History Of The Stencil Cap – Spray Paint Can Modification For Super-Thin Lines

The Legend of the Stencil Cap: Unearthing Graffiti’s Super-Thin Line

I recently posted a video about the history of the stencil cap, and like anything in the graffiti world, it sparked some serious debate and scrutiny. But more importantly, it got people talking! Let’s continue the conversation and explore the origins of this revolutionary spray paint modification.

What Exactly Is a Stencil Cap?

Before we get too deep, let’s define our terms. According to Art Primo, a stencil cap is a tool you fit onto your spray can, right over the nozzle. It effectively restricts the paint flow, allowing only a super-fine stream to emerge, creating lines far thinner than any standard spray cap can achieve. Their expert tip? “Things can get messy after a few uses, so keep a rag close by for easy cleanup.”

And here’s an original creator tip: don’t waste that “messy” excess paint! Use it to create cool fill-ins or a raw, splatter effect in your piece. It’s all part of the art.

Who Invented the Stencil Cap? The Great Debate of ’86

Ah, the million-dollar question! Many will immediately credit HEX TGO, and it’s entirely possible, as he was an early pioneer on all fronts. What is certain is that countless writers learned the technique of using the stencil cap from him, especially since he was the owner of the world-famous Hip Hop Shop on Melrose Boulevard. So, why is there even a question? Well, it all depends on which side of California you came up in the graffiti scene. NorCal’s answer is often very different from SoCal’s!

Let’s set the scene: it’s 1986. The internet, as we know it today, with the World Wide Web, was still years away from public release (April 30, 1993, for those keeping score). Information traveled differently then.

Enter KAOS: A Berkeley Revelation

I had just moved to the Bay Area from Atlanta, Georgia, where I’d been painting with The United Kings (1984-1986). I was eager to connect with writers in this new territory. The name KAOS was everywhere, and soon enough, I had the chance to meet and befriend him. (The story of how we met is for another time!) (KAOS is now Sir RAZER.Larock on Instagram and Django Convery on Facebook.)

KAOS was younger than me, but his talent was undeniable, and his letter style captivated me. His house quickly became “the writers’ bench of Berkeley.” On one particular visit, he told me to bring my camera—he had something groundbreaking to show me.

We sat at his table, and he explained he’d been wrestling with an idea for a while: how to get a super-skinny line out of a spray can. He had been meticulously studying the two-layer protective caps that came on spray cans. He’d already cut off the outer layer. Then, he lit a match and started heating a straightened coat hanger. I admit, I was a bit wary, wondering what he was about to do. But then, as he carefully brought the hot hanger to the cap, it clicked! I instantly saw his genius.

I was “straight tripping on the concept, but also, my immediate thought was, “Hey, you could’ve just done that with an electric drill!” To which he famously retorted, “I don’t have a “MF’n” drill!” Regardless of the method, it was a moment of pure innovation in my mind.

From Berkeley to San Francisco: The Skinny Cap Spreads

I went home, grabbed my X-Acto knife and a drill, and made several more of these modified caps for KAOS. Soon after, he called, telling me to bring my camera—we were going to the city! He revealed he’d given one of the caps to Crayone of the TWS crew in San Francisco. I was a little annoyed he’d shared it so quickly, but his reasoning soon became clear: Crayon had just finished a piece using this special thin-line tip.

Crayon led us to his “private yard”—a rooftop overlooking the city with walls perfect for practice. He demonstrated the cap, acknowledging how messy it could be. But he turned that mess into magic, incorporating the residual paint into a raw, splattered background. The contrast was stunning: the razor-crisp, precise lines from the cap were unlike anything we’d ever seen before.

The Name Game: Skinny Cap or Stencil Cap?

So, from Berkeley, the technique went to San Francisco, to Crayone of TWS. But did HEX TGO independently create the stencil cap simultaneously, 380 miles south in Los Angeles? Or did he develop it even earlier than KAOS? That’s the part of the history that still fuels debate.

And what about the name?
Django, aka KAOS, aka RAZER1.Larock, didn’t call it a “stencil cap.” For us, it was simply a “skinny cap.” I recently asked Crayone of TWS about it, “Where did the ‘stencil cap’ name come from? Did you name it that?”

Crayon’s response: “What I heard being used, and I really didn’t know, and I might have made it up, was that I was calling it a skinny cap. It’s what I thought, maybe RAZER used to describe it. Then, years later, someone mentioned the stencil cap or stencil tip. But we always called it the skinny cap.”

Crayone further clarified that all TWS members used the original design KAOS showed them—caps without “half-tops” for finger placement and no rear grooves. It was Estria who later refined the design, adding a “half-top” and a “finger groove” for better grip, as he had used it extensively for his characters.

As an inside joke within the TWS crew, Raevyn, Picasso, and Crayon would notice their fresh caps disappearing from the cans in their crates, while Estria’s old milk crates would always mysteriously have a fresh supply of cut-up skinny caps, or “stencil caps,” as they started to be called, because of his character-focused work. To Crayon, Estria’s continuous modification and masterful use of the skinny cap truly brought it into widespread use for decades to come.

Quote from ArtNet from Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011

Hawaii-born graffiti artist Estria Miyashiro (popularizer of the “stencil tip,” aka “skinny cap,” which facilitates thin, airbrush-like lines), the event was hosted by famed West Coast street art gallery Crewest, which is located in the heart of L.A.’s garment district. Kicking off at high noon with the announcement of the battle’s much-anticipated “word” — the basis for every artist’s composition — the contest features 12 artists, each with an 8 x 10 ft. canvas and a cardboard box filled with a palette of low-pressure Montana 94 paint cans.

1990 Canvas by Rodney “RAD1” Wills using the skinny stencil cap.

More Blogs: https://rad1tuk.com/blog/
Artwork: https://rad1tuk.com/shop/