‘Stealth ink’ graffiti sparks fears for Melbourne buildings

Vandals in Melbourne’s CBD are turning to “stealth ink” for a more sinister type of tagging — and it’s impossible to remove.

Vandals in Melbourne’s CBD have turned to a new type of chemical graffiti that can't be removed.

Melbourne vandals are ditching the spray paint for more sinister, non-removable chemical graffiti.

Getting more creative with their criminal pursuits, vandals across the city are turning to a new type of chemical graffiti called “stealth ink”.

The ink is totally colourless when first applied, but after a few hours and exposure to light the affected surface will turn dark brown or black.

It is the same substance used to develop photos in darkroom photography.

Jim Frid, owner of graffiti removalist business Ablate, said he had seen increased use of stealth ink in and around Melbourne CBD.

“The ink reacts with light and because it’s a fluid – rather than paint – it can’t be removed from walls, especially porous surfaces like limestone or marble,” Mr Frid said.

“It absorbs into the actual building so it’s impossible to remove.”

Vandals making the move from spray paint to stealth ink are sparking concern for graffiti removalists.

He said part of the reason stealth ink is so hard to regulate is because it is a totally legitimate and legal chemical that can be purchased for art projects.

People typically buy the chemical by the bottle, then buy refillable pens to top up and vandalise with.

“People buy it all the time for genuine reasons and you don’t need special permission to buy it – it’s available at some art shops, including a place on Chapel St,” Mr Frid said.

Another type of graffiti proving problematic for Mr Frid’s trade is a chemical that vandals are applying to glass, burning the surface of the glass and changing its texture.

“When people use these pens on glass, it’s a chemical reaction so there’s nothing anyone can do to remove it.

“The glass itself is burnt and destroyed, so it’s beyond repair when that happens,” he said.

Melbourne has been confirmed as Victoria’s graffiti capital. Picture: Tony Gough

A spokesman for the City of Melbourne said the council was not aware of any non-removable graffiti and had not been made aware of the issue.

It comes as Melbourne was confirmed to be Victoria’s graffiti capital, with the average number of requests to clean graffiti doubling in the CBD from 2020 to 2021.

As of March 2022, graffiti removalists were responding to nearly 400 jobs per day and removed nearly 10,000 sqm from the central city.

That amount grew to 30,000 sqm cleaned of graffiti in May.

Buildings and shopfronts down Swanston, Elizabeth and Flinders streets have been frequent targets of ugly graffiti – an area known for landmark buildings.

Vandals making the move from spray paint to stealth ink are sparking concern for graffiti removalists, as tags defacing Melbourne’s historical buildings would spell devastation for their preservation or restoration.

In the financial year of 2020-2021, the city spent more than $1.1m on graffiti removal.