Bakelite

Bakelite

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

     Bakelite 
     or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride is an early plastic. It is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from an elimination reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. It was developed by Belgian-born chemist Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907.
One of the first plastics made from synthetic components, Bakelite was used for its electrical nonconductivity and heat-resistant properties in electrical insulators, radio and telephone casings, and such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, and children's toys. Bakelite was designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark in 1993 by the American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as the world's first synthetic plastic.The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products have made them collectible.

History

      Dr. Baekeland had originally set out to find a replacement for shellac, made from the excretion of lac beetles. Chemists had begun to recognize that many natural resins and fibers were polymers, and Baekeland investigated the reactions of phenol and formaldehyde. He first produced a soluble phenol-formaldehyde shellac called "Novolak" that never became a market success, then turned to developing a binder for asbestos which, at that time, was molded with rubber. By controlling the pressure and temperature applied to phenol and formaldehyde, he produced a hard moldable material and patented in 1907 known as Bakelite. It was the very first synthetic thermosetting plastic ever made. It was often referred to as "the material of 1000 uses", a phrase originated by Baekeland himself.
      The Bakelite Corporation was formed in 1922 (after patent litigation favorable to Baekeland) from a merger of three companies: the General Bakelite Company which Baekeland founded in 1910, the Condensite Company, founded by J.W. Aylesworth, and the Redmanol Chemical Products Company, founded by L.V. Redman. A factory was built near Bound Brook, New Jersey in 1929.
      In 1939 the companies were acquired by Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation. Union Carbide's phenol resin business including the Bakelite and Bakelit registered trademarks are owned by Momentive Specialty Chemicals. Today, Bakelite is manufactured and produced in sheet, rod and tube form for hundreds of industrial applications in the electronics, power generation and aerospace industries, and under a variety of commercial brand names.
      Phenol sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of paper or glass cloth impregnated with synthetic resin. These layers of laminations are usually of cellulose paper, cotton fabrics, synthetic yarn fabrics, glass fabrics or unwoven fabrics. When heat and pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical reaction (polymerization) transforms the layers into a high-pressure thermosetting industrial laminated plastic. When rubbed, original Bakelite has a tell-tale odor.

Applications and usage

Bakelite radio

      In its industrial applications, Bakelite was particularly suitable for the emerging electrical and automobile industries because of its extraordinarily high resistance - not only to electricity, but to heat and chemical action. It was soon used for all nonconducting parts of radios and other electrical devices, such as bases and sockets for light bulbs and vacuum tubes, supports for electrical components, automobile distributor caps and other insulators.
      In the early 20th Century, it was found in myriad applications including saxophone mouthpieces, whistles, cameras, solid-body electric guitars, telephone housings and handsets, early machine guns, pistol grips, and appliance casings. In the pure form it was made into such articles as pipe stems, buttons, etc. Bakelite is used today for wire insulation, brake pads and related automotive components, and industrial electrical-related applications. The thermosetting phenol resin was at one point considered for the manufacture of coins, due to a shortage of traditional material; in 1943, Bakelite and other non-metal materials were tested for usage for the one cent coin in the US before the Mint settled on zinc-coated steel.
      After the Second World War, factories were retrofitted to produce Bakelite using a more efficient extrusion process which increased production and enabled the uses of Bakelite to extend into other genres: jewelry boxes, desk sets, clocks, radios, game pieces like chessmen, poker chips, billiard balls and Mah Jong sets. Kitchenware such as canisters and tableware were also made of Bakelite through the 1950s.

Bakelite Tableware Set

      The primary commercial uses for Bakelite today remain in the area of inexpensive board and tabletop games produced in China, India and Hong Kong. Items such as billiard balls, dominoes and pieces for games like chess, checkers, and backgammon are constructed of Bakelite for its look, durability, fine polish, weight, and sound.

Mason Jars

MASON JARS

Antique mason jars are eagerly sought by collectors, and are bought and sold not only through antique stores, but also on auction sites such as eBay. The value of a jar is related to its age, rarity, and condition.
     The age and rarity of a jar can be determined by its color, shape, mold and production marks, and closure. Most antique jars that are not colorless are a shade of aqua known as "Ball blue," named for the prevalent jar maker. Colored jars were considered better for canning use, as they block some light from reaching the food, which helps to retain flavor and nutritional value longer. More rarely, jars will turn up in amber, and occasionally in darker shades of green. Rarer still are cobalt blues, blacks, and milk glass jars.

History

      The earliest glass jars were called wax sealers, because they used sealing wax, which was poured into a channel around the lip that held on a tin lid. This process was complicated and error-prone, but was largely the only one available for a long time and widely used even into the early 1900s.
      By far, though, the most popular form of seal was the screw-on zinc cap, the precursor to today's screw-on lids. The earliest successful application of this was discovered by Mason and patented on November 30, 1858, a date embossed on thousands of jars. Jars with "Patent Nov 30th 1858" were made in many shapes, sizes and colors well into the 1900s. Since they were made in such quantity and used for such long periods, many of them have survived to the present day.
       Another popular closure was known as the Lightning closure, named after the first jar to use it, which was embossed with "Lightning" on the side. More commonly, this is often known as a bail closure, or French Kilner — it consists of a metal wire arrangement with a lever which, when pivoted downward against the side of the jar, applies leverage to a glass lid, clamping it down over a separate rubber O ring. While these jars are still sold for storage, they are now rarely used for canning 
In the 1860-1900 timeframe, a great many patents were issued for various jar closures. The more esoteric closures were quickly abandoned, and can fetch high prices in today's antique market.
      The Mason jar was invented and patented in 1858 by Philadelphia tinsmith John Landis Mason. Among other common names for them are Ball jars, after Ball Corporation, an early and prolific manufacturer of the jars; fruit jars for a common content; and simply glass canning jars reflecting their material.
      While many jars carry an embossed date of 1858, most do not date back that far. Jars that carry this date may have actually been manufactured as late as 1920. Before 1915 mason jars were made from blown rather than molded glass. Blown glass jars have a round raised area, or pontil scar, on the bottom while molded glass exhibits telltale mold seams. Blown glass jars are more valuable than molded ones. Values of collectible mason jars may range from around $7 to $10 all the way up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Having the original lid with the jar can increase the value by as much as 50 percent.
        Collectors frequently refer to these numbers as "mold numbers." However, in some cases, this term oversimplifies what the numbers represented.

      Originally when jars were blown by hand, the number represented a specific glass blower and his team. At the end of the day the blower and his team would get paid for the amount of jars they produced as determined by the number of jars made with a given number on them. I.E. glassblower #3 made 200 jars that day and he and his team therefore gets paid X number of dollars at X cents per jar produced. Later, when glass making went to machine the numbers represented the mold or machine the jar was made from (usually 4-8 molds per machine or one to several machines per factory.) That way the plant manager could check quality control, production, etc.

     Mason jars are made of soda-lime glass, have a standard 2³⁄₈ in (60 mm) or wide 3 in (76 mm) mouth diameter, and come in a variety of sizes including cup (half-pint), pint, quart, and half-gallon.
 

       

Salt Cellars & Spoons

Please Pass the Salt Cellar 
and Spoon

                          Black-glaze salt cellar. Terracotta, 5th century BC, Athens.

Benvenuto Cellini's Salt Cellar, made in Paris for Francis I of France, 1540-1543; 

Gold, partly covered in enamel, with an ebony base.

     A salt cellar (also called salt or standing salt) is a vessel, usually small and made of glass or silver, used on the table for holding salt. An individual salt dish or squat open salt cellar placed near a trencher was called a trencher salt. The use of salt cellars continued through the 1940s but has been in decline since, gradually replaced by salt shakers.
The exterior surfaces of modern cellars are frequently decorated with birds, lemons or other designs, and may have the word "salt" or "S" on them in various languages. A salt cellar often has a lid to protect the contents and keep it dry. The lid may be made of the same material as the cellar, or a different one (for example, a porcelain cellar with a wooden lid). Some salt cellars, also known as salt dips, open salts, and salt dishes, are not true cellars at all, but open dishes, without lids. These were used by wealthy families from the Middle Ages until World War II. The bowl, along with a miniature salt spoon, was passed to guests by the head of the household for individual service. It is still possible to find salt cellars today, but they are not used as table decorations. They have lids and are used near the stove so the cook has easy access to salt while preparing meals. These are less likely to be elaborately decorated, and may have a range of designs for ease of use. For example, a salt cellar with a high back containing a hole allows the cellar to be mounted to a wall. Another style is a container shaped like a curved tube. The curvature protects the salt a little, but the cellar is open allowing the cook to reach in and take salt. Salt cellars used to be made of glass, but in recent times can be found in many different media, including porcelain, pewter, silver and wood. Sometime after 1950, salt cellars became a coveted collectible.
     In ancient times salt was a precious commodity. In Tibet, according to Marco Polo, cakes of salt displayed a likeness of the ruler and were used as money.  In Ancient Greece, slaves were traded for salt; and around 2000BCE the Chinese emperor levied a salt tax. 

An English glass salt cellar, circa 1720

     During the Middle Ages, when salt was a valuable commodity, salt would be kept on the table in elaborate metal or glass dishes as a status symbol. Being granted the favor of guest was often measured simply by judging the distance at which the person sat from the master's large salt cellar placed near the middle of a long table: the phrases above the salt and below the salt alluded to the former custom of seating persons of higher rank above and those of lower rank below that container. In the more recent past, salt was still very costly and precious. For example, before refrigeration salt was the main ingredient for preserving food.
     In the early 20th century, moisture absorbing agents (such as magnesium carbonate) were added to salt and it was no longer sold in blocks, but was finely ground. Salt cellars were replaced with salt shakers somewhere around 1950.

 Salt Spoons

     A salt spoon is a miniature utensil used with an open salt cellar for individual service. It is an historical and nostalgic item from a time before table salt was free-flowing, as it is today. The spoon itself ranges from 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) long and has a circular bowl measuring approximately 0.5 to 0.75 inches (1.25 to 2 cm). They can be found in a wide range of materials including glass, Sterling silver, plastic, wood, ivory, bone and shell. Sterling Silver Salt Spoons are an elegant addition to any table and a popular collector's item. Salt Spoons, popularized in 1810, were used when individual servings of salt (served in salt cellars) were needed during Victorian dinner parties. These miniature spoons, which usually measured no longer than two to three inches, were traditionally made from sterling silver and had highly ornate patterns.
     Silver Salt Spoons are now a timeless and sought after addition to many collections. Salt spoons, both antique and reproduction, exemplify beauty and detail. Although traditionally cast in sterling silver they can also be found in glass and wood. Salt spoons typically have a small spoon bowl measuring no more than ½ to 3/4 inches and an ornate handle featuring flowers, swirl designs or geometric patterns. The range in patterns varies from very simple to extremely decorative.