UKC

I know its used in font, maybe other places, but what is it?

In reply to Alex moore:
Don't think its an acronym. Probably just a French colloquialism for runny chalk, no?

In reply to Alex moore:

LMGTFY

http://www.pof.com/

jcm

In reply to johncoxmysteriously: It is pulverised rosin (colophony). Not sure where the word pof comes from, probably some slang from the Alps.

In reply to drolex:

The French wikipedia page for colophane claims (without reference) that the term "pof" is derived from the franco-savoyard word "peuf" meaning dust ("poussiere"):

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colophane

In reply to TimB:

However, this other French site appears to indicate that the resin is not called "pof", but that a "pof" is the entire wrapped up ball of resin and tail.

http://latribunelibredebleau.blogspot.com/2011/06/fabrication-dun-pof-bleau...

In reply to TimB: I have always heard "pof" used to describe the resin, not the ball itself (which would be a "balle de pof"). I guess usage varies and synecdoche is common. I have also always thought the word to be feminine ("de la pof") but I think people from Bleau consider the word masculine ("du pof"). Silly Northerners.

In reply to Alex moore:

I thought it was the noise it made when it hit the rock!

In reply to Alex moore:
Plenty of fish no?

In reply to Alex moore:

It's the noise a Frenchman makes (as he shrugs his shoulders) after you complain about his use of resin.

In reply to Alex moore:

It stands for bad ethics.
It stands for rock damage.
It stands for an unwillingness to change.

In reply to flaneur: Usually when people type 'lol' on the internet they aren't really laughing out loud, but I really did have a good cackle at that!


Seriously though, I'm confused. I've never used pof and only heard bad things about it, but this article suggests that pof should be used rather than chalk in Font: http://bleau.info/cleanup/magnesium.html

It does point out that pof is damaging to other rock types like limstone, but given pof's reputation over here I'd be surprised if you made any friends using pof at Harrisons or Bowles. Is pof inherently bad or is it a better choice for sandstone but not for other rock types?

In reply to cb_6:


You & everybody else. Truth is nobody has any real idea of what's true & what isn't in this area.

Chalk is 'banned' in Bleau because it makes the rock slippery.
people flout this 'ban' presumably because they think it makes the rock less slippery ??

Pof is 'banned' in the UK because it supposedly coats the holds in a layer of resin & yet I see no evidence for this layer in Bleau where it's widely used.

Most of the holds on Southern sandstone are deliberately coated in a different resin in order to try & protect them from wear.

Unless somebody does some actual research we may as well argue about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

In reply to Alex moore:
1,754 on a standard British pin

In reply to Flinticus:
Ahh you're one of them, everyone knows its 1,745!

In reply to TomBaker: Fight!

In reply to Alex moore:
I like to throw this idea around when rosin is being discussed.

Brodestones, would pof have prevented the erosion of the pockets?

In reply to cb_6:

Hi,
we published on http://tl2bleau.blogspot.fr lot of articles about chalck, pof and brushing.
The last one is about friction and you can read it on the 2 adresses of the blogs (in the national edition : http://latribunelibredebleau.blogspot.com/2013/10/debat-sur-la-magnesie-un-...

About the word POF we can told you that the same word is used for the product and the tool like we explained on the blogs. If you speek about the product you can use "la" aswell as "du" or "le". For the tool it a "un" or "le".

When you used the tool on rock it make the noice Pof, pof, pof...

You can contact TL²B team (@ on the blogs) to explain what you forbidden it in your contry...

Pof, chalk and brushes have to be uses as less you can...

Have a nice trip in Font

In reply to Font Green News:



This was my understanding too, but I prefer Flaneur's onomatapoeia!

In reply to metal arms:

I presume you are talking about using Chalk in Font? :P

(when in Rome... follow the Roman laws! personally on my only trip I found it necessary to use neither to get up the 4's and 5's I was trying - but plenty of polished footholds from people not wiping their feet clean...)