
Rainworks – Rain-Activated Positive Messages and Art - ColinWright
https://rain.works/
======
rapnie
Apparently I belong to a small minority that does not get down and depressed
when it rains.

It is all about mindset. Ok, if you go to a meeting and your nice suit gets
soaked, then it is less fun. But on the way back home, just catch those
raindrops. Look around. Look at other people hastily walking by with frowned
faces. Relax. It's nature. Things are moving. Clouds roil above you. Enjoy it.

While I like some of the artwork, seeing sentences like "You are amazing"
appear everywhere, would spoil the beauty of a nice, honest rainshower for me,
to be honest :)

~~~
maybeiambatman
Rain is my favorite. Certainly the biggest thing I miss since moving out of
Seattle. Rain is so peaceful and refreshing. Also, watching it rain through a
window in a dark room, wrapped in a blanket, is possibly coziest thing in the
world :)

~~~
egypturnash
I've been living in Seattle for several years and I miss _actual_ rain. Rain
you need an umbrella for. Rain that makes you pause under shelter. Rain that
has thunder and lightning now and then.

Seattle, clouds just come sit on the city and you have to go about your
business inside them.

------
athenot
From the MSDS sheet:

> _6.2 Environmental precautions_

> _Seal leaks when possible without risk. Impound spoiled product as much as
> possible with inert materials. Do not allow substance to flow into water
> ways, sewerage systems, basements or confined areas._

I'm sure that's referring to the liquid substance; however there's no
information on the site as to how the fluoropolymers biodegrade as the sprays
wear with foot traffic and end up in the environment. Hopefully someone with
chemistry background has more details about this process.

[https://rain.works/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Rainworks-
Invi...](https://rain.works/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Rainworks-Invisible-
Spray-MSDS.pdf)

~~~
atombender
I'm skeptical, too. On their site [1] they claim it's "Eco-Friendly &
Biodegradable" and that "Once a rainwork is dry, it is non-toxic to the
environment!" A different page [2] says: "The spray is a solvent-based
formula. Because of the solvent, it is not safe to drink the liquid or inhale
the vapor. ... Once the Invisible Spray is sprayed on the ground, the solvent
evaporates, leaving only the biodegradable water-repelling ingredients locked
to the surface, making it superhydrophobic, creating the rainwork!"

Not a chemist, but I don't think fluoropolymers are generally biodegradable.
In fact, isn't non-biodegradability (and non-bioavailability) part of the
point?

[1] [https://rain.works/invisiblespray/](https://rain.works/invisiblespray/)

[2]
[https://rain.works/product/invisiblespray/](https://rain.works/product/invisiblespray/)

------
snvzz
So they're promoting the contamination of everything with hydrophobic paint?

If this catches on, walking around on a rainy day, which I find pleasant, will
instead be depressing.

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seltzered_
Interesting, I met Peregrine (one of the rainworks founders) a few years ago
at a meetup when he was starting to experiment with this. Really enjoyed his
enthusiasm for making art.

From my memory he tested out a few different paints and found something that
was supposedly biodegradeable - my best guess is he may be using one of the
neverwet variants - [http://www.neverwet.com/](http://www.neverwet.com/) , he
mentions it here:
[https://twitter.com/icreatenovelty/status/445228159248506880](https://twitter.com/icreatenovelty/status/445228159248506880)

edit: I'm wrong, he's using Belgium-based Nanex from the msds sheet.

------
pxndxx
I've always found it too expensive to just buy some and experiment, but I
swear it's cheaper now. I'll buy some when I get home.

------
jasonkostempski
Neat. How does it prevent negative messages and ugly graffiti?

~~~
seltzered_
from the faq [https://rain.works/faqs/](https://rain.works/faqs/) : "On
average, a rainwork lasts 2 to 4 months. We have had them last up to a year
under the right conditions."

"According to a representative at the Seattle Department of Transportation,
rainworks are legal on public sidewalks because they are temporary, don’t harm
the property, and we don’t use them to advertise anything."

I think the intent was to find something more like a neat alternative to
sidewalk chalk than to be a graffiti.

------
sleepybrett
Sorry, I can't spray paint my sidewalk but you can spray neverwet on it? This
stuff is not good for the watershed.

------
nathancahill
$130 for 16oz, lasts 3-4 months. Amazing.

