4/1/2009
Councilman Weiner's Graffiti brigade gets a new weapon for its battle against tagging - Community News

Graffiti brigade gets a new weapon for its battle against tagging

By Jesse Chadderdon
Community News
Posted Apr 01, 2009 @ 05:53 PM

Brandywine Hundred, Del. —

Residents fighting graffiti in New Castle County have a new weapon.

Farrow Systems USA, based in West Chester, Pa., has donated its patented machine to the cause – which it says power washes surfaces without damaging them.

Designed by inventor Nigel Farrow to clean the bottoms of racing yachts, the technology works on just about any surface, including wood fencing, concrete and metal – the kinds of surfaces graffiti vandals frequently target.

Councilman Robert Weiner (R-Chatham), who organized a group last year dedicated to graffiti removal in Brandywine Hundred, said the machine makes it possible to remove graffiti rather than just painting over it – something that’s not always as aesthetically pleasing.

It’s unclear where the $16,000 machine will ultimately be housed, but Weiner said it will be available for loan to groups throughout New Castle County who want to become engaged in the fight against graffiti.

At a March 28 demonstration, residents took turns trying out the new machine, which uses a combination of hot water and crushed volcanic rock as an abrasive, but does not use any chemicals.

“It’s completely environmentally safe,” said Farrow, a former professional soccer player in England who later got into farming before patenting the invention that bears his name 11 years ago. “I’m the first man in the world to put heat into blasting and that’s the secret.”

Farrow says his equipment has been used to remove graffiti at the Bronx Zoo, on trees in Central Park. It’s even been used to clean up Grant’s Tomb, he said.

R.J. Miles, who leads one of the anti-graffiti brigades in Brandywine Hundred, said diligence on the part of residents goes a long way toward discouraging vandals.

“You spend a half-hour or an hour to clean up an underpass and it might be weeks or months before they get to it again,” he said.

For information on how to access the donated Farrow System for graffiti removal, contact Weiner through his Web site www.bobweiner.com.

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