2 Questions
I have 2 questions, what color chalk do you use? And what type
of table and ball return system do you have?
I've found that different colors of Master chalk
have different properties as far as being powdery
and getting everything dirty. Red is probably the
worst. While playing in a room a few years back that
had red felt and red Master chalk I took to wearing a
shooting apron because all my jeans were getting dyed
red from the chalk dust. My shaft needed a good cleaning
after every session and I had to change the wrap on my cue
from linen to leather. The black w/white speck irish linen
turned to black w/pink speck irish linen.
Black Master chalk is the 2nd worst I've seen followed by
blue. Green and gold are probably the least powdery. So, a
change in chalk or cloth color and chalk may be helpful.
The second issue deals with chalk dust transfer from the ball
return system to the balls to the surface of the table and the cloth.
Drop pockets and ball returns with rails are best. But vacuum
out the ball return collection area regularly. The worst I've seen
are Diamond tables that have a ball return. The return is a piece of
wood that's angled toward the return tray and encloses the
entire underneath of the table. Chalk dust builds up in the return
and there's no easy way to clean it. So it gets all over the table and
I've noticed the balls skid a lot more frequently when they have a lot
of chalk on them. One of the rooms I play at
uses the following procedure to clean the chalk dust out of the return: block
5 of the 6 pockets with rags. winter hats, etc leaving one of
the top pockets open. Fire up a good leaf blower and stick the
business end into the open pocket. Caution, a large cloud of chalk
dust is going to blow out of the ball return, so stay away from
it or cover it with a big curtain or wet towel to catch the dust. If it's a house table
please get permission to do this from the woman who will be cleaning
your mess up before proceeding.
Ron F
