Even something as mundane as a chalk line couldn't remain dull during the 19th century. The reel pictured here is Carter's Patent, granted on May 28th, 1867. The patent date is embossed near the center of the tool, near the handle that winds the string.
The reel has a pocketwatch appearance to it and is highly decorated with floral motifs on both sides. There are two halves of stamped brass that twist together to hold an internal reel. The seam of the two halves isn't all that fine, and it's likely that more chalk ended up on the tradesman's hands than it did on the line.
Where the line pops out of the tool is a cap. This cap unscrews so that
the reel can be filled with powdered chalk. During the time this tool was
made, most chalk was in cake form, where it was manually rubbed over the
line. The tradesman probably had to grind his cakes of chalk in a mortar
and pestle before he could use the tool, which might explain why this tool
is so scarce.
pal, February 17, 1998