Grime Writer: detergent-filled graffiti pen

Grime Writer is a detergent-filled graffiti marker that cleans away street-filth to leave your message behind. There's a good chance that the graffiti you create with these is no more legal than any other kind -- there've been successful prosecutions against companies in the UK that paid "street teams" to "reverse-graffiti" their messages by using detergent and stencils to selectively clean away grime from public walls, leaving behind commercial messages.

Grime Writer is a special chunky marker pen that can be filled with cleaning solution, and used to create art on a canvas of filth. Use it to tag your dirty vehicles & windows, or to transform dirt into artistic expression.
Much more socially acceptable than real graffiti and (more importantly) a lot less illegal - Grime Writer helps you leave your mark wherever you find muck. Use responsibly to help promote the phenomenon of negative graffiti, and brilliantly combine the crime of defacing a bridge with the community service time cleaning it up again afterwards, into one harmless, helpful, creative act.

Grime Writer : Cleans away grime to leave your message (via Super Punch)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Gadgets • gift guide • graffiti • happy mutants • uk

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Reminds me of this from a while back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLbiBHnJSqw
- knoxblox
  
  Yes, immediately where my mind went as well.
  
  At the very least, this is someone who is promoting a message for the public good, and with strong artistic skill. Much better than some fool etching his name into glass or affixing name tag stickers everywhere you look.
AlexG55

The companies were presumably prosecuted for breaking planning laws and advertising somewhere where they’re not supposed to. Ordinary graffiti artists tend to be prosecuted for criminal damage, and I’m not sure if a criminal damage charge would stick in this case.
- ChicagoD
  
  Yes. Regular graffiti leaves a mark when the area it was done in is cleaned. Here removing the graffiti leaves a larger area cleaner. Hard to see how that is defacement or damage. And I say that as a person who hates graffiti.
- xzzy
  
  They’ll just find some other charge to stick on the poor bastard. Law books are so thick that every single one of us is in violation of something at any given point in time.. the only challenge for the police is picking one.
  - ChicagoD
    
    This sort of comment always makes me sad. In fact, most laws are regulations intended to protect people, rules on how the government must act, and other specialized legislation. However, in fact, almost all municipalities, cities, and states (as well as the Federal government) in the United States make their laws readily available, generally in searchable form, on the internet. It’s really not that hard to see what’s against the law for normal people out doing normal things. Business regulations? Yes, those can be complicated. You walking to the corner store? No.
    - dragonfrog
      
      How do you account for lawyers and cops making that sort of comments?
      
      I’m not going to search out the relevant video right now, someone has probably linked it in a reply to one of your comments in the past.
      - ChicagoD
        
        What? I don’t know what you’re saying.
        
        I will say that people can always (a) lie and arrest you, or (b) conduct a Terry stop. That just isn’t the same as what that person said.
      - dragonfrog
        
        I’m saying – how do you react when police and lawyers agree that there are so many laws that you are probably breaking them, if not at every single moment, then certainly often enough that no knowledgeable officer has to wait more than about ten minutes to get you on something.
        
        The lawyer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8z7NC5sgik
        The cop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08fZQWjDVKE&feature=relmfu
- http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby
  
  “The companies were presumably prosecuted for breaking planning laws and advertising somewhere where they’re not supposed to.”
  
  I think that you’re probably right – otherwise all those kids drawing with chalk on the street need to be rounded up immediately.
  - Erasorhed
    
    Relevant: “Girl draws with chalk, mom hit with vandalism charge”
    http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-08-02/news/33005438_1_chalk-vandalism-charge-mom
    - http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby
      
      Heh :) My comment was in relation to the UK – but it wouldn’t surprise me if you found one for us too.
      - knoxblox
        
        Hehe…I’m imagining Edward McLachlan’s Simon (you know, and his land of chalk drawings) being led off in handcuffs.
acerplatanoides

So it’s a sponge attached to an empty tube, shaped like a marker, which you can purchase instead of making yourself.

Take that consumerism!
http://twitter.com/baroncaveyeti baroncaveyeti

Makes me wonder if you could use a refillable envelope moistener.
- ChickieD
  
  me too…and then you could go big and like squegee stuff. I think this soap and water thing could catch on.
- occupyordie
  
  graff writers have been using those envelope things for years. shoe polish roll on dispensers work well, as do empty VHS housings with a chalkboard eraser as the ultra-wide nib.
- http://hgomersall.wordpress.com/ heng
  
  Why would I want to use my tongue to clean walls? euch!
Chuck

Or maybe someone could clean an entire wall with those things, and claimed they were influenced by Robert Rauschenberg’s White Paintings.
anansi133

Now I’m thinking about how to combine this idea with stencils. A quick hit and run spritz in a bunch of dirty places could carry quite a lot of impact.
- gd23
  
  Yes, fairly common to see it done with stencils, and a scrubbing brush, and a dirty sidewalk.