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Hi there, Im new to the field of Paper Mache and this site! Im trying to find ground Chalk to add to a recipe for Paper Mache. Does anyone know where I can find it? I live in London and have asked at Art stationers and hardware stores like B and Q. Does any one know of a specific chain of store that would have it?
Thanks so much x 
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Hi. If you are following one of the many recipes for paper mash, don't worry - there are replacements for ground chalk. Generally it has been known as whiting and sold in decorators' shops. Nowadays it is quite hard to obtain. Polyfilla type products, even plaster can be used, acting as a filler, a smoother and a hardener. The harder the plaster you use, the more difficult it can be to sand the final product.
If by any chance you are intending to use large quantities or are part of a group who might go shares, I know a source of a very high quality ground chalk but you have to buy in large (I think about 60kg) batches. Ask me if you need to know more.
DavidO
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I use drywall jointing compound. Its dirt cheap and works better than chalk anyways. Just remember to add a little extra water or it'll harden up faster than you can apply it.
Forget the art supply stores, the hardware store is the scavenger artists best friend.
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ground chalk, whiting, gesso powder - all the same. I recently got some whiting at a ceramic supplier. Apparently it is used in clay. I paid $1.00 US for a pound.
Julie
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It can also be found in tropical fish shops, used in aquariums to change the pH of the water, and as mentioned, pottery making supply shops.
Be sure to ask for it by ALL its names if you really want it: ground chalk, whiting, calcium carbonate. Some people tend to use only one name, and don't recognize the others.
Sue
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I bought ground chalk at a home building store. It comes in a plastic bottle and is normally used for refilling plumb bob gizmos. I bought white, but next time I might try blue. The surface I'm coating with the gesso/chalk mix is white (toilet paper papier mache mix) and sometimes it's hard to tell what you've already painted. The mixture seems to work very well.
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