Old slate chalkboards

[RedShirtGuy]

I've been holding on to a stack of the original slate roof tiles from the Avoca train station (opened in 1876) and am thinking about making some old fashioned slate chalkboards/tablets out of the few good ones.

I'm wondering if anyone knows (or can remember :q) how thick the slate of the old school student's tablet was, if were they always double sided and how durable they were to heavy writing pressure or being dropped.

(The tiles are pretty weathered so I think I'll need to glue them to a stiff backing board so they don't break.)

[Enfield Guy]

I'm barely old enough to remember the writing slates, grade one, maybe two. However, I was recently in Burma and went to a place where they still make them. they were about 6mm thick.

cheers

[cava]

My recollection from my youth, was that they were single sided. However, I could be wrong, it was after-all a few years ago.

[burraboy]

something like this? Tobar Slate and Pencil Style Writing Board 22 x 16 cm Toy Drawing Kids Doodle | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tobar-Slate-and-Pencil-Style-Writing-Board-22-x-16-cm-Toy-Drawing-Kids-Doodle-/142250966052?hash=item211ed17c24:g:pFoAAOSw-0xYgKbB)

[RedShirtGuy]

Yep. That's the kind of thing.

[Bob38S]

My recollection, slightly larger than an iPad, had a surround of timber which the slate was let into, the corners of the timber surround were mortise and tenoned. Some had lines scratched in them to write along. They were quite light in weight and memory tells me that the slate thickness was around 4 to 5mm. They were always used with the timber surround as you quickly found out that cleaning up broken ones could produce a variety of cuts to the fingers.

If dropped, they usually cracked or broke and you were in a heap of ........

They were always 2 sided and were never written on with chalk by kids, you had to use a slate pencil, which could be sharpened and when they became short a metal cylinder was fitted to maintain correct length. To erase, the rich kids had a hard plastic box containing a sponge which varied in size of a matchbox to the size of a cigarette packet, the not so rich kids had a clean hankie, the rest of us would be constantly in strife for "wetting" a finger and rubbing out.

Usually, once a week, on a Friday, a privileged few would act as classroom monitors and take the class set down to the drinking trough to give them a scrub and let them sun dry before packing them away ready to start the next week

[RedShirtGuy]

That's gold Bob. Thanks for the info, but the tale as well...love it :2tsup:

[rrich]

Thinking about it, it's a great project. There are two families on the block with kids of the correct age that would love to see how things "Used to be".

I have two concerns based upon my use of 'in the wall' slate black boards in grades 1 through 6.
The slate has to be flat and smooth. (e.g. Thicknesser smooth but don't run it through your machine)
The slate has to be washed periodically to restore it as a writing surface. (Contrast issues)

The water issue is of more concern to me. The water may cause issues with the wood frame and the glue holding the frame together. Water precludes mounting the slate to any common manufactured surface. IIRC, our in the wall black boards were braced by a cheap wood lattice to prevent flexing. The slate was removed after about 50 years and resurfaced. The support frame was visible during the refurbishing.

BTW - The slate was about a zillion times better than the Masonite / green board replacements and didn't require the special pens that we use today with white boards.

BTW 2 - If someone uses a permanent marker on the white board, it can be removed by writing over the permanent with one of the dry erase markers and then wiping off. DAMHIKT

[RedShirtGuy]

Good points Rich.

I had previously done a little test on a small piece of slate with a belt sander and got a lovely smooth 280g writable surface in about 4 seconds. Although, I'm a touch concerned about stone dust, no matter how soft, wrecking the sander.

I was thinking of using an outdoor polyurethane glue for it's expanding/gap filling and weather resistant properties, and mounting the masonite backed slate in the rebated frame so it's easily removable with a few turnbuckles for a quick wipe down with a damp cloth.

As for the timber finish, I was either going to simply oil and wax it or use my usual pre-cat sealer/finish sprays.

I've only got a few full sized undamaged tiles and the finished items will probably only be the size of an iPad...but I just love the historical aspect and thought it might be a bit of fun and interest in a craft market stall.


BTW2 is a great tip. In primary school I learned the hard way that wax crayon doesn't come off the classroom chalkboard so easily :(

[Bob38S]

Re Rich's issue with water, triggered a further memory, around the perimeter of the wooden frame there was a groove into which there was a copper or brass wire which held the whole show together. The wire was joined with a long twist and then pushed below the surface of the groove away from small prying fingers.

Marvellous how a few words can trigger what is hidden in the depths of memory.

[Bob38S]

Red Shirt Guy, just noticed your location, I'm getting slower in my advanced years.

If there are any small country schools near you or even the tourist mining and township attraction (the actual name of the place escapes me), a few phone calls would probably solve your problem.

Smaller schools tend to keep some of the old stuff for displays at fetes or open days, failing that a call to the local Education Dept or local school or Education Centre could point you in the right direction.

Just a thought.