Flo-Master

To counter a precipitous fall-off in its business following World War II, Esterbrook worked to develop new and innovative products, and the years 1960 to 1967 saw steady progress.

Under the "Gem" brand name, the company launched its highly successful Mark I line of products, featuring the "Valve Marker" and the "Permanent Pen."

Flo-Master brand inks were used in many of these products, and was also sold separately for refills, marketed in handy tin cans equipped with "needle-nose" plastic nozzles.

When street-writing took to the subways in New York City at the start of the 1970s, Flo-Master opaque inks were chosen by graffiti artists, as they adhered to virtually any surface permanently.

Flo-Master inks were not only colorful and durable; in addition, the design of their cans allowed for portability, quick refilling and artful "pointing" and "edging" of "Uni-Wide" and "Mini-Wide" markers—designed for "ribbon"-style writing on glass—which were extremely popular with early graffiti writers as well.