European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 1, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Graffiti neum4j0n is the Scourge of Berlin s Wall artists huf it. A a a a a a a by Ferdinand Protzman the new York times Bernd Neumann makes no claim to inventive Genius but he know a Good thing when he sees one. And what the Berlin painting contractor saw two years ago was an inventor s dream come True Coo scraped from the bed of his truck removed Graffiti almost instantly without damaging the underlying surface. Quot i was hired to remove Graffiti from an apartment House stairwell Quot Neumann said. Quot nothing worked. By the end of the Day i was totally frustrated. A Bunch of buckets containing different substances had spilled in my truck. So i scooped the stuff up rubbed it on and the Graffiti came right off. I just stood there staring at it with my Mouth hanging . Though new York and other cities in the United states have made headway against Graffiti in the last decade with a Host of tidy solutions europeans Are Only now being inundated by the problem. And the Burly 43-year-old has been Happy to Supply a remedy. He now tools around Germany s once and future capital City in a new Van with Quot Graffiti Neumann Quot emblazoned on its sides. Thanks to the Graffiti remover his company s sales have increased tenfold to $6.4 million. But the vandals who Spray paint their nicknames known afe tags on Germany s trains buildings monuments and other surfaces hate him. Quot it s Beautiful vandalism Quot said a 20-year-old who signs the names Quot task Quot and Quot Tel Quot to his Handiwork and is awaiting trial on vandalism charges. Quot Guys like that ruin it All. It really hurts to have your work destroyed before anyone sees  Graffiti began appearing in Germany about 20 years ago experts said. But since the mid-1980s, the vandalism has increased sharply a part of the americanization of German popular culture. Britain France and other european countries Are also increasingly afflicted by Graffiti vandalism although the phenomenon is so recent that they have not yet made heavy investments in seeking Means to remove it a while no official figures exist the Berlin transport service paid about $2.5 million to remove Graffiti last year and government officials estimate that the annual damage nationwide is approaching $100 million. The country s historically Pristine trains and subways Are the most popular target. Quot Graffiti has become an enormous problem Here Quot said Konrad Lorenzen the director of Berlin s transit system. Quot it s mostly kids Between 11 and 15 years of age. They try to outdo each other in painting unpainted objects. The first to paint something is the Sieger the Victor. Trying to find them or protect against them is almost impossible. You can t have a watchman or policeman  the greatest Honor a Vandal can reap is spraying an entire car said task. Quot painting whole cars carries the most prestige because it is so recognizable so risky Quot he said. To completely cover a car the vandals go into the rail Ards where police patrols using night vision glasses and attack dogs May be waiting. It Quot those who Spray our trains see themselves As artists and some of their work does have aesthetic qualities Quot said Oskar Buettner the German Federal railways executive in charge of battling Graffiti. Quot Art ends when you Spray Over the windows and identification numbers of the cars. We be had the Best Success with or. Neumann s  a a the removal substance called Dekon Tamino received a German Patent last year. In 1990 it won Neumann the annual Berlin craftsman prize awarded by the umbrella organization of the City s crafts. The product which he recreated to rough trial and error is a pungent gelatinous liquid that is applied to Graffiti covered surfaces with a paint roller. In about three minutes the surface is scrubbed lightly with a sponge to loosen any Type of aerosol Spray paint or Broad tipped marking pen Ink and then wiped with a Damp cloth. The Graffiti is gone. A it works on Metal Glass tile hard plastics Wood and in combination with a Teflon like coating that Neumann developed with the help of a bavarian Stone Mason on Stone and bricks. Neumann will not reveal the exact contents. But the Patent application lists soapy water Dieth Ylene glycol and citric add As the main ingredients. A study by Berlin s technical University concluded that the product is biodegradable and environmentally Friendly. It can be applied with Bare hands. A the product is being used in cities in Germany Switzerland Austria and France Neumann said. Testimonials to its effectiveness abound. Age Westinghouse transport system a Mph in Berlin was about to ship out two Brand new subway trains to a foreign customer when the entire Side of one train was Spray painted White sitting in the Yard. With the delivery deadline bearing Down repainting seemed unavoidable. It would take weeks. Then a company official thought of Neumann who arrived with five men and leaned Quot the train in half a Day. While enjoying his growing reputation As a Graffiti killer Neumann s sights Are set on what most europeans consider the Mecca of vandalism new York City. Quot that s where it All began Quot Neumann said. Quot All those subway cars covered with Graffiti. All those  he has written to the new York City transit authority in the Hope that it will test his product., unfortunately for Neumann american cities have made great strides in combating Graffiti and new York has led the Way. , Slaght manager of car appearance and chemical materials for the transit authority said the authority s use of Graffiti removing products was Only 20 percent to 25 percent of what it had been six or seven years ago. The reduction was a result of a new polity that involved inspecting the cars at the end of each run pulling out cars with Graffiti and cleaning them within 24 hours. The program has now been extended to the subway  transit authority has been using a Graffiti remover it developed with its suppliers for the last several years. Mill Slaght is interested in Neumann s product though Ransit officials say it is considerably More expensive. We wrote him a letter in German telling him to Send us a precise description of the product and specifications o what is in it and a Sample Quot Slaght said. Quot if we deem it e a then we invite them to submit a competitive bid. J punch Asins s done by competitive bidding. If Hea t6?t a she uld get Back in touch. Well be Happy to hear from him Quot As Graffiti becomes More common in Europe much of it takes on a More artistic look. A amps Filo the stars and stripes monday