# A cool special effect **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 28, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331 "2007-10-28T13:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/1 "2007-10-28T13:38:21Z")
One of my kids did this last night. Take a glow in the dark necklace, preferably a multi colored one, cut off one end and flick it around a room. Turn off lights. Looks like the milky way galaxy, very very cool. ---
**Author:** ![JustAnotherGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/58f4c7/32.png) [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2007, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/2 "2007-10-28T14:22:01Z")
Used to do this when camping. I agree that it’s very cool. Only one thing to warn, one of my friends got some of that stuff in his eye. It’s non-toxic, but stings like hell and plus you see glowing even when your eye is shut. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/3 "2007-10-28T14:43:00Z")
It also makes really cool body paint. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/4 "2007-10-28T14:50:28Z")
Take 3 or more chemlites and tie them togeather and fling like frisbee at nite. Fling glowing donuts,very cool. ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/5 "2007-10-28T14:55:51Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] It also makes really cool body paint. [/QUOTE] Oooh, great idea. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/6 "2007-10-29T14:24:17Z")
We first noticed the “non-toxic” label at the town fair some 20-odd years ago. We spent the rest of the evening cracking them open, getting a mouthful, and then spitting glowing green loogies all over the place. Ahhh, kids. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/7 "2007-10-29T14:27:53Z")
The chemicals may not be toxic (although I’m not sure that means _exactly_ the same as ‘safe to eat’), but there are health hazards in cutting them open - there’s broken glass inside them. ---
**Author:** ![Kuboydal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@Kuboydal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kuboydal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/8 "2007-10-29T15:41:02Z")
Sounds like it’s time for a late night water pistol war. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/9 "2007-10-29T16:00:23Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] The chemicals may not be toxic (although I’m not sure that means _exactly_ the same as ‘safe to eat’), but there are health hazards in cutting them open - there’s broken glass inside them. [/QUOTE] There is? All of the cyalume sticks that I’ve ever played with constisted of a plastic tube with a small “bag” of glow juice inside. I don’t recall any glass in there. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/10 "2007-10-29T16:42:23Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] There is? All of the cyalume sticks that I’ve ever played with constisted of a plastic tube with a small “bag” of glow juice inside. I don’t recall any glass in there. [/QUOTE] All those I’ve seen (mostly the thin ones that you can bend and link into bracelets, but also the thick ‘emergency light’ type that is sold in camping/boating/outdoor shops) consist of a sealed plastic tube containing one chemical, inside which is immersed a smaller sealed glass tube containing the other chemical - to activate the sticks, you bend them - the inner glass ampoule cracks and crunches, permitting the two chemicals to mix and react, producing light. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/11 "2007-10-30T04:45:06Z")
tastes like glowing! /ralph wiggum ---
**Author:** ![tonedef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@tonedef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonedef)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/12 "2007-10-30T06:34:06Z")
[QUOTE=fisha] One of my kids did this last night. Take a glow in the dark necklace, preferably a multi colored one, cut off one end and flick it around a room. Turn off lights. Looks like the milky way galaxy, very very cool. [/QUOTE] Now you got to try it when high. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/13 "2007-10-30T11:39:20Z")
It’s probably also worth mentioning that one of the reagents in glowsticks is hydrogen peroxide - I’m not sure what concentration, but again, I think there’s a difference between ‘non toxic’ and ‘great idea to put this in your gob’. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/14 "2007-10-30T13:14:53Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] It’s probably also worth mentioning that one of the reagents in glowsticks is hydrogen peroxide - I’m not sure what concentration, but again, I think there’s a difference between ‘non toxic’ and ‘great idea to put this in your gob’. [/QUOTE] Yeah, and this coming from a guy named **Mangetout**! 😃 I don’t know the actual concentration of hydrogen peroxide either (although, as it’s the stuff used in tooth whitening kits, it’s not exactly rat poison), but I don’t let the kids put the stuff in their mouths. I’m sure it’s fun, but it just crosses my personal parental comfort line. I use the “it’s got glass in it, dummies!” line of reasoning and they all go, “oh.” and resume flicking it - which, due to design or sheer luck, has never revealed any glass shards, so maybe I’m wrong about that. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/15 "2007-10-30T13:56:33Z")
I witness a very cool effect last summer. Take a potato gun, load potato and accelerant as normal. Empty several glow sticks in on top of the potato. Ignite at night. Not only is the glowing cloud pretty cool to see, but then, when you look at all the people standing next to you, you notice that you all look like you just escaped Chernobyl. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/16 "2007-10-30T16:54:02Z")
A couple of friends were renovating a room in their house, and new paint was part of the deal. They decided to have a little fun with it and invited all of us to a party. They covered the windows, turned on the blacklights and gave us all glowsticks to break open and scatter across the walls, ceiling, floor, people - everything. It was very cool. If you didn’t want to get dirty, you could just poke you head in and watch. I was jumping on the bed splattered with the stuff, glowing…it was one of the better parties. They had a bitch of a time trying to clean the walls for painting, though. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cool-special-effect/424331/17 "2007-10-31T00:05:40Z")
Tastes like firefly butt.