sensor needs to be sensitive in the UV spectrum. I have no idea if a normal scanner does that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifrost Posted December 25, 2005 Report Share Posted December 25, 2005 You can get nice UV pictures using a camera and a UV light source together. Angle the UV-light into the cameras way, in a dark room and you can get a nice picture as this one: Do not see any picture? Then follow this link: http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub...Macau100pUV.jpg One more UV-photo: Link: http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub.../Macau20pUV.jpg Season´s Greetings to all Joakim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxseries Posted December 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2005 Joakim: I give up with this UV source that I have - it's just not powerful enough. I think I will have to get a full tube instead of some mini model... The Macau banknote is quite fasicating! Joakim, do you happen to have a Swedish 500 kr banknote and actually checked out it's feature? I tried to photograph that note and actually wanted to show the text and crowns. It's just amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabbs Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 Here is a neat picture from the website of the Swedish central bank. But that is a 100 SEK note ... And this http://www.riksbank.se/upload/Bilder_riksb...nt/nr7_high.jpg is the same image but much larger (about 1.7 MB) and more detailed. Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifrost Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Hi Sorry for the delay. I have here a UV-picture of the 500kr banknote, front only. The link if you can not se the picture is: http://hem.passagen.se/stockholms.myntklub...rige500krUV.jpg It was not the best of picures I admitt, but you can see the green text showing up from the UV-light source. I think I have to experiment more to get the right balance with natural light and UV-light. To much light do not show UV features and to little you do not get clear details. //Joakim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabbs Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 That is cool! So what do you use for such pictures now? Not the scanner, I suppose ... Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bifrost Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 I use a digital camera together with a uv-light source, and try to angle the light so that the note lights up. The biggest problem is getting normal light in a right proportion and angle. The camera is a bit old too, and sometimes difficult to get a good focus close up. //Joakim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxseries Posted January 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Heavily inspired by Joakim, I tried what I could do with a digital camera that I "borrowed" Appearently this camera had an manual adjustable ISO 64-800 which helped A LOT Nevertheless, here is the note: Front of the note: Closeup of the hidden text: (I really wonder what it says though ) Back of the note: Closeup of watermark: (not too clear right?) Closeup of watermark in BW This is one beautiful note and it is a real pity that I don't know well enough to capture the "darkness" hidden in all modern notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbeast1098 Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Along the same subject here.... Some stores in foreign countries have UV lights at their cash registers so the cashier can look for the UV light will show..... Try searching for one of those, just to see if they can be bought by regular people like all of us here..... I just wonder how much those cost though...... KFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gxseries Posted February 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 Along the same subject here.... Some stores in foreign countries have UV lights at their cash registers so the cashier can look for the UV light will show..... Try searching for one of those, just to see if they can be bought by regular people like all of us here..... I just wonder how much those cost though...... KFC Those are not too terribly expensive and hopefully should not be in your area if you can find one. Ask around in electronics or hardware stores for "UV light" or "ultraviolet". If you can't, I guess you would have to hit on the bay and get a cheap one. I just did a quick check on UV light and they don't seem to cost a fortune, in fact less than 20USD, unless you want some kind of professional version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbeast1098 Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 I do have a suggestion that may work. Its weird, but here goes....... I saw an commercial on tv for this stuff called Urine Gone.... stuff is used to remove urine stains left by pets..... When you order it, you are supposed to get a UV light to help locate the stains <alot like what you may see on shows like CSI> That light may be just the thing needed to help find those hidden features on those banknotes... KFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbycoin Posted February 3, 2006 Report Share Posted February 3, 2006 I do have a suggestion that may work. Its weird, but here goes.......I saw an commercial on tv for this stuff called Urine Gone.... stuff is used to remove urine stains left by pets..... When you order it, you are supposed to get a UV light to help locate the stains <alot like what you may see on shows like CSI> That light may be just the thing needed to help find those hidden features on those banknotes... KFC Good point, A UV lamp, commonly called a blacklight... they are used in hospitols (Veterinary offices too) to search for ringworm. If any of you have ever had ringworm (Or been to the doc with someone who does) you know it glows in a blacklight very similar to the way the notes are glowing above. [edited to add] Be carefull when buying "blacklights". Ive seen a lot of lightbulbs painted back and sold as a blacklight. This will not do the same as a real UV light [/edit] [edited again to add] Quick google search came up with this $10 UV lamp: http://www.thecatconnection.com/page/TCC/PROD/BEST/ELE-3701 [/edit] Very cool security feature. -Bobby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbeast1098 Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 Makes me kinda wonder if any of the banknotes in my collection have that UV feature in them....... KFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabbs Posted February 10, 2006 Report Share Posted February 10, 2006 This is what the "UV features" of the euro notes look like: http://www.bundesbank.de/download/bargeld/...erkmale_neu.pdf Two examples - the circle of stars which under UV light is partly orange, and the signature of the ECB president which is green: http://www.quarks.de/dyn/pics/22562-22568-2-uv.jpg Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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