Aug 27 2005
Bakelite, Melamine…
I have fond memories of Bakelite and Melamine. I’m not sure what the differences between these plastics are. Melamine can be described as a:
“Thermosetting polymer based on urea–formaldehyde. It is extremely resistant to heat and is also scratch-resistant. Its uses include synthetic resins.” (source)
According to Wikepedia Melamine is the main constituent of ‘Formica’. Think of U.S. Diners and U.K. transport cafes table-top surfaces…
This site describes the discovery of ‘Bakelite’ (Phenolic) by Leo Hendrik Baekelund in 1909. Excerpt:
Bakelite was the first true plastic. It was a purely synthetic material, not based on any material or even molecule found in nature. It was also the first “thermoset” plastic. Conventional “thermoplastics” can be molded and then melted again, but thermoset plastics form bonds between polymers strands when “cured”, creating a tangled matrix that cannot be undone without destroying the plastic. Thermoplastics are tough and temperature resistant. Bakelite was cheap, strong, and durable. It was molded into thousands of forms, such as radios, telephones, clocks, and, of course, billiard balls. Phenolic plastics are still in widespread use.
The original Patent on Bakelite ran out in 1927 (source), presumably broadening the opportunites for mass manufacturing.
For me, these plastics enabled childhood activities like family picnics without fear of accidentally breaking crockery. A step towards the luxuries of the UK Middle classes. Apparantly, spinning melamine picnic plates through the air has nothing to do with the origins of the Frisbee game.
Recently I found the below pictured bowl in a flea market. It looks like a ” Texas Ware heavy Melmac confetti mixing bowl” described on this page http://www.neighborhoodvalues.com/nv/kitchen/misc/51kc.htm
I haven’t found any websites describing the social impact of the introduction of these plastic products. Though trying to imagine life before cheap plastic table-tops, kitchen work surfaces, and virtually unbreakable, heat resistant, kitchenware does provide a sound basis for speculation…
Wendy Wondering-How-Bakolite-Products-Changed-Society
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