French Chalk is the name used in the UK and USA for talcum powder. A multi-purpose product useful in etching and lithography for dusting plates and stones, or hands, before touching a plate.
It is extremely important to have handy in your print room, a little applied to the palm will aid with hand wiping of etching plates and you can make a degreaser to clean your plates before applying resists and grounds.
In lithography your drawing will be dusted with french chalk before applying a gum etch, it helps the etch solution to lie close to the grease content of your drawing.
