Chalk one up
Years of being in the woodworking publishing industry combined with years of being a woodworker have given me a good knowledge of tools. Almost. Like most people whove been woodworking…
Years of being in the woodworking publishing industry combined with years of being a woodworker have given me a good knowledge of tools. Almost.
Like most people whove been woodworking for years, I have a good understanding of tools and how they function. After writing about and testing tools for published articles for more than a decade, I even think I can boast that I might know a little more than the average bear about tools.
Before beginning my storage shed project, I needed a tool that I didnt own: a chalk line. I know I had one years ago and may even find it when I redesign my shop but I needed one NOW so I went out and bought one. I also picked up a container of chalk powder to go with it.
Its been a long time since I bought chalk for a chalk line, and I was surprised to learn that it now comes in a variety of colors. Back in the old days you had only one color, blue; today theres a veritable rainbow. I thought the red would be nice and visible so I got that.
Took the chalk line out of the package, flipped open the little filler door, and proceeded to dump a good quantity of the chalk in. I was doing this in the kitchen, and of course spilled a good quantity on the counter, too, which I thought was no big deal. The surprise came when I scooped the spillage across the counter into my hand to dump into the sink, leaving a huge red smear across the light-colored counter. Both my hands were also covered with it. No problem, thinks I, and grabbed a damp cloth to wipe it up.
I just learned something new about an old tool. Chalk-line chalk not only comes in colors now, it comes in levels of permanency, and what I unwittingly picked up was the permanent type.
Permanent chalk powder?
Yep. Took another look at the container, and it even says so. It was a half hour getting the red stain off the countertop. My hands still have a red glow this morning. The washcloth I used (which, incidentally, my wife had just bought) is in the trash.
Chalk this up as a learning experience for the tool expert.
Till next time,
A.J.
A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop News and Woodcraft Magazine. He's currently a freelance woodworking writer/editor, which is another way of stating self-employed. When he's not writing or in the shop, he enjoys science fiction, gourmet cooking and Civil War reenacting, but not at the same time.
