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Contents

Overview

Spray Paint
    Terminology
    Properties of Spray Paint  
        Can sizes
        Chromes and Fluorescents
   The Brands
        Morality
        Paint properties
        Generic Paint v. Name-brand Paint
        Krylon vs. Rustoleum
        The Two Montanas
        Montana vs. Molotow
        The True Colors of Molotow
    The best and worst colors

    Conclusions

Caps
    A warning before proceeding
    Detailed descriptions of various caps
    Valve systems
    Cap compatibility
       Caps that are completely incompatible with certain brands
       Caps that don't work well with certain brands
    The most popular caps

Markers
    Marker properties
    Markers by brand

Ink

Graffiti Culture



Spray Paint

Graffiti would be nothing without the spraycan.  To spray with skill you have to know your cans.  There are many brand choices (subject to availability, of course), and every brand performs differently.  It's best to know as much as you can about the paint you are using before you begin painting with it.  This way you will know what to look for.

Terminology

Can: duh.

Cap: For clarity, the "cap" refers to the piece that you push down on and the paint comes out of, not the big plastic cylinder that encases the top of the can on the shelf.  We call that the "top."

Top: The plastic shell protecting the cap from being accidentally pressed.

Tip: A cap.

Nozzle: This term is ambiguous; don't use it.

Ring: Spanish Montana and Belton Molotow have rings that indicate the color of the paint, designed to stay attached with the top removed (see illustration at right).

Valve: The valve is the hatch that opens when you push down on the cap.  There are different valve systems with properties discussed below.

Propellant: Propellant is compressed gas in the can that makes it spray.  More propellant means heavier spray. 

Base: The base is the liquid that carries the paint's pigment and attaches it to the surface.  A base can be water, oil, latex, alcohol, or other things.  Spray paint is usually oil or latex based.  Markers are often oil or alcohol based.  Water-based paint is good for the environment but not good for resisting drips.

Pigment: Pigment is the ingredient that gives paint its color.  It is an insoluble powder, as opposed to dyes, which are liquid solutions.

Pea: The industry term for the ball(s) inside the can that mix the paint when you shake the can.

Hue: The "color" of the color (red, blue, etc)

Saturation: The "boldness" of the color, from pure color to grey.

Lightness (or brightness): The color's position on a scale from pure light to pure dark.  On a modern computer monitor or color printer, its is thought that every visible color can be defined by its hue, saturation, and lightness.

Thickness: This is a general term for how "thick" the paint seems to be.  It varies by the density and cohesion of the base as well as the amount of pigment in the paint.  Paints that are too thin will cover poorly and tend to drip; paints that are too thick will clog your caps often and consume more paint than perhaps is needed.

Opacity: Similar to thickness, opacity is the opposite of transparency.  An opaque line leaves no indication what color is underneath it, while a line with poor opacity will be tinted by the color below it.


Properties of Spray Paint

Coverage


Valve System: Fixed-pressure vs. variable-pressure


The difference between high/low versus fixed/variable pressure

Can Sizes: High-pressure vs. low-pressure


Working temperature


Pigmentation


Color Selection


Peas


Metallics and Fluorescents

Metallics and fluorescents look really cool in the catalogs.  The fluorescents appear staggeringly bright, and some metallic paint looks great for adding that "bling."

But when you actually use them, problems emerge.

With metallics, the problem is that they cannot be painted over.  We don't know why, but if you try to paint over chrome colors with ordinary colors, the metallic color sort of "eats" the wet color.  This makes metallic paints really tricky to use when piecing.

It's a pity, but that's how it is, with every brand of paint.

With fluorescents, the problem is that they don't show up properly on anything except white. And even then, the coverage is terrible.  This is true with all brands of fluorescent paint; it takes like three coats for it to show up well. 

Also, metallic and fluorescent paint smells terrible.

Metallics and fluorescents may still be used for special projects, but for typical piecing, they do not work well.

Nevertheless, we encourage you try them; you may find them useful.







Brands of Spray Paint

Two brands of spray paint that are available in almost every town in America are Rustoleum and Krylon.  Additionally there are many "off-brands" one might find at superstores like Home Depot or Wal*Mart for fractional prices.  Then, there are premium brands available in select stores.  The most popular of these are Montana and Belton Molotow.  Also, there are what are called "hobby paints" or "craft paints" which include many brands.

Even many top graffiti artists have totally different opinions about each brand. 


Morality

This should be important to every consumer.  Some companies support graffiti culture, while others support its enemies.  Some companies follow or even exceed strict health and safety regulations, while other companies are apparently trying to kill you.

Fortunately, it seems that the only toxic spray paint is the generic stuff; the brands listed in the table below are all clean.  Yet they still have some serious concerns in other areas.  Here is what we've found about the brands:

Rustoleum	Rust-Oleum receives anti-graffiti award Home Channel News,  July 17, 2000  The National Council to Prevent Delinquency gave the paint maker the Partner in Prevention award, in recognition of Rust-Oleum's active role in the national Anti-Graffiti project. The project helps local governments and citizen groups prevent graffiti vandalism and restore defaced property. Rust-Oleum's contributions have included paint for neighborhood cleanups, money for retail theft prevention and volunteers for various anti-graffiti efforts. The company has also promoted the Council's Responsible Retailing program, designed to block theft and illegal purchasing of products such as spray paint.
Krylon	From www.krylon.com: "Krylon® Products Group is more than just paint and projects. We care about you and your community. Along with Keep America Beautiful, Krylon Products Group has created a national program called Graffiti Hurts® designed to address the growing graffiti problem in urban areas and small towns."
Montana Spain (MTN):	Montana Spain (MTN) sponsors some graffiti artists and contains links to other graffiti sites from theirs.  The company states that it was founded by graffiti writers Moockie and Kapi.  It sponsors many graffiti magazines in many countries.  Montana's sincere dedication to the art is evidenced by the quality of the product. "I heard Spanish Montana contains lead and other harmful chemicals, Is this true?" MTN: "No, this is an unfounded rumor started by our competitor. Our Paint has been sent to the US EPA and they have reported that it is less toxic than some of the well known American brands of paint. They have stated furthermore that Montana Colors (Spain) is well within the regulated legal standards for paint in the United States. Succesfull Chemical analysis's conducted in Europe can be viewed by Clicking Here."
Montana Germany (Dupli)	The German Montana company committed the greatest crime in the world of graffiti, and on a massive scale, by stealing the Spanish Montana company's name.  That says a lot about the company in istelf, but moreover, when pressed an explanation, the company claimed that it did it "for the artists' sake" because the Spanish Montana company put toxic chemicals in its product. As it turns out, the opposite is true, and the German Montana company is now doing all it possibly can to avoid even mentioning the existance of the Spanish Montana company. The confusion between the two companies is, as you will see, a huge headache for everybody, and the company really shouldn't be forgiven for this. The German Montana company is owned and controlled by Motip Dupli, a.k.a. Dupli-color, a multinational corporation primarily in the automotive paint industry.  They feature a slick youth-targeted corporate website, with lots of pro-graffiti tones that conceal the slimy corporate face behind it.
Belton Molotow	The Belton company named their product "Molotow," which is the German spelling for "Molotov" like the cocktail, hence even their name is a reference to graffiti. Belton sponsors many artists and their paint was developed by artists.  Several of their colors are named for the artists who helped develop them.  The U.S. distributor of Belton sponsor many graffiti magazines in many countries. Belton's sincere dedication to the art is evidenced by the quality of the product.
Generic / Other Brands	Read the label carefully.  Many off-brands do not meet the chemical safety standards of the brands above.  Some of them you will discover to be covered in warnings.  If you use these brands, be sure to wear a mask.

As you can see from the table, Spanish Montana (MTN) and Belton Molotow seem to be the only brands that have honesty, decency, and respect.

Product Quality / Performance

Rustoleum	Quality varies considerably from one color and sub-brand to the next.  The "stops rust" black is exceptionally good and favored by artists everywhere.  Run-resistant and generally covers well, though some colors do not.  Works with almost every type of cap out there, though some hi-pressure caps do not work well.  Offers about 100 colors.
Krylon	Again, quality is not consistent with every color.   Watermelon is one of their best, Tomato and Stonewash Denim their worst, along with many ugly pastels.  As quality is concerned, Krylon is not bad, though it is far from the best.  Some colors cover poorly; on a white wall, this will not matter, but when covering previous lines, the color beneath may show through.  This is important, because if you don't want undercoats showing through, you will have to go back over the line again (thus using double the paint and also possibly creating deviations from the original line.)  One of the biggest concerns (especially for novices, but pros as well) is drippiness.  Krylon is definitely less drippy than generic paint, but compared with premium paints discussed below it is definitely more drippy. You can make a can of Krylon much better by simply turning a new can upside-down and spraying propellent for about 10 seconds.  (spray cans have a straw that runs from the nozzle to the bottom of the can, so by turning a can upside-down, you spray out the propellent without the paint, thus reducing the pressure in the can).  This will give you much better control of the spray. Krylon offers many lines of paint, but their "All-purpose spray paint" line is by far the largest with 52 colors, and when people say Krylon, they are usually referring to this product line.
Spanish Montana (MTN)	Montana has two primary lines of paint: Hardcore, and Alien Art Concept. Montana is great paint for several reasons. The most important is the colors.  Montana colors are bright.  They cover great and they stand out, more than any other brand in most cases.  They also have 124 colors to choose from, more than Rustoleum or Krylon offer. Another important quality is drip resistance.  Montana paint is highly drip-resistant. After getting used to Montana paint, using cheaper brands can be frustrating, because you will be accustomed to paint that sticks to the wall. Montana (and also Molotow, below) have a clever system for making it easier to identify your cans, too.  Montana has a ring that fits the cap between the nozzle and the edge of the can indicating what color it is.  If you've used Rustoleum or Krylon, you know how it can be tedious to figure out which can is which once the caps get mixed up. There are two lines of Montana, the Harcore line and the Alien Art Concept line.  The difference between the two is that the Hardcore line comes in 400ml (standard size) cans with high-pressure valves, while the Alien line comes in 250ml variable-pressure valves.  Variable-pressure means you can push down a little and get a light spray or push down hard and get a heavy spray.  More about valves further down. The MTN Montana cans also have two balls in the can instead of one like Rusto and Krylon, making shaking/mixing faster and easier.  The cans also include a sample color ring that stays on the can when the top is off, making it easy to identify which color the can is without the top.
German Montana	We have not used German Montana's paint, but from what we've heard, it sounds a lot like Belton Molotow.  It is said by the company that it the cans work properly in extreme temperatures from -38 to 48 degrees C (-36 to 118 F degrees F).  German Montana offers two major product lines, the "Black" and "Gold" lines.  The "Gold" line has a variable-pressure valve like Belton Molotow and the "Black" line has a high-pressure valve like MTN Montana Hardcore. Due to the ethical concerns about this company described above and below, we probably will not care to experiment with it, since we wouldn't carry it even if it was good paint. But, with over 140 "Gold" colors and 75 "Black" colors, this company does have the others beat in color choices.
Belton Molotow	Belton and Molotow are the same paint; Belton is the company name and Molotow is the name of the product line.  But since Molotow is the only line Belton offers, it's basically the same thing. Because it is a German company, it is actually pronounced "Molotov" like the cocktail you throw.  In German, the "V" and the "W" are the same letter; it is written "W" and pronounced "V".  This is why "wiener schnitzel" is pronounced "veener schnitzel."  Since "Molotov" is consistent with the whole "bombing" metaphor, we say "Molotov." But anyway, about the paint. Like Montana, Molotow colors are bright, beautiful, and highly drip-resistant.  Molotow offers even more colors, now approaching 200 (at this writing, 20 new colors are under development). Molotow uses a variable-pressure system on all of their cans.  This gives the artist more control over the spray than other brands (Montana Alien paint uses variable-pressure too, but not in 400ml cans).  One important advantage of Molotow is that the paint works properly in extreme temperatures.  When we were painting our store, it was wintertime and we had to keep the building ventilated because of the paint fumes, so it was very cold in the room.  The Montana cans would freeze unless we kept them on the radiators.  Molotow works in cold weather.  This makes it essential for bombing in freezing weather. As colors go, Molotow is misleading: for reasons unknown, the color charts on the websites of the manufacturer and U.S. distributor are inaccurate and unflattering.  Many nice colors are shown to be greyish, whitish, or just plain ugly. Details about this below.  But, the actual colors are very nice.  Also, Molotow paint is reported to be more resistant to fading and chipping than the other brands named above.

Generic paint vs. Specialty Paint

The graffiti artist, hard up for money and wanting a greater quantity of paint in as many colors as possible, may be inclined to purchase the cheapest paints available.  But there are some things he/she should know about cheap paint.

* Drips and bad coverage cost time and paint.

Many "off-brand" paints are simply brand-name paints from batches that failed quality control tests.  So the company slaps a different label on the can and sells it at a lower price.  But dealing with drips uses up more paint, and going back over lines that didn't show up properly the first time can drain your cans.  In the long run, this is not going to save you any money. And if you are doing a piece where time is a factor (like an illegal piece), making corrections that shouldn't be needed in the first place becomes a dangerous liability. 

* Generic paint is not consistent.

Name-brand companies go to great lengths to make sure every can of paint is the same.  Generic paint can vary widely, from watery to syrupy, from high-pressure to low-pressure, even from one color to an off-color.

A graffiti artist, like all artists, needs to have dependable tools.  One need only survey the bad graffiti in any city to see why.



Krylon vs. Rustoleum

Krylon and Rusto are the two biggest brands of spray paint in the U.S.  Which one is better?  Depends who you ask.

Factors which support Rustoleum:

-longevity; Rusto doesn't fade or crack
-coverage; Rusto is more opaque
-pressure; Krylon is over-pressurized

Factors which support Krylon

-price; Krylon is cheaper
-pressure; Krylon is worse than Rusto but this is fixed by inverting the can and draining some propellant


The Two Montanas

There are two completely different companies calling themselves "Montana brand spray paint."  One hails from Spain, the other, Germany.  How are they different and why do they have the same name?  We went over this a little before, but now for details.


Unfortunately, we cannot say how the two paints compare, because we've never seen or used the German company's paint.  We have heard that the German Montana is similar to Belton Molotow paint.  But we don't know.

As for why there are two spray paint companies named Montana, the Spanish company says: 

[edited for spelling and grammar from the translation at www.mtncolors.com]:

In 1993, two writers named Moockie and Kapi both from Barcelona Spain decide to open a graffiti/hip-hop shop. They contact a spray paint manufacturer known as "Felton" in Spain for research and to negotiate prices. They discuss the potential of the graffiti art market with the commercial manager at the spray can factory Jordi Rubio who later becomes the owner of Montana Spain. Jordi is fascinated with the idea but Felton is unconvinced of the potential sales in a market for graffiti. Approximately one year later, around 1994, Jordi asks Kapi & Moockie to help build a brand for the graffiti market. Kapi & Moockie contribute their knowledge of graffiti needs and Jordi contributes his knowledge in the technical aspects of spray cans. In the spring of 1994 Kapi & Moockie organize an event called "Aerosol Art" and invite artists from all over Europe. At this event they introduce the first Montana cans and this is the first time graffiti artists use Montana paint. Shortly after Montana develops the "Hardcore" 400ml can, which we know today, and the "Alien" can in 2001. During the course of 1994, news spreads that there is a graffiti store in Barcelona that sells quality paint very cheap, and artists from all over Europe gather there and take cans back to their home countries in bulk. The artists themselves became the first exporters of Montana. By the end of 1995, these artists began to import Montana into their home countries on a regular basis, at first Italy, then Switzerland, and then France and the UK. In 1997, Montana grants the exclusive distribution rights for Germany to L&G. Problems begin soon after. By 1997 Montana has become well known and is exporting to other continents. Montana Spain began as and still is dedicated to the graffiti art culture and has remained a small company with about 50 employee’s involved with their manufacturing facility and distribution. Spanish Montana contends that all their products are made with devotion to quality in aerosol art culture. All Spanish Montana spray cans are hand-made at their own facility as they have been since the beginning.  In 1996, a distribution company named L&G is founded by Ruediger Latz and Tim Latif (known to us now as German Montana). In 1997 L&G becomes the exclusive distributor of Spanish Montana for Germany. Shortly after L&G also gains the rights to distribute in several other countries in Europe. Meanwhile L&G conspires with Motip Dupli, a multi-national corporation and the largest maker of spray paint for automobiles in Europe (Known to Americans as Dupli-Color), to manufacture and label spray paint cans for L&G with Montana Spain’s customers as the target audience. Mutip Dupli becomes aware of the potential in the graffiti market and makes an offer to buy Spanish Montana from Jordi. Montana Spain rejects the offer and soon after L&G and Dupli begin producing exact copies of the cans labeled as Montana Hardcore and start to distribute them throughout Montana Spain’s established market. Mutip Dupli then starts a negative campaign of information and spreads several rumors about Spanish Montana including that the paint allegedly contains lead and other poisons. L&G contends that product ideas given to Montana Spain during there business relationship entitle L&G to an equal share of the brand name “Montanaâ€�. L&G and Mutip Dupli initiate a process which results in inspectors coming to Spain to examine their products in hopes of reducing their productivity. In 2001 L&G and Mutip Dupli run a trademark search for the name "Montana" and they find a company named "Farbo S.A." located in Switzerland who has the name "Montana" already licensed throughout Europe. L&G and Mutip Dupli then offer to pay a royalty for using the name "Montana" from Farbo and succeed. L&G has now gained the ammunition they need to file lawsuits and attempt to take away the name & market that Montana Spain has created. Lawsuits are still pending in several courts throughout Europe. In 2002 L&G release the "Montana New Generation" can. In 2003 they release the Montana "GOLD" can and the Montana "Platinum" can in 2004. At the same time in 2004 Montana Spain begins to brand some of their cans as "MTNMTN" to try to relieve some confusion the customers are having between the two companies. The differences between the two Montanas remain unresolved. L&G reports to have about 20 employees involved in its distribution operation. German Montana also claims to have the same devotion to quality and aerosol art culture. L&G spray cans are made with automated machines at the Motip Dupli facility as they have been since the beginning.

And now, here is a press release about the story, from the German Montana company, giving their side of the story:

We as a distributor of Montana paint and Aerosol Art paint produced by Motip Dupli AG, distributed by L&G in Germany would like to avoid any misunderstandings about the ongoing business differences between the producer of Montana paint from Spain and the producer of Montana paint in Germany. As It is uncommon to present information to the public when a case is still with several judges to decide about, we decided not to make any comments to these matters until a final decission was made public. However, as the Spanish producer and some of its distributors have decided to start a negative campaign out in public against the Montana brand from Germany, instead of waiting for the final court decission we decided to go against this in an orderly manner, based on facts, delivered by objective parties and institutions. The fact that the courts have their difficulty to look into this matter in full detail as this business disagreement is of a very complicated nature. This matter is going through serveral courts at the moment. Fact is that the company L&G already won cases against the spanish distributor in the Netherlands, France and other European countries. To be clear: Objective tests that are in our possession show that the metal "Lead" has been found in the paint of the Spanish producer. ( as these test results are in german we do not show them here but feel free to contact us if you would like to see them) This metal is extremely dangerous to men's health. This metal is used to make the paint cover real good, especially with the red, yellow and orange colors, which from nature do not cover too well. There are better and healthier substances on the market that work the same, but these are more expensive. Also the very dangerous substance "strontium" was found in the paint from the spanish producer. Due to this shocking discovery that was made public by the company L&G last year September, we decided to give more information about chemicals that are used to make paint. Toluene, xylene, petrol gases, strontium, arsenic and mercury are some of the chemicals, vapours and heavy metals contained in spray paint and in paint containing such substances their leves come well within official restrictions. Yet the noxious smell emitted from a fat cap shouts This is doing more harm than good!" Striking a cynical note, when were levels deemed safe by otficialdom a guarantee for comfort? On the back of a canister of Spanish Montana cans, the warning reads; "Harmful by inhalation contact with skin. Irritating to skin. Do not breathe spray. Avoid contact with eyes. If swallowed seek medical advice immediately and show this container or label." L&G Distribution in Germany produce the new safer Montana cans. Montana's original home is Spain and was originally made by Montana Colors S.L. The two companies are currently in dispute over trademark intringement with L&G (German Montana) already winning their cases in France, The Netherlands and Germany. When L&G (German Montana) had the old Spanish brand analysed their tests petitioned that Spanish Montana contained dangerous levels of lead.  Rüdiger Glatz, managing director of L&G told Graphotism magazine: "Spraycans are detinitely not good for your health, but selling spraycans containing lead and strontium [see below for possible repercussions] as Spanish Montana Colors has is unacceptable." "We work very closely with our manufacturer MOTIP DUPLI, and are able to have a major influence on the ingredients. A company like MOTIP DUPLI, being the biggest manufacturer for spraycans in Europe, does not want to throw any old constituent Into their product and they are subject to German regulations, which are very strict and sensitive." Glad to hear it, but despite the protestations, proteotion from colouring that decorates transport, walls, boards and canvases cannot be emphasised. A qualitv mask, gloves and excellent ventilation is something your mind and body will thank you for. If you still don't believe, here are the effects of five products found in aerosol paint. [followed by a detailed description of harmful effects of lead, strontium, arsenic, Tuolene, Xylene.]

So these are the two sides.  Which one should you believe?

We side with the Spanish Montana company, for several reasons:

• German Montana admits that they stole the Spanish company's trade name.
  
• German Montana's allegations that Spanish Montana's paint contains lead, arsenic etc. are not supported.  To say "we have a document but it's in German" is an insult to inquiring minds.  They give no indication as to how much lead was found in Spanish Montana's paint. By Spanish Montana's estimation, it's about 00.0015%, or 15 parts per million.  That's nothing compared to how much lead was found in paint before it was banned decades ago, essentially nothing at all.
• German Montana is using "booga booga" scare tactics to discredit Spanish Montana.  They trump up the dangers of Xylene.  All spray paint contains Xylene.

In conclusion, it appears that the Spanish Montana is a sincere, by-artists-for-artists company, and the German Montana is a subsidiary of an Evil Big Corporation that will lie, cheat, and steal to make money.  After all, they stole the Montana name and lied to the public about the dangers of Montana paint.



Montana MTN Hardcore vs. Belton Molotow

Legal issues aside, let us return to the question of paint quality, particularly between the two best brands of spray paint, Montana and Molotow.

Some artists like one and not the other, on both sides.  You will have to try both to make up your mind. 

There are some definite differences that may help you decide.

Differences favoring neither but according to your preference:


Differences favoring Montana:


Differences favoring Molotow:






The True Colors of Molotow

We do not know why, but the color charts for Molotow spray paint are grossly inaccurate.  Not only that, but they are un-flattering: they make good colors look bad, they make bold colors look pale, they make saturated colors look grey, they make popping colors look dull.

In one case, the color "traffic red" appeared as a light, greyish red, while "signal red" looked a little lighter (on the distro's website) and a little darker (on Belton's website).  Yet, in reality, "traffic red" is a bright red with an orange tint, while "signal red" is a pure, slightly dark red.

In another case, "signal white" is shown at artprimo.com to be greyer than "pure white."  In reality "signal white" is whiter than "pure white." 

In this chart here, we show cans of Molotow in three colors.  The color on the butt of the can is the color shown on Molotow's distributor's web site.  The inset color is the color shown on Belton's web site. And the color on the top of each can is what we've determined it actually is.






Choosing Colors

Additive vs. Subtractive Colors

Few, very few graffiti artists understand the principles of additive versus subtractive color systems.  Let us enlighten you.

In a color printer, a tri-color ink cartidge carries three colors: cyan, magenta, and yellow.  But, the computer monitor and television creates colors from red, green, and blue.

It's hard to imagine why, but, try to imagine if your monitor made pixels from cyan, magenta, and yellow, or your printer printed in red, green, and blue.  It takes a bit of brain-twisting, but don't you get the feeling that it couldn't work right for some reason?

Well, the reason is that you monitor is putting red, green, and blue--the additive colors--on a black surface, your dark screen.  The printer, on the other hand, is putting cyan, magenta, and yellow--the substractive colors--on a white page.  A white surface is one that reflects all light, while a black surface is one which absorbs light.  This is why black holes are black, and why looking at a white surface in the sun hurts your eyes.

The additive colors fill in dark, while substractive color blocks out light.

Spray paint is subtractive, which is why certain colors show up much better on black that others.  This is why so many yellows, pinks, aquas, and purples show up poorly on top of black, while blues, greens, and orange-reds tend to show up well.  On white, all colors, but you will notice that red is just impossible to blend with green or blue, and even blending green and blue looks odd without using an aquamarine in between.


Best and Worst Colors


Every brand of paint has some colors that are just great, and some colors that straight up suck.  You'd never know just looking on the Internet at color charts, but here's what we've found:

Best colors:

-Montana Pistachio
-Molotow Shock Blue
-Montana Monaco Blue
-Molotow Telemagenta
-Montana Solar Orange
-Molotow Juice Green
-Krylon Watermelon
-Montana Intense Red
-Molotow Deep Black
-Montana Divinity White
-Rustoleum black
-Molotow Seak Future Green
-Montana Ganges Yellow
-Molotow Golden Yellow

Worst colors:  (these colors really blow; stay away!)

-Montana Colorado Red
-Molotow Signal Yellow
-Montana Devil Red
-Molotow 600 ml anything
-Montana Light Yellow
-Molotow Leaf Green

Conclusion

Buy Spanish Montana and Molotow spray paint and go wild.



CAPS

A Warning Before Proceeding

All artists have individual preferences about caps.  Some disagree strongly with one another.  Some have different experiences with the same caps.  It is up to you to decide which caps you prefer.  It's sort of like drummers choosing from the many different sizes and shapes of drumsticks to use; everyone has their own choice.

What follows is our test results of various caps with various paint brands.  Use this is as a guide, but for best results, see for yourself which caps you like the most.

Terminology:

Dot: The dot is the little piece on the front of the cap that the paint comes out of. 

The caps

German Outline.  Also called the "skinny banana" by the Montana company.  These are the most popular caps there are.  The line is medium-thin, the edge is very sharp, the weight is medium.  An ideal outline cap.  Works great with Montana Hardcore, Krylon, and Rustoleum.  DOES NOT WORK WITH MOLOTOW or GERMAN MONTANA.  These can be found in three different color schemes as pictured.  Their properties seem to be identical, but many people are superstitious about different colors. 
(see part III for a comparison between Italian and German brands of Montana)

German Pro.  Also called "German 2," or "skinny pro."  The two color schemes are the same cap, same properties.  Unlike the German Outline, this cap works with Belton Molotow and German Montana, and for those brands, the line has the same properties as the German Outline above.  Used with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Italian Montana Hardcore, the line is slightly wider and softer than the German Outline.

German Fat.  This cap produces a heavy-weight, sharp-edge, medium-width line.  It works well with Rustoleum, Montana, and Molotow.  It makes a wider line with Rustoleum and Montana than it does with Belton Molotow.  It works with Krylon, but tends to cause drips because of the output weight.

(see below for an explanation of weight, hardness/sharpness, and width)

New York Thin.  The New York Thin cap is known by many names.  New York Outlines, phantom tips, thins, micros, and skinnies. They are medium-thin, semi-soft, medium-weight.  They work well with Rustoleum, Krylon, and Montana Hardcore.  DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.

New York Fat.  The New York Fats produce a medium-wide, medium-weight, semi-soft line, much like the New York Thins but slightly broader.  They look a lot like the NY thins, too.  To tell them apart, note the ridges: the Fats have wider ridges than the Thins.  Also, the very center of the dot looks a little different.  But the ridges are the easiest way to tell them apart. Same compatibility as the NY thins, but does work with Molotow.

Rusto Fat.  This is one of the most preferred fat caps.  The Rusto Fat is named after Rustoleum but works very well with other brands as well, including Krylon and Montana.  DOES NOT WORK WITH BELTON MOLOTOW.  Compared to the New York Fat cap, it is slightly wider.  Compared to the German Fat cap, it is lighter, producing better results with the cheaper brands of paint. 

Black Micro.  The Black Micro, also known as the Molotow Super Skinny (to the Molotow company) and the Montana Super Skinny #1 (to the Montana company) works well with both of those brands and also with Krylon and Rustoleum.  With a black finish and a black dot, it definitely is the coolest-looking cap.  It produces a very thin line, with a sharp edge and medium weight.  Great for doing outlines when you want something thinner than the German Outlines above.  We are suspicious that it might be identical to the Black Dot cap described below; tests are underway.

Silver Super Fat.  This is one of the most versatile caps out there.  It produces a wide line, wider than any of the caps mentioned above, with a sharp edge.  But with Montana and Molotow, you can actually make skinny lines with it by holding the can very near the painted surface.  With Rustoleum, the cap still works great for wide lines, but from close up, the line will be too heavy and drip.  With Krylon, the cap works OK, but beware of drips--the Orange Dot below may be a better choice.

Needle Cap.  The Needle cap works with Belton Molotow, and as far as we know, nothing else.  With Molotow, it produces an ultra-ultra-thin line, not even a centimeter in width, but very heavy.  However, it leaves some splatter marks.  With Rusto, Krylon, and Montana paint, it produces a wide, ultra-heavy line that drips like hell.  Why Montana even sells these caps, we do not know.  Perhaps they perform OK with their Alien Art Concept line (see below for more details).  But overall, unless you use Molotow paint and desire a splattery ultra-thin line, what's the point?  If you don't want the splatter, you're going to have to go over the splatter with another color, and if you're doing that, you might as well just a Black Micro.  Anyway, we do not carry this cap, because for all the reasons above, it just sucks.

Grey Dots.  The grey dot is the first in the series of colored-dot caps which range from ultra-thin to ultra-wide.  It is the skinniest cap available.  It works great with Krylon, Rusto, Montana, and Molotow.  Compared to the Black Micro, it is about the same in width, but a little softer and lighter, perhaps making it better suited for drippy brands.  It's also good for accents.

Black Dots.  Black Dots are the same as grey dots, but just a little bit wider.

Gold Dots. The Gold dot is an oddball, you might say.  With Montana and Molotow, it is much like the Black Dot but a little wider yet, a medium-thin line. But with Rustoleum, it makes a much wider line.  The edge is soft and the weight is rather light, making it an ideal stencil cap.  The spray is a little irregular in shape, making it a poor choice for outlines, but it works great for blends.

Blue Dots.  Blue Dots are soft spray like the Gold Dots, also great for stenciling. They produce a medium size line, of a regular circular shape, but the weight is uneven--tends to fill out the circumference and leave a light center.  The other strange thing is that the width is narrow when used with Rustoleum paint: the Gold Dots are generally narrower than the Blues, but with Rusto, it seems to be the other way around.  Great for stencils, blends, and fills; poor for outlining.

Orange Dots.  Orange dots are fat caps.  They are wider than New York and Rusto Fats, and about the same as Silver Super Fats.  Works well with all of the brands named above.  Compared with Silver Super Fats, the line is a little softer and lighter, and probably a better choice for American brands of spray paint. 

Pink Dots.  Pink dots are the fattest cap available.  You can make lines 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) in diameter. As you get closer, the weight can get very heavy.  Good for filling in large areas (or making giant paintings).  Works with all of the brands named above. 

Black Calligraphy.  These caps have a special insert that creates a "linear" spray instead of the circular spray that the other caps have.  That is, the spray will be wide in one direction, narrow in the other.  The coolest part is that you can rotate that little insert so the line can be any direction you like--vertical, horizontal, or any diagonal.  Great for signing your name, or just creating cool effects.  This cap works with all of the brands named above, but the width of the line varies from one brand to the next.  It makes a very soft, thin line with Montana, a more medium line with Rusto, Molotow, and Krylon.

Red Calligraphy.  This is the same as the Black Calligraphy cap, but the line is wider and heavier.  With Montana and Molotow you get a medium line; with Rusto or Krylon you get a very big line.  The two types of calligraphy caps are pretty similar with Molotow; with the others the difference is significant.

Cap selection and compatibility

There are several factors one should look at in a spray cap:

Width: This one's the only one the novice pays attention to. Obviously, it's how wide your line is. The grey dot is the skinniest; the pink dot is the widest.

Hardness (or, "sharpness"): This determines whether you have a cap that distributes paint evenly across the line (hard), or one that puts more paint in the center and less paint on the edge (soft). The German caps (outline/pro/fat) are the hardest; the "dot" series is the softest. Also, the closer you hold your can to the surface, the harder the line gets. A black dot from 6 inches looks mighty soft, from 1 inch you get a much sharper line.

Weight: This is how much paint comes out. If a cap is too heavy, drips become more likely, but if it is too light, the colors beneath may show through. The brand of paint you use with your cap also makes a big difference--some paints can be light and drippy (really cheap brands often are) and some paints can be heavy and still not drip (Montana). But, all else being equal, the heaviest caps are the needle caps (we don't even carry these, they're so bad); Rusto Fats and Orange Dots are on the heavier side while the grey, black, and gold dots are probably the lightest.

Compatibility: This makes all the difference. If a cap doesn't work with your brand of paint, then what good is it? Some caps perform very differently depending the brand they're used with.

Regularity: Some caps with some brands produce funny non-circular shapes.  Among the caps listed above, only blue and gold dots have this problem, and even then, only with certain brands of paint.  But the generic caps that come with the cans often have regularity issues.

Longevity: Some caps clog up more easily than others, and some paint causes caps to clog more easily than other brands.  Because of the cost, we have not done a long-term study on this characteristic.  We would appreciate your input on this.  Generally, you can extend a cap's life by cleaning it.  If you're in a relaxed environment, consider bringing some Acetone or paint thinner and a little bowl to drop your used caps into; that will clean them out easily.  For quick and easy cleaning, you can also turn a can of paint upside-down and spray until paint stops coming out: spray paint cans have a straw that extends from the nozzle to the bottom of the can, and when you turn the can upside-down, you will spray air once the paint is cleared out of the straw, thus sort of blow-drying the cap clear.  However, the cost of the lost paint may exceed the cost of just getting a new cap; we don't know.  You can also just put your mouth on the bottom of the cap and blow the paint out, but this could result in you getting paint in your mouth which is straight-up sick.

Aside from the Longevity factor, we've done our best to describe cap properties in the description above.  Let us know if you have any further insight you could provide.  Ultimately, every artist develops his or her own preferences based on experience, and artists of equal accomplishment can have totally different opinions about which caps are better than others (just like musicians and their brand preferences.) The best way to find out which you like the best is to try everything and decide for yourself.

Graffiti Culture

Some people who create spray paint artwork on a strictly legal basis consider themselves "spray paint artists" opting not to call themselves "graffiti artists" to avoid association with illegality that "graffiti" supposedly entails.

But who are they kidding.  Whether or not they partake of illegal tagging or whatever, spray paint art is inextricably rooted in illegal artwork.  It was on walls and trains where the technique was developted, and even if someone chooses to do legal artwork, the history and development of spray paint art grows from its rebellious roots.


Montana brand spray paint is one of the finest brands of paint available.

It is thick and bright--no need for a second coat--and it is far less prone to dripping than the hardware-store brands (particularly the cheap ones like Painters Touch, America's Best, etc.)

We carry Montana's most popular line, the Hardcore line.  The Hardcore cans use a high-pressure system that is compatible with almost every popular type of tip.  It is available in dozens of colors and every can comes with your choice of any tip.  They are available in one 400 ml size, although black, chrome, and white is also available in a larger 600 ml size. 

We have a few dozen colors in stock; however, our stock varies among the 124 different colors Montana offers. Call us at 734-994-4545 for availability. 

---> Please note: at the present time, we are not equipped to ship aerosol paint through the mail for orders of less than 24 cans.  Alas, you will have to visit our store.

  $5.99 per can, and it includes your choice of tip.  See below.

Bonus piece of handy knowledge:  How to mix two (or more) colors of paint into a new color 1. Take some cans of paint, a "recipient" (where will receive the new color(s)) and any number of "donors" (which will be added into the recipient can).  The receipient must have sufficient empty room for adding the paint.  2. Freeze the recipient.  3. You need a tube to connect the recipient to each donor.  You can buy special "mixing caps" made for this purpose, you can use a needle cap (sold below), or you can just use the straw inside of a cheap pen like a Bic.  4. Remove the caps from both cans.  Put the warm donor can on the ground and invert the cold can above it, and connect the tips via the pen tube.  Warm paint will shoot into the cold can. 5. Repeat with more donor colors if you want.  6. When the frozen can thaws, shake and use.