Dr. Leo Baekland, a scientist, was responsible for the discovery
of bakelite. He was born in Belgian. In 1889 he immigrated the
the USA hoping for better career opportunities. In 1907 he was
working as independent chemist when by accident he discovered
the compound of carbolic acid and formaldehyde. When he tried to
reheat the solidified compound he discovered it would not melt
no matter how high the temperature.
Shortly after he trademarked “Bakelite” as well as two other
variations “catalin” and “marblette” which today are also
referred to as bakelite. Bakelite was the first synthetic
plastic. Because of its durability and beauty its uses were
simply endless, it grew in popularity very quickly and within 15
years it had taken the world by storm. You could find everything
from electrical plugs, to ornate jewelry made from bakelite. It
was even used on the dashboard face of the Mercedes Benz car.
It could be produced in a wide array of colors, but most common
where white, brown, green and red. Bakelite dating back to the
1920s-1940′s has oxidized and developed a wonderful patina that
is sometime a completely different hue than the original color.
For example, White is often seen as butterscotch, light blue
changes to forest green, pink turns to orange.
Because of this invention, Dr Beakeland is seen as the father of
the present plastic industry. The costume jewelry from the
1920′s-1940′s bakelite era is highly sought after. So how do you
determine if it is actually made of bakelite? There are a couple
of fairly simple tests. Although not full proof they work pretty
well. Smell – When bakelite is heated it has a very strong odor
which comes from the carbolic acid in the composition. On some
pieces you can release the smell simply by rubbing them hard
with your thumb and creating heat. Others will need very hot
water to release the odor. Still on others the odor is so faint
you may not detect it. Sound – When you tap two bakelite pieces
together they will make a deep clunking sound, rather than the
higher pitched clack of acrylic or Lucite plastics. This test is
the most unreliable as it is difficult to interpret the sound
because the density of the items affects the sound you hear. Hot
Pin Test – Bakelite is a thermoset plastic so it cannot be
remolded with heat. To test if a piece is bakelite get a very
very hot pin from an open flame source, then touch the pin to
the item. If it is bakelite it will not penetrate. It may give
off the acid smell and it may leave a purple burn mark. If the
pin penetrates or melts the plastic then it is not bakelite. Use
caution when doing this test as it can devalue the bakelite
piece considerable, and it may do serious damage to other types
of plastic should the piece turn out not to be bakelite. If you
proceed with this test be sure to find a very inconspicuous
spot. Also if the material should be celluloid, it is very
flammable and can be very dangerous. If you suspect the piece
may be celluloid I recommend you “do not” conduct this test.
When ever you are conducting this test you should wear the
appropriate safety equipment such as eye goggles and gloves.
Formula 409 or Scrubbing Bubbles or Simichrome – this product
works very well to test whether an item is bakelite. Make sure
the item is clean, wet the end of a Q-tip with Formula 409 then
touch it to the piece. If the Q-tip turns yellow then the piece
is bakelite. If you believe a piece is bakelite but it doesn’t
pass the 409 test don’t count it out. Sometimes polished
bakelite will not react or pass the test.
The best way to recognize bakelite comes with experience. After
you’ve seen enough pieces you will easily recognize it. There
are also some excellent books on the market that you might find
helpful. • BAKELITE JEWELRY – Tony Grasso • THE BEST OF BAKELITE
AND OTHER PALSTIC JEWELRY – Dee Battle & Alayne Lesser •
BAKELITE JEWELRY GOOD*BETTER*BEST – Donna Wassertrom & Leslie
Pina
Bakelite has always been known as the material with 1000 uses,
and it surely did earn this name. Bakelite is now treasured for
its unique, unreproducible beauty. When the Bakelite patent
expired in 1927, it was acquired by the Catalin Corporation that
same year. They began mass production under the name “Catalin.
The Catalin Corporation was responsible for nearly 70% of all
phenolic resins that exist today.
Bakelite-Catalin was sold mainly to companies like Saks Fifth
Avenue, Bonwit Teller, Woolworth’s, and Sears. Much of the
wealthy society fell into touch times during the depression and
could not longer afford the Tiffany diamonds or Cartier Jewelry.
Bakelite-Catalin took up the market slack with its colorful
carved jewelry adorned with rhinestones. This jewelry was within
the reach of all and its popularity grew from the poorest to the
wealthiest in society.
In 1942 Bakelite-Catalin stopped sales of their colorful costume
jewelry in order to concentrate on the nation’s wartime needs.
They produced thousands of products found their way into the
military.
By the end of the war new technologies were for molded plastics
had been developed. These new products consisted of plastics
such as Lucite, Fiberglass, Vinyl, and Acrylic all which were
molded. Bakelite and Catalin become obsolete except in the
hearts of collectors who still pursue it today.