FUCK YEAH, GRAFFITI!

In addition to the last mop I posted, you can also make one with ink. For this one, it may be best to leave the flow regulator in the nib, but that is up to you.

This is how I make my own homemade ink, other people have different recipes.

My ink is a combination of a few different inks, homemade and store-bought. First, go to some store and acquire some India ink (aka China ink). On its own, India ink isn’t all that permanent and is kinda runny, but I find it great to mix. While you’re in the store, find 2 or 3 boxes of regular black or blue Bic pens, with the removal ink tubes, and some rubbing alcohol and carbon paper. The carbon paper may be tricky to find, but you can use receipts from a debit machine as well.

When you get that stuff, get two glass jars to mix with. Fill them both with rubbing alcohol. In one, put shredded up carbon paper. In the other, put cut up pen tubes. Shake them up, and leave them sitting somewhere for about 2 or 3 weeks. When you come back, they will both be filled with ink. Now you can make a marker with 1 part India ink, and 1 part of each homemade ink. A capful of brake fluid can also be added, if you like.

Make the rest of the marker as I advised in my last post.

PROTIP: if you mix acetone into this recipe, you can also mix paint with it. Mixing ink and paint usually results in a mess that doesn’t work well, but acetone acts as a bonding chemical between ink and paint. You can get acetone in most hardware stores.

Time to learn to do make a mop so you can do your own graffiti for once.

A mop is a homemade marker, usually designed to do tags with drips, and generally made with homemade ink or paint.

To make a simple Kiwi mop, you need:

- a Kiwi shoepolish container

- rust paint. Tremclad aluminum or black usually works best, but experimentation is always welcome.

- paint thinner or mineral spirits

- dot 3 brake fluid

- a sink you don’t mind getting paint and shit all over

- a marble, gloves and a pair of scissors or a pen will also help, but are optional

Once you’ve amassed all your shit, pop the nib off the Kiwi and dump the polish down the drain. Rinse the body out with warm water. Next, look under the nib for a little red spiraled piece of plastic. This regulates the flow of liquid to the nib. If you want extra drippy smooth-flowing tags, remove it. Otherwise, you will have to make sure your press the nib down hard when tagging.

You can eyeball the next part if you’re good, but if you are not confident a separate container may be helpful. Mix one part thinner with three parts rust paint, and one to two capfuls of brake fluid. The thinner will allow the paint to flow through the nib easily. More thinner means more drips, but also makes the paint less opaque. Less thinner means creamier, thicker tags but you’ll have to take your time to let the paint flow. Do what you like. The brake fluid makes the paint more permanent, and more likely to leave a residual “ghost” tag if it’s buffed. I don’t put more than 2 capfuls in, you can put 3 if you really want to go nuts.

If you have a marble or even a penny or ball bearing, drop that into the mop to act as a mixing ball. Put the lid back on, and shake that shit like mad. Take the lid back off, and turn the mop upside down over the sink to let it drip out to flood the nib. Once the drips fall out about 3 seconds apart, it’s good.

NOW GET UP! Remember to press the nib against the surface for a second to get the paint flowing first.