posted on September 14, 2000 01:24:25 PM
I recently bought a huge box of old buttons. I have seen some advertised as "tested" bakelite. Anyone know what or how that is done. The only book I have says use a hot needle, but I don't want to ruin the ones that are not bakelite -- just seperate them from the rest. Besides they say that only works if it is red hot, and I doubt if I would know if I did it right even then.
posted on September 14, 2000 01:27:23 PM
I've heard that if you rub it between your fingers until the item is really warm, it will smell like hair burning.
posted on September 14, 2000 02:22:48 PM
The more well known way is a spray bottle of scrub n bubbles,Found in the cleaners area of a super market.Use white cloth,Or towel,Spray a spot of sb on cloth and wipe on bakelite piece,If you get a thick mustard yellow color,It is bakelite.Also the piece will be heavier then the others and there will not be any seams or navels as bakelite is a poured form and not a machine mold.I now know my stint as a plastic injection molding machine operator has finally come into fruition.
posted on September 14, 2000 05:54:03 PM
There is a web site, called buttons/index or something like that, that tells you how to test for substances. I have it on my office computer, but not at home.
posted on September 14, 2000 06:07:14 PM
Please do not use Scrubbing Bubbles or 409 to test your items for bakelite. These products could cause damage to any plastic item. I use SIMICHROME POLISH. Put a tiny amount on a clean cloth and rub on the item that you are testing. The cloth will show a definite yellow color if the item in question is bakelite. This polishing paste is made in Germany and comes in a small 1.76 oz. tube. You can find this product at hardware stores and also some antique shops for about $7.00-$9.00. This small tube lasts forever. It's a great paste polish that's good for all metals and very good for hard plastic and also leaves a protective coating. I'm sorry if I sound like a commercial, but I ruined a few pieces of vintage plastic when I used Scrubbing Bubbles and ammonia based products for cleaning or testing.
posted on September 14, 2000 06:15:48 PM
also keep in mind that degradeing plastic with flame or cemicals cause the older plastic to give off toxic gases makeing them more dangerus then they already are
as it is the fummy odor this plastic gives off is acid gases and other fumes.
posted on September 14, 2000 06:23:48 PM
Thanks everyone. I will probably try testing with 409 on a small part on the back. I hope that won't do too much harm. If I can find the Simicrome Polish I will use it as it sounds like it could shine them up as well.
I saw ads where it said 409 tested, but didn't know what they meant. Since it would ruin the finish I'm glad I didn't just start in with rubbing them down with it! I almost did that but thought better of it and decided to just ask and see what I could find.
You probably saved my entire collection! Especially if it would have damaged all the plastic!
Glassperson, if you think about it and could email me with the name of the website I would really appreciate it. My email address is: [email protected].
posted on September 14, 2000 08:47:15 PM
Hi, Ya'll...I was readin' your question out loud, and GRANNY said to write you! Said afore you commence to stickin' that HOT PIN in plastic, she wants to get behind the nearest pie pan, and protect her face! Said if'n it AIN'T bakelite, it can EXplode, and put yore eyes out!! (And she is right...this time!) I asked her why SHE was gonna hide, and she jest got that blank, OLD look, and said she didn't rightly disremember...Granny also said if it was bakelite it would have that 'biology class, frog-in-a-jar' smell. I do know this is a fact, but NOT from biology class; I managed to be absent that WEEK! You got some good advice I see! Granny said she thought she was gonna like it here. I can see if I am going to have any peace in the house to post from time to time, it will have to be on Granny's ornery days, when she don't want to take her nap; all I will have to hear is her mumbling through the duck tape...her head waggling won't bother me, if I don't look in the direction of where we have her SECURED in the rocker...
posted on September 14, 2000 09:04:34 PM
Here's the real deal.
Bakelite is the only early plastic product made with formaldehyde. If the item is heated to about 150 degrees or greater, the formaldehyde, with it's characteristic odor, will be released. Flame will do it, as will a hot needle, but those are terrible ways to test an item.
The chemical tests (scrubbing bubbles, simichrome, etc) will often mar the finish of the item, and will sometimes show false positives when used on non-bakelite early plastics, since they're reacting to other curing chemicals beside the formaldehyde.
The best non-destructinve test is to dip the item in boiling water for about 3 seconds, lift it to your nose, and sniff. If it smells like a hospital, it's bakelite. If it doesn't, it's something other form of plastic. Don't worry, the chemical smell won't hurt you, unless you do it 1,000 times while listening to Heavy Metal music.
You can rub it between your fingers to heat it up, but you have to get it to at least 150 degrees to be certain, and that hurts.
As an aside to folks interested in Bakelite, Catalin, that gorgeous, swirly, bright colored stuff, IS a Bakelite product. All Catalin is Bakelite, but not all Bakelite is Catalin.
Not all Catalin is swirly, either. All Catalin will have at least some translucent quality to it, some more than others. But not all translucent plastics are Catalin or Bakelite
There were plenty of imitation Catalin products introduced after WWII, so just because it's swirly doesn't mean it's Catalin. And just because it's not swrly doesn't mean it's no Catalin.
posted on September 14, 2000 09:21:37 PM
If you do a word search for simichrome on ebay, you'll be pleasantly surprised, and have it delivered to your door if you can't find it in your neighborhood.
