Union Carbide : inc.. The Atomic Bomb Certificate...

MY BAKELITE LECTURE/TALK is now available !!! Includes exhibits, slide show, handouts and much much more.. please contact me for full details, see below .. many people have already enjoyed the fun world of Bakelite... these include the Havering Antiques and Collectors Club, The Yorkshire Clarice Cliff Group and Ann Zierold Art Deco Fairs just to name a few !!! BEING SO VERSATILE BAKELITE COVERS A WIDE SPECTRUM WHICH MIGHT BE JUST THE THING TO FILL ONE OF THE MEETING DATES IN YOUR CLUB'S CALENDAR OF EVENTS !!!

Above appears the Atomic Bomb Certificate of Thanks, awarded to the Bakelite Corporation, 1945...

With particular thanks to Mr Tomm F.Sprick (Manager of Corporate Communications)Union Carbide Corporation of America. All information appears on this and other pages by kind permission of the Union Carbide Archives.

I have so much valuable information kindly provide by Union Carbide, work is still ongoing to place it into an acceptable format for all to enjoy at present, information will soon appear, regards Jools, Work commencing January 2002 ....

From the Union Carbide Archives:

Dated 8th August 1913

Tariff Schedule
Briefs and Statements filed with the Committee on Finance, United States Senate.
Schedule A. Second Print, page 93

Par. 37. - CRUDE AMBER.

Ehrlich & Kopf, 37 Court Street, Boston Mass.

The Underwood tariff bill provides for a duty on raw amber of $1 per pound, equal to about 10 per cent ad valorem.
We are engaged in the manufacture in this country of briar and meerschaum pipes. The mouthpieces of these pipes are made of genuine amber. The cost of these amber mouth pieces represents about one - third of the entire value of the finished article.

For a long number of years there has been no duty on amber nor on any other materials entering into the manufacture of smoking pipes.

An article called " BAKELITE ", manufactured in this country by the General Bakelite Co., of New York, has lately been put on the market to substitute amber.

If the duty of $1 per pound on amber has been proposed to protect the manufacture of bakelite, we respectfully beg to state that bakelite is sold today at about one - quarter the price of amber. It therefore needs no further protection, and surely Congress does not mean to protect such a concern to the detriment of all manufacturers using genuine amber.

Comment: It looks like Bakelite was ruffling a few feathers as far back as 1913 !!! Jools

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Next appear extracts from various publications, waving the Bakelite flag !!! :

December 1912, The St Louis Furniture News

BAKELITE LACQUER, High Permanent Lustre, It Won't Come off !!! Proof against Alcohol, Ammonia, Solvents, Water, Dampness. Full Particulars of interest to Furniture Dealers, sent upon request. GENERAL BAKELITE CO, 100 William St, New York.

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December 1920 Electrical World Vol 76, No 23

BAKELITE

An Aeroplane Propeller ...
Bakelite has long held a place in aeroplane construction. In moulded form, it established its excellence as the electrical insulation and other equipment for Liberty Motors.
It is in a new department of this important field, however, that we now present it. The Bakelite " Micarta " Propeller, produced by the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, has demonstrated remarkable qualities. The one shown here is designed for planes equipped with Libery Motor rating at 420 hp, 1750 r.p.m. It has a diameter of 10 ft. and weighs complete with hub 83 lbs. It has withstood what is probably the most severe destruction test ever given a propeller of this size:

13 hours at 600 H.P. imput.
Speed test at 2,100 R.P.M. - imput 1,326 H.P.
25 hours at 800 H.P. imput.

Uniformity and strength; proof against abrasion,moisture, and oil absorption; absence of warping or checking due to atmospheric changes; high propeller efficiency and self adjusting pitch due to thinner blade sections - these propeller advantages are due to the natural Bakelite advantages which have made this synthetic raw material a factor in almost every industry.
GENERAL BAKELITE COMPANY
Two Rector Street, NEW YORK, N.Y.

we welcome inquiries from manufacturers, and maintain a research laboratory for the working out of new applications.

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November 1st 1924, The Evening World

BAKELITE

All Parties Agreed -

There may be differences of opinion between a Republican Superhetrodyne, a Democratic Superdyne or a Socialist Duodyne, but you will find that they all agree that the best insulation for Radio is Bakelite.
Come visit the " Radio Convention ", and see the candidates at Insulation Headquarters Booth No 34, Grand Central Palace, Nov 3rd - 8th.

BAKELITE CORPORATION
247 Park Avenue, New York,N.Y.
Chicago Office 636 West 22nd Street

The material of a thousand uses, Bakelite,Condensite,Redmanol are the registered Trade Marks for the Phenol Resin Products manufactured under patents owned by the Bakelite Corporation.

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Within my collection I have this CARVACRAFT notepad holder, illustrated below. Made from cast phenolic, I obtained this item at the NEC Birmingham - Antiques for Everyone event. Despite the obvious Deco styling ...this range was manufactured from the late 1940's to the early 50's ... I hope to add more from the range to my collection eventually.