Machine Studio

Making a total mess of tags with the Metal Machine Refill.

What’s your favorite caps to use on Acme? I tested a few and here’s what I found: NY Fat - Sprayed pretty nice, but was a bit dusty. Lego - Really nice spray pattern. Would be great for outlines. Pink Dot - Sprayed super nice. Great medium fat on this paint. Astro Fat - Really nice, but I keep getting funky spray patterns rather than the circle. Still nice on Acme even if the pattern is weird. Skinny Cream - Lag city! I’d avoid this one unless you’re good at dealing with laggy caps. Universal Thing - Solid! My favorite out of the bunch by far. #graffiti

Do you prefer ink or paint in a mop? Black ink and quality paint is usually opaque while color ink is usually a bit translucent. There are exceptions, but that’s generally the case. On light surfaces, I think I’d prefer ink for the massive drips; paint for dark surfaces. #graffiti

CAP - Heavy Dart 9x16

Ran a few caps through the Mega Color White. Starting with the Pink Dot (stock on this can). With the high pressure, this cap really blasted some paint. Great for bombing. Then tried the Frogger. Sprayed pretty nice—would be a good one to go with if you’re trying to preserve paint. Next we did the NY Fat. This was my favorite out of all of them. Classic circle pattern, great flares, and doesn’t burn the paint as fast. Then the Lego. Awesome cap for thinner lines, but you could also fill with it if you wanted. Next up the Astro Fat. Had a couple weird ones on this, but overall, it hits the flares hard. #graffiti

Small can, big dreams. #graffiti

Comparing the Burner Chrome to the Mega Color Silver. Some observations: 1. Burner Chrome has a nicer spray pattern, but the Mega’s spray pattern is still good. 2. For reflectivity, the Mega is slightly more shiny. 3. Paint usage seemed to be the same. My take, if I’m using silver, I’d prefer going with the most reflective one, so I’m leaning towards the Mega. If reflectivity isn’t a preference for you, the Burner Chrome’s spray pattern is hard to beat! #graffiti

What’s your preference for slaps—chisel or bullet? I’ve always been a big fan of chisel markers for slaps, but I’m trying to get better with the bullet markers with the nib smashed or sanded down. It goes on so nice. My tags still look better with chisels, but thinking with more practice, the bullets could be up there.

How do you hold the chisel marker when you’re catching tags? I feel like I’ve been holding the chisel marker wrong this whole time.

One of the simplest cap combos is the NY Fat for everything. We used this combo a lot for bombing in the 90s. It’s fat enough for fills and flexible enough for thinish outlines. If you’re looking to get fatter spray for your fills, the tall cans like Mega Colors of Loop Maxi have higher pressure.

What cap combos would you like to see? Tried the Hardcore Fat and the Needle Cap combo. I’ve grown to like a fatter outline for throwies so I’m not sure if I like this over a stock cap or a Lego, but it’s definitely fun. For one liner throwies, I definitely like the needle cap outline. For this style, I’d probably use a stock cap.

Testing one of the latest caps by Night Quill. This one is the Vortex Stink for female cans. This is like a mini fire extinguisher. Made for high spots and spraying at a distance. My little 8x8 foot backyard tester wall doesn’t do the cap justice, but hopefully you can get an idea of what it’s capable of. #graffiti

What’s your favorite can to pair with the NY Fat Cap? I tested a few and my two favorite are the Loop Maxi and the Mega Colors. #graffiti

Questions and comments come up on these videos about the water based paint. Why do I use it for these videos? A couple reasons. One, this wall is in an area where there are a lot of dogs around and I have dogs as well—I’d rather not put the fumes in the air so this paint is great for that. Two, this paint actually demonstrates the spray patterns on every cap I’ve used on it really well. They always spray exactly as I expect them to spray so it makes it a very good paint to demo with.

Ever use the color wheel to help pick color schemes? #graffiti #colortheory