:shocked2: OMG I ordered the 3 pack and can't use it until after Christmas!!!!! I, too, hope that was a bad cube!
Great White Chalk is the nuts!!
- Thread starter rhatten
- Start date
:shocked2: OMG I ordered the 3 pack and can't use it until after Christmas!!!!! I, too, hope that was a bad cube!
I dunno, something seems way off there. That seems impossibly high to me, especially if you are speaking of the chalk picking up moisture from the surrounding air as opposed to being exposed to liquid water. Plus, I would think that chalk that was shipped at 10%MC by weight would be about as solid as mud.
What kind of moisture meter are you using? If you are using a regular wood meter then you are not getting close to the percentage of water that's actually in there. I have no clue what fillers you are using, but looking at what the folks who make Delmhorst moisture meters has to say about gypsum can possibly be extended to figuring out how to get the true MC of your chalk.
As you can see, the EMC of gypsum is less than 1%, even at a relative humidity of nearly 100%. Are your fillers that much different from gypsum or other similar inorganic minerals? Inquiring minds and all that.
FWIW my moisture meter has dual scales. When I measure the MC of an exposed edge of drywall I get a reading of 0.4%. Using the same meter and scale setting on three different pieces of chalk (Kamui .98, BD, and Magic Chalk) I get a reading of only 0.2%MC (the chalk is in a drier, heated room with my table). So, your chalk at 10%MC by weight would contain 50 times as much water in it as all of my chalk has.
Basically the only moisture meter I have available is a standard dewault moisture content meter which can be found at Lowes... While this is not going to give me a truy accurate picture it does give me the ability to at least have a standard measurement to try and get the chalk to... After it comes out of the baking step it will not register at all on the meter and over the course of a week it moves to 5-6%... The content on the meter where the chalk performed best was at 10% at 14% you can break the cubes with your hands.... Would like some info on the meter you have as I would prefer a truer reading on content vs a relative % even if a relative percentage gives me a control %.......
Chris
Shoot me a pic of the chalk you got and the table aftermath.... we have been using it for months at the local room and several othershave been using it on home tables and other public rooms without having much mess.. Would also ask you to try a different cube and let me know... May have you send the powdery one back for replacement... We may have to establish more stringent QC techniques for the chalk just like we had to do for the tips.......
Chris, I just use a cheap meter from Harbor Freight, cost about $14. All resistance meters work the same way, by measuring the conductivity of the material in question. Instead of reading in ohms, however, they convert that in the meter to the equivalent moisture content for that material.
The fancy $200 meters have built-in conversion factors for different species of wood, and they had more durable (and replaceable) probes, as well as the ability to link to a slide hammer probe for piercing the wood to over an inch deep. All of these features would do you no good, all you want is a reliable meter that has a scale for drywall. Here's the one I have.
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=moisture+meter
Don't let the cheap price fool you, this little pig of a tool gives me the same readings as the $500 Delmhorst my buddy has, and it's more user friendly to use. When the probes are shot I'll have to buy a new meter, but that won't be much more expensive than a set of replaceable probes for a pro-grade meter. And it does eat batteries (I just replaced mine, so the readings I took on my chalk are accurate), but it has an auto shutoff that helps to conserve battery life. Nice little tool for the money.
Awesome... Thanks so much for the link... Will pick one up and see if that gets me a better target that is closer to an accurate % content....
I will do that Chris. Earlier this morning I had cleaned the table, if I don't get a chance to do that today it might be the after Christmas - I should have taken a picture, especially knowing that you strive for excellence.
I wouldn't call it a cube though
Whereas I stated the issue, I forgot to mention about the +'s . I love the cylinder shape and I believe you can use the chalk fully (unlike the cube where there is lot of waste) , the magnet idea and the color. Talking about color ... I had recently switched to Balubushka Gold / Blonde chalk owing to the tan carpet in my basement. The blue was making a mess. The white has the same advantage as the brown / gold - meaning no complaints from Wife I bought two sets and will open one more from this set and then one more from the second set. More later ....
Keep Innovating!
Well, good luck with the whole project. I hope you work all the bugs out and end up getting rich. You work real hard on re-inventing the wheel and have been largely successful in providing the industry with new and improved "wheels". You have a lot of determination, and I can respect that more than I respect some guy who can only run a lot of racks and nothing else. :smile:
I had hoped to put up a review today, but looks like I'll have to wait.
I went to my favorite pool room last night with the intentions of doing some testing. As I unpacked my case, I happened to notice the list of rules on the wall. Never really read them before, but I know they've been there.
"3. Blue chalk ONLY. No exceptions."
Or to that effect.
So, since I'm familiar with the room owner and know they run a tight ship, I elected not to take my chances.
I have 2-3 other local places that are more lax. I think I can try it out at least at one, but it might be after the New Year.
I went to my favorite pool room last night with the intentions of doing some testing. As I unpacked my case, I happened to notice the list of rules on the wall. Never really read them before, but I know they've been there.
"3. Blue chalk ONLY. No exceptions."
Or to that effect.
So, since I'm familiar with the room owner and know they run a tight ship, I elected not to take my chances.
I have 2-3 other local places that are more lax. I think I can try it out at least at one, but it might be after the New Year.
Joe T
Well-known member
I don't like to give feedback too early for obvious reasons but I can say the tip your man put on for me early September is playing great. I don't play much but did play 10 rotation matches this Series and practiced a little for them and this tip is holding its shape, it's hit, not glazing and not requiring much roughing. So far so gooood.
Now where's my dry chalk
Now where's my dry chalk
I too recently received the chalk. I have similar experience with drying out.
Interesting thing is I used 1 of them at home with little issue. It was creamy and stayed on the tip very well. I did get quite a bit of miss cues at first. Also to note I had ki-tech mediums put on my shafts.
Last night was a complete difference when I went to League at my local hall. I immediately had crumbling and heavy loss of chalk. The table was very visable of chalk after a few games. Interesting to see a complete difference in the chalk. In my basement I don't run the heat much and it is around 64 degrees and is dry. At the hall it felt more humid so I am surprised in the difference. I also did not miss cue once all night.
Overall I like the chalk and will probably purchase more I just hope the drying out will be addressed in future batches.
Thanks Chris!
Interesting thing is I used 1 of them at home with little issue. It was creamy and stayed on the tip very well. I did get quite a bit of miss cues at first. Also to note I had ki-tech mediums put on my shafts.
Last night was a complete difference when I went to League at my local hall. I immediately had crumbling and heavy loss of chalk. The table was very visable of chalk after a few games. Interesting to see a complete difference in the chalk. In my basement I don't run the heat much and it is around 64 degrees and is dry. At the hall it felt more humid so I am surprised in the difference. I also did not miss cue once all night.
Overall I like the chalk and will probably purchase more I just hope the drying out will be addressed in future batches.
Thanks Chris!
I got mine also. Played with it at home. The first time I chalked a piece of the rim fell off. Practiced the next 3 hours with it at home. Its very crumbly; got white marks all over my simonis blue. It does come out though. So far it seems way to dry for me but I'll give a few days before I make a final judgement. I'll also try the second cube I got with it to see if its just maybe the one cube.
I've used it for 4 or 5 days now. Yep, I get white marks on my cloth as well .. Just like I do when I use Masters, blue diamond, predator, magic chalk or Kamui. The difference is the latter are all blue so you don't notice it. The white splatter cleans right up without leaving any permanent marks.
Residue and splatter aside, the great white had proven to perform well on my tip. That's the most important thing to me.
I have some on the way, I hope the residue isn't this much of a problem as I won't be able to use GW chalk if it leaves a mess... I have really been looking forward to trying it too..
Here are some images - this is Chalk 1 from Set 1. I have cleaned the table and will try chalk 2 from Set 1 and maybe later with the set 2 (which was the one with the Chalk holder belt clip)
The last image is of the marks of chalk on the ball - what I have noticed is that they 'pasty' characteristic seemed to be inconsistent across the density of the chalk - at times it was pasty and left those marks on the cue ball or it was dusty to leave the remains on the table. Also I played about 15 to 20 racks and the pictures are after that.
The last image is of the marks of chalk on the ball - what I have noticed is that they 'pasty' characteristic seemed to be inconsistent across the density of the chalk - at times it was pasty and left those marks on the cue ball or it was dusty to leave the remains on the table. Also I played about 15 to 20 racks and the pictures are after that.
Last edited:
I have realized after a few days of having it and leaving it out on my table that its not a flaky as when I unwrapped it. Seems to stick a little better also. Is it any better than masters or predator etc? jury is still out. I do like the little holder I got with it and like being able to just stick it to the holder. Nice idea there.
Similar experience on my cloth... and white bruising of the CB then its was getting transferred to the OB... then I had to start over with clean balls and cloth... 2 hours later I was back to cleaning. Also the dryer it became the more I had to apply it to keep from miscueing outside of 1 tip of english. So at least for me, at this point its a little too distracting. I'm sure there will be improvements as feed back comes in... Chris is an OCD freak about getting things spot on. :wink:
Randy
Randy
Here are some images - this is Chalk 1 from Set 1. I have cleaned the table and will try chalk 2 from Set 1 and maybe later with the set 2 (which was the one with the Chalk holder belt clip)
The last image is of the marks of chalk on the ball - what I have noticed is that they 'pasty' characteristic seemed to be inconsistent across the density of the chalk - at times it was pasty and left those marks on the cue ball or it was dusty to leave the remains on the table. Also I played about 15 to 20 racks and the pictures are after that.
Here are some images - this is Chalk 1 from Set 1. I have cleaned the table and will try chalk 2 from Set 1 and maybe later with the set 2 (which was the one with the Chalk holder belt clip)
The last image is of the marks of chalk on the ball - what I have noticed is that they 'pasty' characteristic seemed to be inconsistent across the density of the chalk - at times it was pasty and left those marks on the cue ball or it was dusty to leave the remains on the table. Also I played about 15 to 20 racks and the pictures are after that.
I have not seen anything like that in months and months of use..... Send me that cube asap so I can figure out what's going on and I'll get it replaced.... Thanks for the pictures... The cueball looks about right since it will transfer but the chalk on the table???? Some of the particle sizes are huge and I am not sure how they would have even stuck to the tip.... Very odd to say the least so I definitely want to get my hands on that piece.....
I've played with my chalk for a week or so and found it to be better at grabbing the cue ball than my Master or Blue Diamond chalks. It is pastier and softer, less grainy and easier to apply than other chalks.
I've found the best way to apply GW chalk is to roll it around the tip in instead of swiping it across the tip. Swiping causes it to chip and flake and put clumps on the tip surface. This buildup falls off of the tip all over the cloth and makes a mess.
I have tournament blue Simonis 860HR cloth. I can see the white chalk marks after 15-20 games of 9 ball. I can quickly brush the cloth and they disappear with little residue needed to be picked up, if at all. It's no worse than hand powder and goes away with a swipe.
I like the idea of being able to see the small amounts of chalk on my cloth in order to gauge how clean it is. Before, I would find the balls start to cling before I would have to wipe the table. Now, I can see what's going on and be proactive. The result is a much cleaner playing surface and having to clean the balls less.
As an aside, I've been broken of some bad habits like chalking over the bed of the table as I look at the next shot. My pre shot routine doesn't crowd the table anymore. My hands look cleaner and you can tell if some chalk is on the object balls which helps avoid future skids.
I hope the chalk being seen on the darker cloths upsets most players. I figure this could lead to a few more shekels in my pocket in the future. :grin: A quick wipe and its gone! When I play position, I spy a white spot on the table and use it for a pinpoint rather than area shape. Lots of pluses here. You got to make lemonade.
I give it a thumbs up and an improvement over traditional chalk. Put out a non magnetic version and bring the price into the range of the better chalks out now. Eventually you'll have to make colored chalk for the purists so probably put that on the radar. Tourneys will require colored chalk, so beat them to it.
Best,
Mike
I've found the best way to apply GW chalk is to roll it around the tip in instead of swiping it across the tip. Swiping causes it to chip and flake and put clumps on the tip surface. This buildup falls off of the tip all over the cloth and makes a mess.
I have tournament blue Simonis 860HR cloth. I can see the white chalk marks after 15-20 games of 9 ball. I can quickly brush the cloth and they disappear with little residue needed to be picked up, if at all. It's no worse than hand powder and goes away with a swipe.
I like the idea of being able to see the small amounts of chalk on my cloth in order to gauge how clean it is. Before, I would find the balls start to cling before I would have to wipe the table. Now, I can see what's going on and be proactive. The result is a much cleaner playing surface and having to clean the balls less.
As an aside, I've been broken of some bad habits like chalking over the bed of the table as I look at the next shot. My pre shot routine doesn't crowd the table anymore. My hands look cleaner and you can tell if some chalk is on the object balls which helps avoid future skids.
I hope the chalk being seen on the darker cloths upsets most players. I figure this could lead to a few more shekels in my pocket in the future. :grin: A quick wipe and its gone! When I play position, I spy a white spot on the table and use it for a pinpoint rather than area shape. Lots of pluses here. You got to make lemonade.
I give it a thumbs up and an improvement over traditional chalk. Put out a non magnetic version and bring the price into the range of the better chalks out now. Eventually you'll have to make colored chalk for the purists so probably put that on the radar. Tourneys will require colored chalk, so beat them to it.
Best,
Mike
I would like to have some in blue please.
Looks like it will have to change the name to "Big Blue" then... with a picture of a whale!