Where I live (London) the kids have decided to move away from the standard pen / paint grafiti on buses and trains, and have taken to scratching their tags into the windows with keys. Obviously this makes the whole cleaning up process a whole lot harder as instead of washing off the paint the whole window needs replacing.

I propose using plastic sheeting (probably around a 1/4 of an inch thick) which is applied to the bus windows with some sort of adhesive. The kids will then scratch the 'windows' as usual. Once a window has been defaced all the bus / train company have to do is remove the plastic sheet and attach a new one, negating the need to replace the entire window.
-- Morals, Sep 12 2003

Graffiti To-Go http://www.halfbake...ea/Graffiti_20To-Go
by roby. [my face your, Oct 04 2004]

Extra Security Guard http://vwfilms.net/dh_green.jpg
there's another one inside [thumbwax, Oct 04 2004]

Thinner sheets than that were used on the New York Subway system as part of their zero tolerance campaign when it focused on graffiti. Have a google for "sacrificial film" and you should get a few relevant hits.

Whether a thicker film of a less expensive material would work better, I don't know.
-- st3f, Sep 12 2003


A figure if the sheet is too thin then the scratches would go straight through and damage the actual window, hence the requirement for a slightly thicker sheet.
-- Morals, Sep 12 2003


Hmm, not a bad plan. Instead of being subliminal though, I suppose you could employ (armed) security guards to ride the bus and shoot any vandals in the elbows... Harsh maybe, but it'd teach them a valuable life lesson.
-- Morals, Sep 12 2003


Morals: unless London Transport (or whatever they call it these days) has taken to using acetate for windows, I rather imagine those louts are using diamond rings to carve their graffiti rather than keys, which would leave little impression on glass. However, the solution you suggest, putting transparent sheeting over the glass, is widely implemented by the MTA in NYC, making this idea Baked.
-- DrCurry, Sep 12 2003


Let the kids have some fun, but not too much. Put an electrode on the back of the film (the transparent type they use on LCD displays). As long as they just scratch a little everything is OK. If they scratch so hard that that they penetrate the film they get zapped by the electrode.
-- kbecker, Sep 12 2003


I work for the 3M Company and we are manufacturers of such films that protect glass but are still optically clear. For further information please contact Customer Services on 01234 229696.
-- dave faulconbridge, Oct 13 2003


dave: This is an international site for people interested in invention and speculation. You will find that the number of users interested in reading about your product will far outnumber those interested in buying (if any). A UK phone number may not be the best way of communicating this information. Could you provide a URL for the product, post it using the 'links' hyperlink and take the phone number down. I'm sure that 3M can be contacted by information from your website. Thanks.
-- st3f, Oct 13 2003



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