A 'brasso' for the inner city

I do the 'Boats & Pieces' pages each month in Waterways World.

It's a compilation of new products and services of potential interest for boaters, and it's not just the usual grind of chandlery stuff. 

I try to include things that boaters might find useful for a variety of offbeat but practical reasons.

One thing I included in the June issue was Graffiti Safewipes, which promised to "wipe away unwanted graffiti as easy as 1,2,3".

(Adding the graffiti in the first place is as easy as 1.  So it's no surprise that it's harder work to remove it.)

Boats & Pieces doesn't normally test the products.  It's enough just to say they are new and available.  I don't want to know what's good, just what's new.  

However the Safewipes idea intrigued me.  There's no way it could tackle the entire canvas of the city, but perhaps it could help get rid of spot-scale graffiti.  Does it work?

So when I went for a walk down the Farmers Bridge flight in Birmingham earlier this year I took a sample pack with me, and tested it out on a couple of signs. 

It's a two-wipe answer.  There's a disposable orange wet cloth impregnated in citrus-smelling biodegradable solution, and a damp 'afterwipe' to absorb the painty gunge that comes off.  Also included in each pack are a couple of blue 'latexy' gloves.

Yes, it works as advertised, although you'll be rubbing quite hard.  You'll need about as much elbow grease as with heavily tarnished brass.

It's not designed for brickwork or large surface areas - just the occasional bit of yobbery on small signs.  And, as with brass, it's really difficult on relief surfaces, such as the BCN 'cycle' signpost shown here.

(I didn't have the patience or time to rub inside all those little letters, and unfortunately it didn't remove the metric measures.) 

When I came to the larger BW sign (above), my energy was flagging, and I couldn't do the whole sign.  One wet wipe had enough liquid to dissolve the lower half of the sign; then after several vigorous minutes my right arm was, frankly, pooped out. 

Rather like brass-cleaning, this graffiti-wiping is a young man's game.  (As is putting the graffiti on in the first place, I suppose.)

Perhaps BW could do all its signs in brass, so that we boaters would be more inclined to clean them as we went along.

One problem I hadn't expected at the end was where to put the rubbish.  The box, the wipes, the torn sachets and the discarded blue latex gloves looked like the abandoned nest of some urban hatchling.

(Oh, of course I picked it all up, what do you think I am?) 

But as I walked away I passed an electric control box nearby, and my heart sank.

'What is this wonder product?' you might now be asking.

Safewipes are impregnated with terpenes, chemicals that come from the rind of citrus fruits such as oranges - hence the pleasant, aromatic smell.  

I'm not sure what's in Safewipes, but it's likely d-Limonene.  Here's a factsheet about d-Limonene from one particular supplier. 

The packs make it easy for occasional use, although I suppose you can buy the liquid in bulk - like Brasso - if you take your graffiti as seriously as you take your brass cleaning.

Comments

[Andrew Denny]

Sue, 
My email address is albion@dumsday.com 
(or just hit reply to this letter) 

Andrew Denny

Twitter: @albiondumsday    Email: albion@dumsday.com

Tel: 07788 973733    www.grannybuttons.com

[Sue L]

Hi,
I tried to send you an email, but seems the link doesn't work?
SUEL

[Banksy rules aok]

Banksy rules OK! I hope you thought about the feelings of the poor artist who spent hours on this work.Think of the deprivation of the masses who would flock to ogle at his creativity.

No wonder this is broken Britain!
http://www.pendlewood.com/blog/

[mel lloyd]

Just as well you removed the debris, otherwise you would have had maffi making comments ;)

[Capt Ahab]

What - canal Banksy!

[Brian on NB Harnser]

I hope you submitted your "Method Statement" to BW before you started complete with your Safety Plan and all operatives were wearing PPE including reflective jackets and life jackets if within 10 mts of the waters edge.

[Andrew Denny]

Trefor, 
Hey, both of my pieces of art are genuine 'Granny Buttons'! 

[Trefor]

That "grafitti" on the BW sign could have been a "Banksy" and worth a fortune. Vandal!