CHALK PRODUCTION

 It is no doubt that school chalk production is very lucrative in Nigeria because of the ever increasing number of public and private schools nationwide. This is in accordance with one of the agenda of the present administration which is to make education available and affordable to every citizen.  

This has significantly increased demand of school chalk within the last 10 years. To meet up with this increased demand, individuals and corporate organizations have delved into school chalk production and supply with a bid to balancing the demand and supply chain. 

This has not been successful, as schools keep springing up on daily basis while the demand keeps skyrocketing. This has created a very big investment opportunity especially for individuals who intend to go into small scale chalk production business

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SCHOOL CHALK  PRODUCTION PROCESS

Let me start by saying that school chalk production is a very simple and straight forward process. Anybody can learn how to do it and apply it successfully without supervision. For this reason, school chalk production has been incorporated into the curriculum of almost every skill acquisition center in Nigeria.
 

School chalk production can be done in the comfort of your home. You don’t need to establish a big factory. The major equipment for school chalk production is the Chalk Mold which is primarily used for molding the chalk to give it its characteristic shape, size, and length.

RAW MATERIALS NEEDED FOR SCHOOL CHALK PRODUCTION

1)    The Plaster of Paris or as it is generally called “POP” is the major raw material for school chalk production. Plaster of Paris (POP) is a white powder; scientifically called “Calcium Carbonate” that when mixed with water, forms a quick-hardening paste. It is used in the arts for sculpting and making casts, and in medicine for molding casts around broken limbs. Below is a picture of powdered POP

 2)Lubricants: this is another important raw material for school chalk production. It could be any cooking oil or coconut oil, mixed with Kerosene. It is used for lubricating the chalk mold to prevent the POP from sticking to it.

3)      Clean Water: water is a very important element in school chalk production, because it is used for mixing all the ingredients.

4)       Ultramarine blue (optional) ultramarine blue is used to give the chalk a dark blue or sky blue color depending on its concentration. If you intend to produce only white chalk, then you wouldn’t need to add ultramarine blue.

MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED

1) White Chalk Mold: this is the major equipment used in school chalk production. It is either made of rubber or metal but usually with a wooden frame. But there are some chalk molds that are completely made of metal. The molds defer according to the number of holes or cavities they have. 

Some could have 240 holes or even more. The number of holes or cavities a chalk mold has determines the number of chalk sticks it can produce at a time. Below is a picture of a typical chalk mold for the benefit of those who have never seen one before.

2) Scraper:    This is a flat metal object used for scraping the surface of the chalk mold.

3) Paint Brush:   This is used for applying the lubricant on the mold before filling it up with POP

4) Dryer:     The dryer is primarily used for drying the chalk after it has been removed from the mold. The drier is electrically operated and is mostly used in large scale school chalk production. For small scale school chalk production, sun drying is perfectly okay to save cost.

5) Hand Glove:    This is basically used for protecting the hand during the mixing of the POP and water.

6) Packaging Materials:   These could include nylon bags and branded carton packs.

SCHOOL CHALK PRODUCTION PROCESS

STEP1     Pour some POP into a container, preferably a bucket, and add water. Use your hand to mix the POP with the water until it forms a paste.

STEP2     Using the paint brush, lubricate the surface of the chalk mold properly with a solution of cooking oil + kerosene, to prevent the POP from sticking to the mold.

STEP3     Arrange the mold, then pour the pasty mixture into it and allow it for 15 to 20 minutes to solidify before loosening the mold.

STEP4      When you are sure that the chalk has formed, loose the mold and collect the chalk produced for sun drying or through mechanical dryer.

STEP5     After sun drying for 2 to 3 days, package the chalk in branded carton packs and your school chalk is ready for sale.

You can contact us for more details on how to get this machine or how to source for your raw materials.