How to Make Liquid Chalk for Climbing (DIY)

Enhance your climb and strengthen your grip with the perfect liquid chalk. Many climbers find liquid chalk to be a powerful rock climbing tool. And while commercial brands prove popular, you can make the perfect liquid chalk right at home.

That’s right! Investing in homemade liquid chalk can improve almost any climb—and save you a fortune.

Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry:

Below, I’ve put together the only guide you’ll ever need to make effective liquid chalk for climbing at home.

This DIY liquid chalk recipe is simple and effective. See how you can get started making it by considering the information below.

First, however, keep the following in mind.

How to make liquid climbing chalk DIY

How to Make Liquid Chalk for Climbing (DIY)

Making liquid chalk at home saves you money, but it boasts even more important benefits.

Because you can adapt the recipe to suit your needs, you can make the perfect chalk for you by making it at home.

Additionally, you’ll have a better understanding of the chalk your using—making your climbs safer.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at an easy-to-make DIY liquid chalk for climbing recipe.

How Can I Make Liquid Chalk at Home?

I have good news:

You don’t have to be an advanced chemist to make liquid chalk from home. In fact, you’ll only need two ingredients to get started.

Let’s take a closer look at how to make liquid chalk from home.

1. Gather ingredients

Before you can make your liquid chalk, you’ll need to gather the ingredients. You’ll also need to invest in a few tools so that you can properly prepare and store your chalk.

You can find every ingredient at local stores in your area, so you shouldn’t have any problem getting started.

To make your chalk, you’ll need:

Once you’ve gathered these ingredients, you’ll be ready for the second step. Having these ingredients and tools is important. Therefore, make sure that you have everything you need before getting started.

Trust me: if you’re missing even just one ingredient, the resulting product might be useless.

2. Place the Chalk into Your Bowl

Next, you’ll need to place the chalk powder into a bowl. Be sure that you’re using a bowl that you don’t mind making chalk in.

For this reason, you may wish to invest in a separate container or bowl to use just for this purpose. In this way, you can keep your eating and chalk bowls separate.

3. Add Alcohol

Thirdly, add alcohol into the bowl containing the chalk powder.

How much you add depends on the amount of chalk you put in the bowl. The general ratio 2:1 typically works wonders when making liquid chalk.

This ratio entails that for every two cups of chalk powder you add, you should add one cup of rubbing alcohol.

By following this ratio, you can ensure that your chalk comes out with the right consistency.

4. Stir, Stir, Stir

Once you’ve added your alcohol into the chalk bowl, start stirring.

Be prepared to be in it for the long haul because you may be stirring for a while.

Okay—it might not be that bad, but you’re going to want to stir until chalk has a creamy consistency. It’s important that you make sure that the chalk isn’t too thin or too thick.

Instead, stir until it reaches the consistency of pudding or yogurt.

If your proportions prove to be wrong, you may find that you need to add more alcohol. If that’s the case, do so slowly so as to not add too much.

Gradually add in more alcohol while stirring until you reach the desired consistency.

Once you reach this point, you have successfully made liquid chalk for climbing.

5. Store Your Chalk

Once your chalk is finished making, be sure that you store it in an airtight bottle.

Air exposure can damage the integrity of your liquid chalk. Therefore, ensure that you’re properly storing the final product in an airtight container that you can easily access.

Are There Any Other Considerations I Should Make?

Sounds simple, right?

It is!

But you may be wondering if there are any other considerations you should keep in mind.

I’ve thought of a few.

While making your liquid chalk, make sure that you keep the following information in mind:

  • You Can Use Dry Chalk Cubes

Do you have to use chalk powder to make liquid chalk?

The short answer is yes.

However, you don’t have to purchase pre-ground chalk. If you have chalk cubes, you may crush them into a fine powder and use to make liquid chalk.

Just make sure that you’re grinding it finely so that your chalk will have the right consistency.

  • You Need to Properly Store It

Improperly storing your chalk may cause it to dry up.

This may happen if your chalk is exposed to air or if you store too much at one time.

For this reason, be sure to store your chalk in moderate quantities in airtight containers at room temperature.

By doing so, you prevent quick deterioration of your chalk.

  • Choose a Bottle You Can Squeeze

When selecting the bottle you use for your liquid chalk storage, make sure you can squeeze chalk from it.

Always keep in mind the amount of chalk you use per time. If you’ve used it before, you already know that it doesn’t take much liquid chalk to start enjoying better climbs.

For this reason, make sure that you’ve got a bottle that allows you to squeeze out small portions.

In this way, you can better ration your chalk supply—helping your chalk last longer.

By keeping the above information in mind, you can be on your way to making liquid chalk for climbing right at home.

With this easy-to-follow and simple liquid chalk recipe, you can save money by making effective liquid chalk from the comfort of your own home.

Climbing Blogger

Zealous boulderer, gear geek and editor. Typically has more flappers than fingers on his hands. Occasionally enjoys the feeling of being scared of heights. Mostly prevents looking down too much, though, and cheers at the invention of climbing chalk.

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