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About This Project
Even though I’ve snapped miles of chalk lines over the years, I still marvel at the result. There’s something almost magical in the way a simple chalk box creates a crisp, perfectly straight line in the blink of an eye. No other tool, except an expensive laser, makes a perfectly straight line over a long distance so quickly and reliably. Here are a few tips that will make it easier to get good results.
They All Work Well
Chalk boxes, whether they cost $5 or $12, all make straight lines. More expensive chalk boxes are sturdier and will last a lifetime. Every carpenter has a favorite. I like the feel of the Stanley aluminum chalk box. It costs a little more ($12), but I like its tight-fitting refill cap with its felt pad to remove excess chalk. Carpenters and roofers who chalk a lot of lines save time by using geared boxes that rewind the string about three times faster. Check the label for this “speed wind” feature.
You’ll have a choice of red, blue, white or fluorescent chalk. Fill your chalk box with blue chalk for general use. Red is more permanent, making it a good choice for lines that must survive a few days of weather. White is easy to remove and is best for interior painting and wallpapering, where colored chalk could bleed through. Fluorescent is easier to see on some surfaces.
Tip
Remove unwanted chalk by blowing. Wiping will only smear it.
Often the toughest part is hooking the end when you don’t have a helper to hold it. Then unwind the string, keeping enough tension to prevent it from touching the surface and leaving unwanted chalk marks. When you reach the opposite mark, engage the crank handle in the hole and stretch the string very tight, like a bowstring. Lower it to the mark and snap the line.
When the box is full of chalk, hold the opening up as you unwind the string to keep chalk from spilling. Then stretch the string in the air and pluck it once to remove excess chalk. This will give you a sharper line. To release chalk when the chalk supply is low, face the opening down and tap the box against your leg or hammer handle as the string unwinds. If you’re chalking many lines in a row, you may be able to chalk two or three before rewinding for fresh chalk. To make heavier lines, snap the string two or three times in the same spot.
Remember, the longer the line, the tighter you’ll have to stretch the string to keep it straight.
Not much can go wrong with chalk boxes. When the string gets frayed, cut off the bad section and reattach the metal clip. At most hardware stores, you can get replacement string that includes anew metal clip for the end. Try to keep your chalk line dry. But if the string gets wet, leave it unwound until it dries. If the chalk inside the box gets wet, take the box apart and clean out the caked chalk. Then refill it with fresh chalk.
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