shai

i just remembered...you can make a pilot drip- pour a few drops of xylene and a lot of ink into the body. the catch is, you have to store it with the tip up or the ink will dump out, and the pen will dry out faster. fuck it, use a flow pen or a mop if drips are what you want...it's a lot easier.

hey, flip, check your pm's.

he's right...gentian violet by itself is safe, it's the additives you need to look out for. and, unless your name is grimace, or want to answer a lot of dumb questions, keep it off your skin.

that's when it's in solution. they use phenol/ethanol as a solvent for gentian violet, and yes, it's really bad for you...but, it's also really good for ink, too- some of my favorite ink is phenol based. i would just wear dishwashing gloves, that will do fine. gentian violet is also available as a reagent in powder form- check chemical supply stores, especially ones that specialize in biology.

[attachmentid=20572] just made a new batch of mops...made a flourescent yellow opaque color today. never seen anything like it...to the guy who wanted garvey, pm me- i wouldn't put brake fluid in it, it stains fine on its own. if you ever get it on your hands, it will take at least a week for it to fade. i'm gonna finish my bottle and try some of the new ish out...

new ink? they also make oil based sharpies now- they aren't bad- one blew up in my hand saturday and my hand's still red. ha ha, red-handed! oh, i kill me.

^^^ it doesn't seem any different than any other garvey, except it's black. it's got a little transparency around the edges. it's opaque enough. don't know if it fades yet, but i'm sure it does. i'll use it to write on unsealed concrete, most likely. marsh comes in three grades- k grade is kerosene based. smells like gasoline, use outside. use it for porous surfaces. smears when dry, leaves shadows. weird stuff- i don't use it much... t grade is turpenoid based, all-purpose/surface ink- smells like pine sol and ink. doesn't smear like k, though. rarer, and therefore more expensive. a grade is alcohol based and i think it has antifreeze in it. smells like cat piss. comes in colors, and is tintable. all-surface. shake for a while before you pour it-it's lumpy. dries the quickest. as far as i know, marsh doesn't use xylene, and more than makes up for it by using kerosene. thanks for the nero tip. does it have any application in fine art or design? i seem to do more of those two these days. hope this helps.

^^^ it doesn't seem any different than any other garvey, except it's black. it's got a little transparency around the edges. it's opaque enough. don't know if it fades yet, but i'm sure it does. i'll use it to write on unsealed concrete, most likely. marsh comes in three grades- k grade is kerosene based. smells like gasoline, use outside. use it for porous surfaces. smears when dry, leaves shadows. weird stuff- i don't use it much... t grade is turpenoid based, all-purpose/surface ink- smells like pine sol and ink. doesn't smear like k, though. rarer, and therefore more expensive. a grade is alcohol based and i think it has antifreeze in it. smells like cat piss. comes in colors, and is tintable. all-surface. shake for a while before you pour it-it's lumpy. dries the quickest. as far as i know, marsh doesn't use xylene, and more than makes up for it by using kerosene. thanks for the nero tip. does it have any application in fine art or design? i seem to do more of those two these days. hope this helps.

check your pms....shhhhh.

BTB, PART 2 OTHER KEY ITEMS- panniers/saddle bag big enough for the following tools. what you usually carry should do it. if you don't have any, at least get the following- extra tube or patchkit, small pump, tire levers, allen/screwdriver combo tool, 4" crescent wrench, a dollar bill (tire boot), roll of electrical tape, a couple zipties, and a rag. sleeping bag (optional- bivy sack or tent) w/small tarp extra pair of bike shorts/socks/gloves rain gear warm clothing/hat sunscreen and any meds you may need some food (optional-small stove) at least two 16 oz. water bottles front and rear lights helmet lock id and something w/emergency contact/medical info camera/ sketchbook/ pens cellphone, if you have one it seems like a lot, but all this weighs less than 10 lb. and easily fits into a saddle bag or one pannier. what NOT to bring- spray paint or lots of supplies. it's a ride, not a mission. i always carry a streaker with me on rides, but that's it. take notes, and come back later. drugs other than pot, since i can't post your bail. weapons won't be needed, since we're not looking for trouble, right? the idea is to seem as legit as possible. and, if anyone asks, we're on a training ride. stick to that. TENTATIVE ROUTE- leave oakland or berkeley saturday morning. ride on bay trail to richmond to bart. cross san rafael/richmond bridge somehow. san rafael- ride southeast around near san quentin to east end of sir francis drake. take sfd west to fairfax to bolinas road. bolinas road to/through marin water district. take road leading to mt. tamalpais to peak. gawk at view from mt. tam, then descend via old railroad grade to e. blithedale/mill valley. thru mill valley and estuaries to sausalito. shoreline through sausalito to alexander. climb out to golden gate bridge. cross bridge into presidio, trail route to arguello gate. arguello to golden gate park. through park to sunset blvd. sunset south to sloat, sloat to great highway/ zoo. great hwy to county line/ skyline. skyline south through daly city, south sf, san bruno. pick up sawyer camp trail at san bruno ave. sawyer camp trail north to crystal springs in san mateo (near the dam). east on crystal springs to el camino real. right on ecr to 4th ave. left at 4th ave. 4th ave. to bay trail. follow bay trail to marine pkwy. left onto marine pkwy/holly. holly to old county, left on old county- follow bike path into redwood city/ broadway. follow b'way to page, and page to bayfront. bayfront to dumbarton bridge. dumbarton east to union city/fremont. left at toll plaza to bay trail. bay trail through coyote hills to union city blvd. uc blvd. to industrial, left on industrial. industrial to clawiter, left doubling back on clawiter to breakwater/ bike path to bay trail next to hwy 92. p/u bay trail at ecology center. bay trail north thru hayward shoreline park to williams/sanleandro. williams to doolittle, left on doolittle to harbor bay. harbor bat to bay trail, around bay farm to doolittle (bridge). over bridge, follow bike path nw to park st. right on park, east to blanding. right on blanding to 29th ave bridge. east over bridge to e. 7th st. e. 7th to e. 19th, e.19th to embarcadero. north on embarcadero to jack london square/ ride end. two preliminary rides are required- one 50k, and one 100k. this is to get a idea of where you're at as a distance rider., and gives you a chance to have second or third thoughts. rides should be done no later than march 15th. routes TBD. CONTROLS- eight controls (checkpoints) will be part of the race. missing one results in a 10% time penalty, two is a 25% time penalty. three is an automatic dq. penalties are a percentage of the finishing time added to the finishing time. checkpoints will either be a signature or a stamp. five minutes are deducted at each control (for signature and rest) thereby increasing the incentive for riders to stop. RULES- do unto others....you know the rest. cheating is possible (good luck) but, if i catch you, it's a 25% penalty. and a scowl from me.....so mainly, don't get caught. good sportsmanship is a must- see the first rule. teams of two are allowed, however, i'll add the team times and divide by two- not simply take the best time. lawbreaking/recklessness is strongly discouraged....i can't tell you not to blow stop lights, or not pass on the right, or bomb on fire roads at top speed. or ride at night w/o lights... it's your call. i personally try to follow all the rules of the road, and i hardly ever get pulled over or have to deal with road rage these days. plus, i won't vouch for you. TERRAIN- from sea level to 2600' (mt. tam). most grades are long but gradual and less that 5%. some short, steep climbs. the bay trail is flat. about 40% will be on hardpack, fire roads, or trails. or, dirt, but not loose dirt. NOTE-old railroad grade, one of the best parts of the whole ride, is occasionally closed after rains for erosion control- i'll try to hold the race after mt. tam has a chance to dry out. lots of coastal marshland/ tidal areas along the bay trail, and forested areas acsending/descending mt. tam and along sawyer camp trail. and, of course, city, rural, and residental streets. WEATHER- bring rain gear and warm clothing- early spring can get nasty, be prepared- plus, at times, we will be at elevation, so warm gear is necessary. layers are best. REGISTRATION AND FEES- TBD- $10, includes a map and something else. i'm working out registration details right now...pm me if anyone is interested. bear in mind, this won't be for six months.

(to the moderators- i know this is a shameless plug, but i truly believe that this belongs here- if you feel it belongs elsewhere, please let me know- i'd like to post results here afterwards, as well- plus, if 12 oz. were ever looking to sponsor a race...we should talk.) ATTENTION BAY AREA TOUGH GUYS AND GALS!!!! PROPOSAL FOR "BREVET THE BAY, VOL.1" TARGET DATE- EARLY-MID SPRING 2006 -a randonneur-style ride around san francisco bay in the spring - flexible 300k route to be covered within 48 hours- eight controls spread throughout the ride -lots of sights, history, nature, and of course, some graffiti -prizes for best time/best story/best photos/hardest luck/closest finisher to 48 hours...my version of dfl. -sponsors to be determined/announced -field limited to riders who can ride 150k in qualifiers (see below) THE CONCEPT- i've always thought that the true test of your everyday cyclist should not always be based on speed alone. randonneuring is the ideal way for cyclists (not pros) to prove that they can ride competitively and still be able to hang out cooperatively at the end of the day. brevets (what the rides are called) are not a balls-out, take-no-prisoners type of race-randonneuring is like timed touring, pretty much. the idea is that you should enjoy the ride, not endure it. there is a set of controls (checkpoints) where you are encouraged to stop and get a signature/stamp and rest. if you feel that you must, or you are far ahead of the pack in time, you can skip controls....however, this results in time penalties and if you miss three checkpoints you get disqualified. paradoxically, if you complete all eight controls you get a time bonus. (DISCLAIMER-these are my rules, not the official ones. http://www.randonneurs.bc is a good resource for the real deal. this is just for fun, and i'm making it up as i go along.)the other keystone is that randonneuring is entirely self-supported. therefore, you should plan to carry everything on you or your bike that you would need for the ride. this is where the spandex guys usually lose interest, but they shouldn't....i think a lot of folks who are messengers and anyone of a creative nature ought to be challenged by this aspect. limited and/or emergency sharing of resources is fine, but mooches will be frowned upon. credit card or fast touring (very light, little or no bags/gear.... think of a ride supported by visa or mastercard) is all well and good....just not in this case. what i want to see is how creative, prepared and resourceful you can be, not what your credit limit is or how quickly you can complete the ride. REQUIREMENTS- a bike adequate to go long distances while carrying all of your stuff. i would recommend a touring or cyclocross bike, or any decent non-racing road bike in good working order (repairs are your responsibility- think ahead) with at least one rack. oh, and a rack w/ some kind of way to carry stuff on it. larger (700x28+ or 26x1.25+) tires are highly recommended. mountain bikes are fine, but should be set up comfortably. however, i don't think anything with dual suspension will be a) neccessary, and b) fun after the first two hours. but, if that's what you've got... i'd love to see someone ride a fixed gear on this ride. i'm not saying it can't be done, but you sure wouldn't be making things easy on yourself. there are some climbs, descents, and dirt sections-sometimes all at once...all of which i've done on a fixed gear, but three hundred kilometers? whew. the only three conditions i have is that your bike MUST have at least one brake (sorry, riding around like that is foolhardy and an extreme danger on a group ride.), it can't be a track bike (THEY ARE DESIGNED FOR THE TRACK, PEOPLE) and you can't complain more than the rest of us. otherwise, you'll get the special "i told you so" award which consists of a picture of a crying clown...and i have a lot of them. the above also applies to singlespeeds, cruisers, bmx bikes, tricycles, velocipedes, choppers, lowriders, pogo sticks, and any bike purchased at any store ending with "-mart". i plan to have a bike check-in, where a trained mechanic will give your bike a once-over to look for glaring problems.

[attachmentid=20166]two words...black garvey...oh my jehovah god...also available-red/white/blue marsh- 16 oz. pro color-red, black, green, blue, violet... specialcolor inks (new jersey's worst....acetone based)... green/blue/violet/black garvey.... i think i've died and gone to ink heaven. locally acquired, since i'm casually attired (at work, anyway.) maybe i'll start an ink store. maybe i'll just store the ink. we'll see. just thought you'd like to know. it's still out there. you just have to find it.

nothanks...tell me about inferno....the euros swear by it and if i wasn't so poor i'd try it too...but, what's the story?

^^^you might have gotten the last one, but, let me know if they reup. check this out-[attachmentid=20153] found the mother lode....try garvey- bought this today- it's black. i'm stoked.

add gentian violet...it's hard to find so i don't feel guilty about letting you know...it's a doozy then. alcohol based ink will fade, no doubt, but what can you do? someone flipped me a quart and i'm liking it enough to plug it, anyway... come to think of it, candy ink fades, but it look hot when it's fresh...the fact is that it looks good for a minute and that's how long 90% of my hot tags last...garvey is the killer for permanence. especially on raw concrete. mea culpa.

where the fuck did you get a mini? i've got cash on it if you got the real deal...let me know. just use ink. no tricks. no krink, no brake fluid. maybe some xylene. that gap is supposed to be there. it acts as a vent, so you can squeeze it and make the ink come out. leave it be. seriously, i'll buy one. tell me tell me tell me.

that is the funniest analogy i've ever heard and true. solvent helps, also. tables always help during masturbation. you don't know? now you know.

don't use those! they are a waste of time, i think. as far as melting, certain solvents are going to melt plastic no matter what. xylene seems to be the most stable, acetone the least. you'll see.

mmmmmmmm.....candy ink. in a mini wide, right? cash, i know where YOU'RE from. montana=good times, 21st century style. you do have to pay for it, but it's money well spent. i stopped making ink since the third arm in the middle of my chest keeps trying to make me drink some to test it out. if it works right, then my poo will colormatch. also, my house was starting to smell like a meth lab. no bueno. pro color is fun, too, but doesn't come in quantity. everyone knows about garvey, marsh, krink, etc. works fine. looking for flomaster (have green) but it doesn't seem like it was ever a west coast thing. love to try it someday. anyone? what's up w/nero, otr, grog? are they worth it?

at least 100 paint pens 50 empty mops and squeezies- i stock up on road trips because no one carries them 'round these parts anymore hundreds of markers- graff and design and pilots for days about two gallons of ink (various- white/black marsh, montana black/red, garvey purple/green, other weirdness i'll never see again) 30 spraycans- montana (nice colors but shitty paint- there, i said it, plus i got most of it for free), belton (slightly better), osh (best value, all i ever bomb with) and rusto, naturally (all time heavyweight champ)- a shoe box full of tips- krylon is given away as presents- i think spraypaint has been adequately explored as a medium by this point, but i'll use it now and then about 2 gallons of paint and paint mix (one shot, odds n' ends, varathane, auto paint, alkyd, rusto, reflective street paint)/1 pint xylene to wash it all down roller w/ 8' extention pole (aka idiot stick) about 500 sheets of newsprint and 1/2 gallon wallpaper paste for wheatpasting w/ access to a screenshop 4 3'x4' stencil boards/professional xacto stencil cutting set/2'x3'cutting mat about 10,000 stickers and access to a photocopier for those large campaigns respirator plenty of dirty tricks i can't share here that's all i can remember- not all of it is stored at home, btw. and that's not including sketchbooks, graff mags/books, etc... oh, and the graphic design/fine art/sewing studio. graffiti is simply one side of the cube i'm in. when i get it all sorted out i'll send a pic, sometime around thanksgiving.

my marker mods? simple. i just over juice everything. i don't use markers much these days- i usually use pilots but, dude, they're getting really hard to find. fortunately, they last a while. mops are where it's at, i think. i found these really cool mops at the bodega around the corner from my house. they're tapered in at both ends, like a dumbell. and, they don't crap out when they get low. aluminum rusto, my special ink i make, one shot- that's all. oh, and gold pens with the tip smashed, and faber castell pitt pens to sketch with.