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The Writing is on the Wall
(so how do we get it off ?)
By Jim Goodbar, Bureau of Land Management
We've probably all seen it,
and some of us have even tried to remove it. It's that ugly writing on
cave walls. Some of it is old and was put there with a candle or carbide
lamp. Other graffiti is the stuff nightmares are made of-black enamel
spray paint or the reflective hot pink day-glow stuff. In whatever variety
it comes, there are some basic guidelines for removing it.
This outline covers some of
the successful techniques and appropriate tools for removing graffiti
from cave walls. Discussion will include environmental concerns and impacts
that can occur with poor technique and less than desirable supplies. Most
of the following methods have been developed during twenty years of first-hand
experience in vanquishing the foe.
I. What is it? Types:
ocher, lamp black, carving, spray paint
II. When should it be
left alone? Be aware of historical graffiti.
III. Removal Techniques
A. Scrub brushes
- Stiff nylon bristle
- Stainless steel
- Natural fiber
- Catch the chips
B. Water squirters
- Hand bottle
- Garden sprayer
- High pressure pump
- Bladder bags
- Gravity feed systems
- What to do with runoff
C. Water cautions
- Choosing where to get
water
- Avoid contaminating
water sources
- Water collection
D. Use Heat Carefully
E. Avoid All Chemicals
… Cave critters and bugs are sensitive
IV. Other thoughts
- Dental picks
- Grinders & sand blasters
- Camouflage
- Blend with mud
- And, someday, if the
chemists come up with some kind of all-around cave-safe scrub stuff,
and if the biologists assure us it won't hurt the biota, maybe we
can use less elbow grease to erase graffiti vandalism.
Contact Jim Goodbar at:
PO Box 1778,
Carlsbad, NM 88220
505.887.6544
James_Goodbar@nm.blm.gov
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