|
crofrog
May 25, 2010, 6:39 PM
Post #1 of 18
(15482 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 5, 2010
Posts: 12
|
Any one know a good way to remove graffiti from rock?
|
|
|
|
|
gmggg
May 25, 2010, 7:27 PM
Post #2 of 18
(15447 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 25, 2009
Posts: 2099
|
crofrog wrote: Any one know a good way to remove graffiti from rock?
http://www.omg-facts.com/view/Facts/993
I don't know if it would work for rock, but apparently it works for buildings.
|
|
|
|
|
gmggg
May 25, 2010, 7:30 PM
Post #3 of 18
(15444 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 25, 2009
Posts: 2099
|
crofrog wrote: Any one know a good way to remove graffiti from rock?
Oh. I've also had luck with various spray on oven cleaners. They aren't exactly environmentally friendly so try to soak up the run off and carry it out. The next step after that is either a pressure washer or brush. What kind of rock is it? if it's sandstone, limestone, or anything else low on the hardness scale it's probably best to leave it.
|
|
|
|
|
crofrog
May 25, 2010, 7:43 PM
Post #4 of 18
(15423 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 5, 2010
Posts: 12
|
It's schist.
|
|
|
|
|
trenchdigger
May 25, 2010, 7:45 PM
Post #5 of 18
(15420 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 9, 2003
Posts: 1447
|
Taginator + Pressure Washer is the way to go.
|
|
|
|
|
crofrog
May 25, 2010, 7:46 PM
Post #6 of 18
(15419 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 5, 2010
Posts: 12
|
Getting a water supply for a pressure washer would be, difficult...
|
|
|
|
|
trenchdigger
May 25, 2010, 8:01 PM
Post #7 of 18
(15405 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 9, 2003
Posts: 1447
|
I've used Taginator without a pressure washer too. If you use it as directed, allowing it to sit for a while before rinsing, it will do a decent job rinsing with just a low pressure wash from a hand-pump pesticide sprayer. For thick coats of paint, multiple applications and/or scrubbing may be helpful. Any way you look at it, it will still take a good amount of water, so fill up some 5 gallon jugs and round up your friends with their haul bags.
|
|
|
|
|
gmggg
May 25, 2010, 8:01 PM
Post #8 of 18
(15405 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 25, 2009
Posts: 2099
|
I'm no geologist, but there are a lot of different types of schist, and a lot of possible intrusions that could be affected by a pressure washer. I'm not sure if pressure washing would be the way to go. I'd give some chemical brew and elbow grease the first shot.
With that said there are plenty of portable pressure washers, and you don't need that much water.
If this is on public land you might contact the agency in charge and see if they have the tools. If you volunteer your time and/or organize a clean up event they might lend you their tools for the job. Just be sure to mention that it wasn't climbers who sprayed the rock, but that it is climbers who want to clean it up.
|
|
|
|
|
scottek67
May 25, 2010, 11:14 PM
Post #9 of 18
(15341 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 6, 2008
Posts: 515
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bats
May 25, 2010, 11:32 PM
Post #10 of 18
(15335 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 27, 2007
Posts: 486
|
I want to give you KUDOS! Thanks for your effort of cleaning the rock. I hate seeing graffitti on nature. I really don't mind it on buildings, but rocks or trees, not cool. 
|
|
|
|
|
shockabuku
May 26, 2010, 12:00 AM
Post #11 of 18
(15326 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 20, 2006
Posts: 4868
|
LASER.
|
|
|
|
|
acorneau
May 26, 2010, 2:25 AM
Post #12 of 18
(15291 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 6, 2008
Posts: 2889
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bohica
Sep 17, 2012, 1:19 PM
Post #13 of 18
(13952 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2012
Posts: 2
|
Wire brush, propane torch, and a lot of elbow grease are quite effective. No chemical residue, and carbon that won't brush off immediately will naturally be washed off over time by rain and dew.
(Resist temptation to use same method on spray-painters if you catch them. There are archaic laws that prevent people from getting what they deserve.)
|
|
|
|
|
redonkulus
Sep 17, 2012, 9:33 PM
Post #14 of 18
(13884 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 2, 2010
Posts: 216
|
Bohica wrote: Wire brush, propane torch, and a lot of elbow grease are quite effective. No chemical residue, and carbon that won't brush off immediately will naturally be washed off over time by rain and dew. (Resist temptation to use same method on spray-painters if you catch them. There are archaic laws that prevent people from getting what they deserve.)
While you're at it, why don't you just take your trusty hammer and chisel and just chip the whole graffiti section off!
|
|
|
|
|
sandstone
Sep 17, 2012, 10:30 PM
Post #15 of 18
(13872 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 21, 2004
Posts: 324
|
redonkulus wrote: Bohica wrote: Wire brush, propane torch, and a lot of elbow grease are quite effective. No chemical residue, and carbon that won't brush off immediately will naturally be washed off over time by rain and dew. (Resist temptation to use same method on spray-painters if you catch them. There are archaic laws that prevent people from getting what they deserve.) While you're at it, why don't you just take your trusty hammer and chisel and just chip the whole graffiti section off!
As counterintuitive as it may sound, Bohica's method works, and works well. There are no chemical stains left over, and while it sounds like this method would damage the rock the most, I think it leaves the rock looking the most like it did before some bonehead sprayed paint on it in the first place. There was an article in one of the climbing rags several years ago about a guy who cleaned (still cleans?) a lot of graffiti, and as I remember it he said the most effective removal method was wire brushes on power tools.
|
|
|
|
|
redonkulus
Sep 17, 2012, 10:32 PM
Post #16 of 18
(13867 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 2, 2010
Posts: 216
|
sandstone wrote: redonkulus wrote: Bohica wrote: Wire brush, propane torch, and a lot of elbow grease are quite effective. No chemical residue, and carbon that won't brush off immediately will naturally be washed off over time by rain and dew. (Resist temptation to use same method on spray-painters if you catch them. There are archaic laws that prevent people from getting what they deserve.) While you're at it, why don't you just take your trusty hammer and chisel and just chip the whole graffiti section off! As counterintuitive as it may sound, Bohica's method works, and works well. There are no chemical stains left over, and while it sounds like this method would damage the rock the most, I think it leaves the rock looking the most like it did before some bonehead sprayed paint on it in the first place. There was an article in one of the climbing rags several years ago about a guy who cleaned (still cleans?) a lot of graffiti, and as I remember it he said the most effective removal method was wire brushes on power tools.
Today I learned. Thanks! I assume it might depend on type of rock though?
|
|
|
|
|
Bohica
Sep 18, 2012, 11:57 AM
Post #17 of 18
(13817 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 17, 2012
Posts: 2
|
I, too, have experienced the consequences of assuming.
As to your suggestion of using a hammer and chisel, I HAVE found it necessary. When I found "Mike (heart) Jenny" chiseled into the rock, it took me well over an hour to obliterate the message and make it look (almost) like merely an impact chip.
BTW What measures I choose to take, I take on my OWN property, unlike graffitists. "Public" property does not impart the right to desecrate. |
|
|
|
|
sandstone
Sep 18, 2012, 3:23 PM
Post #18 of 18
(13787 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 21, 2004
Posts: 324
|
redonkulus wrote: ...I assume it might depend on type of rock though?
I don't think so. Even sandstone is a lot harder than paint, so wire brushes are going to take away the paint first, before they start eroding the stone. As is true with cleaning moss and lichen, it's important to "feather" the edges of the area you are cleaning -- try to leave it looking as natural as possible.
Rust stains from cheap hardware, now that's another matter. The chemicals required to even partially remove them causes visual damage of their own, especially if they aren't properly neutralized and rinsed (which is hard to do at a crag). The moral of the story is don't use cheap hardware that will rust, and if there is some at your crag, take it down and replace it before the stains get even worse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
