Chalk talk

Maniac

Maniac

2manyQ's
Silver Member
Some observations I have noted throughout my playing years:

1. I am ready to break out a new piece of chalk whenever it wears down to about 1/3 of where it started, being new. Then, I just leave it on whatever table I'm playing on at the time. How long do y'all go before discarding a piece of chalk? Am I being a little picky here?

2. I feel that an awful lot of people overuse the chalk :rolleyes: . IMO, I don't feel it is necessary on a center ball hit. I have gone 6 or 7 shots without chalking up with no adverse reactions. For sure I will chalk up when I'm about to draw or follow or use English. And, I understand the need for some people to use the chalk as part of their pre-shot routine. I'm talking about those that grind the hell out outta the chalk before EVERY shot as if this is some kind of necessity. What do y'all think about this? Is this just another one of my hang-ups or am I kinda right about this?

3. For some reason, I have a preference to the Master chalk. I have used many brands, and none of them have been extremely poor, but for whatever reason, I feel that the Master brand adheres to the tip better. Just another quirk I'm sure.

4. It drives me nuts :mad: whenever someone puts a piece of chalk down on the table rail upside down. One guy that I play with on a monthly basis does this every single time he puts the chalk down. I don't even bother tellin' him any more (but I've gotten to where I hide the chalk from him just to jack with him).

5. Please, please, when you come to my house to play, either A. Use my chalk that I have provided, or B. Use the same color chalk as my cloth is.

I guess I'm turning into an 'ol Grumpus in my later years. But tell me, does any of these things bug y'all like they do me?

Shoot well, my friends!!!

Maniac

P.S. I put this in the wrong forum. Someone please move this for me to Main Forum. Like my line under my name says "STUPID" !!!
 
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Well, where to start? 1/3 down before you discard it? You mean a "hole" in the middle of the cube that goes about 1/3 the way down, right?

It's somewhat of a trick question. If you answer in the affirmative, then you don't know how to use chalk properly. If you're making a hole in the cube, you are boring your tip into the chalk, which is not correct.

Through the years, Bob Jewitt has published several articles on the proper use of chalk. Might be something here in the archives.

To shoot 6-7 times without chalking is unwise, at best. You're simply tempting fate - or physics, really. You will miscue, plain and simple. Too late to chalk up then.

However, those who grind the chalk, squeeking & grinding everytime, are annoying. Hafta agree with you there. Of course, they don't have a clue how to apply chalk and are probably beginners at the game.

#4 - 100% agree. Turn the friggin chalk upright, people. Upside down chalk = blue rails = blue hands = blue shafts & blue clothes. Got it??

I have recently gone back to Sang Lee chalk. I still bake my Green Masters, which gives it a great consistency IMO, but nothing compares to Sang Lee. It's expensive - about $4.00 per piece. Pay that much for chalk and you will learn how to use the entire cube before throwing it away, not just a little hole in the middle. Look at the top of my chalk and it resembles a Maltese Cross - not a bored hole.

Your preference for Masters is not a quirk - it is the best for the money. There is a huge difference in the various brands of chalk. I recently ordered a box (gross) of IPT chalk. It's too powdery for me, though it stays on the tip better than most. I believe it is made by Tweeten, just a finer granule than their Masters brand.

Sooo, mostly I agree with you - especially the grinders and the upside down chalk. But as Bob J once wrote, don't be a "borer". :D
 
1. It depends on the chalk before i discard it. I also will drop a piece of masters about 1/3 of the way down. But i also have 1 box +8 pieces of Balabushka chalk left. Bushka (bought from American cowboy billiards) is bar NONE the BEST chalk i've ever used. Very smooth coating and can get wonderful english. I'm gunna cry when i use my last 8 cause i'm not breaking my full box due to it's SELLING @ $60 a box right now. It's gunna be a collectors item since it's no longer in production. Getting back on the subject i'll run a piece of bushka chalk to about 1/2 to 1/4, basically when the paper falls off :P

2. Overuse of chalk is a saftey. No one wants to be able to see an easy run and then kick themselves when they misscue the 2nd or 3rd ball. As for grinding the chalk (i.e. putting the cupped part of the chalk on the tip and spinning it) this is actually improper chalking. Usually this leads to an inconsistant chalking with some dry spots on the tip. Proper way to chalk is to wipe the chalk across the tip in a sweeping motion.

2.1 On that one thing that bugs the HELL out of me is when someone chalks a bar cue then taps it on the edge of the table. Not only does this remove the chalk they just put on but it dents the shaft. If you are a person who does this PLEASE stop. If it is your stick i dont care but quit ruining bar sticks.

3. As for master's it has been machine TESTED as the #1 commercial chalk. There is a website that has the test results but i cannot remember where it was. Worth google'ing tho.

4. ME TOO!!!!!!!!!! I cant stand a dirty table. It's one of those irksome things that really have no effect on play (that is chalk on the rail)

5. If someone comes to the house and uses chalk different than yours, yes it's annoying, but it's a comfort thing. That's what a brush is for. You should be brushing your table after use anyway, so it shouldnt hurt too much other than an eyesore while playing.

My 2 cents.



Chris
 
I also go about 1/3 of the way down into the chalk. I then rotate it 180 and peel off the paper and do the same on that end. I then rotate it to a "unused" side and peel off the paper. I keep doing this until all six sides as used up. By this time there will be holes popping thru. I use a chalk holder so it always looks like a new piece of chalk. When I am done I leave it on a table for someone else to get a message on how to get the most out the chalk. Cheap, frugal or ingenious??? Take your pick.
 
I file my chalk to extend the use. I also use a chalk holder. I might try the method of peeling the paper and use all sides. Could be interesting.....
 
VonRhett said:
To shoot 6-7 times without chalking is unwise, at best. You're simply tempting fate - or physics, really. You will miscue, plain and simple. Too late to chalk up then.
Click to expand...

I'm talking about 6-7 center ball hits, usually in a 14.1 game. I have never miscued on a center ball hit (notice I said "hit" here and not "attempt").

Maniac
 
Maniac said:
Some observations I have noted throughout my playing years:

1. I am ready to break out a new piece of chalk whenever it wears down to about 1/3 of where it started, being new. Then, I just leave it on whatever table I'm playing on at the time. How long do y'all go before discarding a piece of chalk? Am I being a little picky here?
Click to expand...

You're not being picky enough, perhaps. I never leave chalk on a pool table, lest it shed dust or fall into a pocket! That's what counters and side tables are for. :)

I discard a cube of chalk when it becomes inconvenient to chalk with it. That's when I cannot brush the cube's face across my tip without prying the cube out of my chalk holder, peeling away some paper, and reinserting the cube in the holder at a shallower depth so the face is above the holder's edge.

2. I feel that an awful lot of people overuse the chalk :rolleyes: . ... I'm talking about those that grind the hell out outta the chalk before EVERY shot as if this is some kind of necessity.
Click to expand...

Grinding is inappropriate, always, because a) it puts no more chalk on the tip than less aggressive application methods; b) it sheds more dust than necessary, fouling everyone's environment; and c) it usually leads to a distracting chalk ring around one's ferrule.

One should chalk often enough to maintain an appropriate coating of chalk upon one's tip, no more or less. The frequency depends upon factors such as the adhesive qualities of the chalk and tip; the humidity of the occasion; and the player's pre-shot routine. One who chalks before every shot should chalk more sparingly to avoid overapplication.

Many people chalk without even looking at what they're doing. One should regard the tip attentively to ensure that it gets chalked properly.

3. For some reason, I have a preference to the Master chalk. ... the Master brand adheres to the tip better.
Click to expand...

Adhesion depends upon more than the formulation of the chalk, as mentioned above. Humidity and the tip's condition vary from moment to moment. I've never seen a properly controlled experiment to measure the adhesion of different brands. It can't be done under casual playing conditions.

4. It drives me nuts :mad: whenever someone puts a piece of chalk down on the table rail upside down.
Click to expand...

Try driving such people nuts instead of yourself. ;)

"WTF? How would you feel if I turned my beer upside down on your table?"

Actually, I just pick up the chalk from the rail and put it on another surface near my opponent, face up. They always get the message after 1 or 2 politely silent examples.

5. Please, please, when you come to my house to play, either A. Use my chalk that I have provided, or B. Use the same color chalk as my cloth is.
Click to expand...

A consummate host will inquire after the guests' chalk brand preferences beforehand, and be equipped appropriately. ;)

But tell me, does any of these things bug y'all like they do me?
Click to expand...

No. You omitted my pet peeve entirely. It is the depth of depravity to touch a person's table while he is shooting, or leave one's possessions on or leaning against the table. Such things disrupt the feng shui of your opponent's
 
As for the chalk ratings, they're at:

www.platinumbilliards.com
Click to expand...

I must be getting old(er), I can't find them anymore, though I have seen them in the past, if my memory serves me correcdtly they thad masters as the winner with 18.6 mm off center hit. Someone please point me in the right direction...
 
Double-Dave said:
I must be getting old(er), I can't find them anymore, though I have seen them in the past, if my memory serves me correcdtly they thad masters as the winner with 18.6 mm off center hit. Someone please point me in the right direction...
Click to expand...
Which Chalk works Best?

Very bottom right side or main home page.:)

KLOPEK
 
VonRhett said:
Well, where to start? 1/3 down before you discard it? You mean a "hole" in the middle of the cube that goes about 1/3 the way down, right?

It's somewhat of a trick question. If you answer in the affirmative, then you don't know how to use chalk properly. If you're making a hole in the cube, you are boring your tip into the chalk, which is not correct.

Through the years, Bob Jewitt has published several articles on the proper use of chalk. Might be something here in the archives.

To shoot 6-7 times without chalking is unwise, at best. You're simply tempting fate - or physics, really. You will miscue, plain and simple. Too late to chalk up then.

However, those who grind the chalk, squeeking & grinding everytime, are annoying. Hafta agree with you there. Of course, they don't have a clue how to apply chalk and are probably beginners at the game.

#4 - 100% agree. Turn the friggin chalk upright, people. Upside down chalk = blue rails = blue hands = blue shafts & blue clothes. Got it??

I have recently gone back to Sang Lee chalk. I still bake my Green Masters, which gives it a great consistency IMO, but nothing compares to Sang Lee. It's expensive - about $4.00 per piece. Pay that much for chalk and you will learn how to use the entire cube before throwing it away, not just a little hole in the middle. Look at the top of my chalk and it resembles a Maltese Cross - not a bored hole.

Your preference for Masters is not a quirk - it is the best for the money. There is a huge difference in the various brands of chalk. I recently ordered a box (gross) of IPT chalk. It's too powdery for me, though it stays on the tip better than most. I believe it is made by Tweeten, just a finer granule than their Masters brand.

Sooo, mostly I agree with you - especially the grinders and the upside down chalk. But as Bob J once wrote, don't be a "borer". :D
Click to expand...
I was just going to write just about the same comments. Just want to add a couple points.

1) Habitually grinding the tip with the chalk will wear the tip much faster. So a couple of strokes with the chalk is all that's needed.

2) All the 3C tournaments I've played in the rule is NO Chalk On The Table.
So I've learned to keep it in my pocket most of the time.
 
Klopek said:
Which Chalk works Best?

Very bottom right side or main home page.:)

KLOPEK
Click to expand...

Yup, saw those a few weeks ago. The methodology and results are fatally flawed, as reported.

"Hundreds of shots were made by our precision stroking robot to determine how much sidespin, or ”english”, can be applied before miscuing with each brand. Four different types of tip were used, ranging from medium soft to very hard."

One "maximum tip offset before miscuing" is reported, the average of "hundreds of shots" made with four tip brands of different hardnesses.

Anybody use a tip whose hardness is the average of four other tips?

Don't know what brands of tip were tested. Don't know if humidity was constant for all of the "hundreds of shots." Don't know how chalk was applied or if consistency of application was controlled.

Any or all of these variables, and a few others I haven't time to discuss, could account for the pretty minor variations in the maximum tip offsets.
 
If you let the chalk situation bother your its a distraction and will limit your ability to play well. Avoiding distractions may be one of the most important issues to play pool well, once you can overcome your need to have everything "just so" you then and only then can concentrate on what your doing. Also, if you opponent realizes your "bothered" by chalk upside down it may help them and they may do the "chalk talk in your head" and beat you by you beating yourself, good luck.
 
> I've always brushed mine on,so it doesn't get a hole in it. I look at a fresh cube,and if the hole isn't deep enough I open it up some with a dime,after that the sides of the hole get wider and wider,extending towards the corners and sides until there isn't an actual hole just a concave top. I use it until either the sides start crumbling,or gets down to where I have to cut the wrapper back twice. I've been using this awesome Pro Billiards Tour logo stuff made by National Tournament Chalk ever since Nick Varner gave me a 12 piece box. Keep in mind this is not the horrible stuff the same company used to make with the red wrapper and gold lettering. It's a little softer than Masters,so it covers better,and doesn't seem to be as bad about getting mushy when it's humid. I just liked using it because it was different than Masters at the time,now I use it because it's BETTER than the current Masters. I think this same formulation is still made with a black APA logo on it. After I got down to the last 3 pieces of the box Nick gave me,I called the PBTA office,and talked to Don Mackey's wife about ordering some. She said it was only 14 bucks a gross,so I bought 2. I lost about 1/2 a box in the house fire,but saved the other unopened box,and have about 25-30 cubes that will actually be useable,some have crumbled,some have had the wrapper come off. I don't know what I'm going to do when I use it all up,if I can't get more,maybe use Triangle or some of that Sang Lee stuff. Tommy D.
 
How do I search the archives? I tried the Search function at the top of this page & merely got this current thread, not the info you sent. Also, if we change chalk, how do you clean off the residue of the old brand?
 
Dhakala said:
Yup, saw those a few weeks ago. The methodology and results are fatally flawed, as reported.

"Hundreds of shots were made by our precision stroking robot to determine how much sidespin, or ”english”, can be applied before miscuing with each brand. Four different types of tip were used, ranging from medium soft to very hard."

One "maximum tip offset before miscuing" is reported, the average of "hundreds of shots" made with four tip brands of different hardnesses.

Anybody use a tip whose hardness is the average of four other tips?

Don't know what brands of tip were tested. Don't know if humidity was constant for all of the "hundreds of shots." Don't know how chalk was applied or if consistency of application was controlled.

Any or all of these variables, and a few others I haven't time to discuss, could account for the pretty minor variations in the maximum tip offsets.
Click to expand...
Double-Dave asked for the link to the chalk test so I helped him out. This doesn't mean I give any merit to the test or it's results, but Double-Dave might.
 
I think what is more important is what chalk works with what tip.

It seems to me that when I changed from Le Pro to a layered tip, my choice of Silver Cup was no longer the best. I went back to Masters as it seemed to work better with the Moori. Not scientific, I know, but it seems to depend on the tip matching the chalk moreso that just "which chalk."

Comments?

Jeff Livingston
 
Every time a thread like this comes up, I think, "here we go again." But, the good thing about these threads repeating is that sometimes, somebody does actually present a nugget of information that may not be so common.

With today's chalk holders, the idea of turning the chalk around 180° and taking the paper off is a pretty good one that I hadn't thought about before. I like it.

Also, trying the Sang Lee chalk is also a good idea. I recently bought some of the Longoni chalk. Is it better than Masters Blue? It seems to be in a sense. It goes on like National, but works like Masters. Does that make it better? Again, I like it. I assume like the Sang Lee chalk, it's formulated with the billiard players demands in mind.

I still like Masters Blue, but Longoni has been added to the list.

Fred
 
berlowmj said:
How do I search the archives? I tried the Search function at the top of this page & merely got this current thread, not the info you sent. Also, if we change chalk, how do you clean off the residue of the old brand?
Click to expand...

Don't know what you searched for, but if you search "Sang Lee chalk", there's a thread entitled "Sang Lee International, unusual chalk". Buried in there was the link I gave you anyways.
 
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