P’Ink by Ran Pink is a special pen that allows you to perform a multitude of amazing effects. Watch the promotional video and you will know what I mean. This very inexpensive price-tag is well worth this very amazing product.
P’Ink comes with one pen (that does not look like a Sharpie) in a small clear tube and a small piece of paper with some instructions and a streaming download link that opens up an almost hour-and-a-half instructional video and brainstorming session. It also leads you to an online forum in which an additional short video is posted (with some trouble shooting tips) and which presumably will host future ideas and concepts. The instructional video demonstrates and explains how to perform many different effects.
The effects include, among others, an effect named Reburn in which a match is lit, blown out, and then apparently restored to its unlit state so that it can be lit again. This is a great effect, very organic and easy to perform. The only issue I found was that it can be a bit challenging to strike the match and light it a second time due to the ink. But, practice makes perfect.
Using this pen to your satisfaction may require a bit of experimentation and practice, as with all good things. If you are planning on using this pen on plain white paper, you will likely be disappointed because the ink will not completely disappear. On certain papers, the ink looks like it fades and leaves a trace, instead of totally disappearing or vanishing. But, not to fear, you can learn what type of papers and substances to write on and how to use the ink.
There are different ways to apply the ink for different situations. To get it right, you will need to monkey around with this product. The upside to this downside is that playing around with this gimmicked ink is an absolute blast. If this pen comes in the Saturday mail, cancel your weekend plans because all you will want to do is play with this product. It is truly amazingly cool. I spent a few hours practicing writing on different substances and watching the ink appear and morph and disappear.
You won’t be able to hand out the actual paper that contains the P’ink ink and you won’t be able to leave the spectator with the actual paper as a souvenir. But, a crafty performer can figure out a switch to leave the spectator with something.
There are other really cool effects, including How to Read, in which the performer tells the spectator that they will not be able to read a few words written on a dollar bill (a very good paper to use with this product) as they have taken away their ability to read. Then, with the snap of the fingers, the spectator who was unable to read a few seconds prior, is able to read. It is quick and fun.
The promotional video is accurate and the ad copy is as well. Some of the live performances in the instructional video are hard to watch because it was recorded with a handheld camcorder, is hard to see and has loud background noise. Notwithstanding that, you will get the point. My biggest issue with what you see on the video and what you see at home is that at times the ink may not completely vanish at home like it does on the video. To reiterate, you will learn how to write and what paper to write on to minimize this problem.
The Card Morph trick, allows you to change a written prediction from one card value to another. It is fun and easy to perform as is the Triple Coin Toss Prediction in which the performer writes either “H” or “T” on the back of a dollar bill. The H signifies heads and the T signifies tails. After the spectator tosses a coin three time, the prediction on the dollar bill matches. It is a very strong piece of magic.
There are many other effects on the video and no doubt many new ideas will jump into your brain. There is a brainstorming session in which various idea are discussed, which was not as amazing as the pen and the presented effects.
The link also allows you to download various backgrounds to write on to help disguise the residue or disappearing ink as well as a design to print out to make your P’ink pen look like an actual Sharpie.
With this ink, you can make images and words appear and also disappear. There are so many possibilities and I await to see what ideas emerge from the magic community. P’ink is truly magical.