Re: Sources of Colored Chalk

["Donald E. Simanek" <dsimanek@EAGLE.LHUP.EDU>]

On Mon, 5 Apr 1999, Karl Trappe wrote:

> *However*, note that the manufacturers of chalkboards recommend against the
> use of colored chalk *entirely* as the binders which are used to hold the
> talk plus color make it virtually impossible to erase.  If you are
> contemplating wiping your blackboards with water, that is also unacceptable
> since it merely smears the binders across the entire surface of the
> chalkboard, causing a uniform glare which makes writing difficult for
> students to read.  If you doubt this, go sit where the students sit and
> look at the chalkboard!  You *can* do a "scheduled" blackboard cleaning
> using a mild detergent that will lift the binder, but that should be a
> limited activity, as it also, eventually, wears down ths surface.  Sorry,
> for the bad news.  Our faculty did not like to hear the truth, either....

Are you speaking of genuine slate blackboards, or those awful "imitation"
blackboards made of some hard black or green coating on steel? The genuine
slate blackboards never seemed to cause the problems you mention.

The only advantage of the steel-coated boards is that they hold mangetic
accessories in place.

You know, its nearly impossible these days to find any of those small 8x10
inch "school" slateboards in a wooden frame which actually have slate in
them?  Antique stores seem to be the only source. All you find in toy
stores are black-painted masonite.

        -- Donald

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Donald E. Simanek
dsimanek@eagle.lhup.edu                 http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek
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