UKC

Went for a walk from home (Baslow) today and found some idiot has written "LEON" in spray paint on the road end of Baslow Edge (right in the middle of Cracked Wall (HS 4a)). I'd like to try and remove it but definitely don't want to make things worse. Anyone got any advice for removing graffiti like this from gritstone?

Someone removed graffiti at the Roaches a couple of months back. Have a search in the forums, it might turn up their contact details. 

Sadly, that - along with other stuff on the Eagle Stone in the same yellow paint  - got done last summer. I contacted the PDNPA to see if they had a good chemical that was also environmentally acceptable, but they had run out. They were friendly and helpful - one of their staff went and did a lot of wire brushing to improve it on the Eagle Stone until it looked more like a lichen stain...ish. I felt that wire brushing was also damaging, but I don't think there is any one good solution. I have also given it a bit of brush/scrub sometimes when i ride by....  it's gradually going.

Now you have reminded me, I'll spend some time scrubbing "Leon" this week.. I'm pretty sure that an effective chemical would leave a clean stain that looks just like "leon"!

I'd advise the use of vigorous abrasion with wire brushes, and probably the use of powertools and harsh caustic chemicals to remove Leon.

Unfortunately I can't help with suggestions for shifting the paint. ;0)

Thanks very much. I might take a brush next time I'm passing too. It's strange I really hadn't noticed "LEON" until yesterday despite passing a number of times over the past few months. Of course now I notice it all the time. 

What about commercial paint remover?

Could we bolt Leon?

Could we strip Leon and feature him in Classic *ock?