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The one thing that annoys me like crazy: the high pitched squeaking sound made as chalk scratches the surface of a chalkboard. To me, that is very, very annoying. Most people hate it and tried many ways to lessen the squeaky sound but nothing really works at all.

What can I do to reduce, if not eliminate, the annoying squeaking sound of chalk on chalkboard? Please do not suggest buying a whiteboard because I want to keep my chalkboard.

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  • In all fairness, you'll probably have to buy something. Especially if many people have been trying non-purchase solutions.
    – Carl
    Apr 11, 2016 at 1:53

2 Answers 2

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Apparently, the way you grab the chalk influences in the noise: if you fully grab it, putting your forefinger over it, it will eliminate vibrations.

Also, write without making a lot of pressure.

Break the chalk in two chunks and write with one of it so the edge is softer.

Avoid old chalks as they are harder. And don't put your hand over the chalkboard when writing.

If you practice these, the noise will disappear.

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  • In addition, pulling the chalk over the board often squeeches less than pushing it. In normal text hard to train (hand writing) but when drawing diagrams it should help.
    – pseyfert
    Apr 11, 2016 at 15:18
  • +1 for breaking the chalk. This always works for me.
    – Ivo Terek
    Apr 14, 2016 at 1:21
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Very simple, in my experience -- change your writing style if needed (in my day, teachers learned to do this, if they were any good), so you only pull the chalk, never push it. That is, slant the chalk so it's not at right angles to the board, and move it so the tip in contact is following the one in your hand, not leading. I've never witnessed a bad squeak when done this way.

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