GhostPour – The Transparent Vanishing Glass

GhostPour – The Transparent Vanishing Glass

I designed this piece specifically for Meister Edel's "Magic tricks" challenge — after reading his Designer of the Month interview, I loved the idea of a trick that's "playful, surprising, and fun to print," so I hope he has a lot of fun with his kids doing this magic trick 🎩

His HydroHokus vase was the spark: I wanted to push the illusion even further by making it fully transparent — so you can watch the "magic" happen right in front of your eyes, and still not believe it.

Watch the GIF 🎥: pour liquid in, and it silently vanishes without a drop spilled — then reverse the trick and refill the glass just as effortlessly. No hidden pump, just geometry, pressure and a liquid viscosity in action.

🧐 How it works:

Fill the glass with a bit of colored liquid, then slide the inner body inside the outer one (for example, by using a straw). A simple press on the inner body is all it takes — the liquid level rises or drops instantly, as if by magic. (I added a hook to the inner body in case it's needed to help with the trick, but it's really not essential)

💡 Create Your Own Stories!

Feel free to get inspiration from online videos to come up with fun ideas (like a stuffed animal drinking through a straw // pretend to pour the liquid onto a newspaper, and show that it's dry even though the level has dropped etc.)The only limit is your ability to control the liquid level!

🖨 Print Settings (Simple & No Supports)

Designed for easy printing without any support structures required and the slicer standard settings work well.

• Nozzle Size: 0,4mm

• Supports: None

• Layer Height: 0,16 mm

🌟 Bonus:

Once the trick is done, GhostPour doubles as a pencil holder, a mini vase, or anything else you need — so it earns a spot on your desk instead of gathering dust in a drawer.

🚨 Warning: Never drink from a 3D-printed glass or container.

Standard FDM 3D printing creates microscopic gaps and layer lines between each printed pass. These tiny crevices act as perfect traps for moisture, food particles, and harmful bacteria, making the surface impossible to sanitize thoroughly—even with hot water or dishwashers. Furthermore, non-food-grade filaments and printer nozzles can leach toxic heavy metals, chemical additives, or microplastics into your beverage. Unless printed with certified food-safe materials and sealed with an approved, non-toxic coating, drinking from a 3D-printed vessel poses serious health and contamination risks. Do not use non-potable liquids and/or leave them within reach of children.

I printed it with PC (polycarbonate), but I recommend using an easier-to-print filament—especially for open-frame printers; it just needs to be transparent (at least the outer body). The liquid needs to be viscous; it requires a certain amount of surface tension. You can use “magic milk” from a magic trick kit, or something similar (like fruit syrup).