A chalkboard eraser is a special type of

eraser An eraser (also known as a rubber in some Commonwealth countries, including South Africa from the material first used) is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin (e.g. parchment or vellum). Erasers have a ...

specifically used to erase

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...

markings on slating paint (used on

chalkboard A blackboard (also known as a chalkboard) is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulphate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Blackboards were originally made of ...

s and

slates SLATES (Search, Links, Authorship, Tags, Extensions, Signalling) is an initialism that describes the business impacting capabilities, derived from the effective use of Web 2.0 technologies in and across enterprises. Origin of the term This acron ...

). It is most commonly made of

felt Felt is a textile material that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood ...

strips attached to a handle. Chalkboard erasers are typically broad and rectangular, intended to clear large areas for new content as part of a lecture or presentation.

History

Chalkboard erasers were invented around 1863 by John L. Hammett,J.L. Hammett Company Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on J.L. Hammett Company
/ref> who owned some stores that sold and created school products in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and then later in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Mostly slates were sold there as well as chalk and so on. At the time, rags or old cloths were used to erase and get rid of the chalk markings on slates in schools, offices, and for the most part, everywhere. Hammett created the chalkboard before the invention of the chalkboard eraser by creating ''slating paint''. Hammett then, during a presentation on his chalkboard "discovered" that

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

felt strips wiped off the chalk writing better than rags. Following this discovery he gathered a team to create the custom eraser for sale. The erasers proved to be a success for Hammett and, later in the 19th century, he created a company that also sold inexpensive supplies for teachers and

school A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compuls ...

s, such as

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

and

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thi ...

. Hammett ultimately sold the company.

History

References

See also