Galalith: Difference between revisions
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One of its great qualities is its [[porosity]], making it ideal for dyeing, by immersing white galalith in coloured baths. Galalith cannot be moulded, and is manufactured in the form of sheets of different thickness, sticks and tubes, and is therefore worked by hand. |
One of its great qualities is its [[porosity]], making it ideal for dyeing, by immersing white galalith in coloured baths. Galalith cannot be moulded, and is manufactured in the form of sheets of different thickness, sticks and tubes, and is therefore worked by hand. |
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In 1914, Syrolit Ltd gained the license for manufacture in the UK. Renaming itself ''Erinoid Ltd,''' it started manufacture in the Lightpill former woollen mill in [[Dudbridge]], [[Stroud, Gloucestershire]].<ref>{{citeweb|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=19120|title=A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11: Bisley and Longtree Hundreds (1976)|publisher=british-history.ac.uk|accessdate=2010-05-14}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 18:19, 15 May 2010
Galalith (Erinoid in the United Kingdom), derived from the Greek words gala (milk) and lithos (stone), is a trade name for one of the earliest plastics.
It was invented in 1897 and patented in 1899 by (Friedrich) Adolph Spitteler (1846 - 1940) and Wilhelm Krische and made from the milk protein casein. At the beginning of the 20th century, a French chemist, J.C. Trillat, discovered the means to insolubilize casein by immersion in formaldehyde.
This material revolutionized the button[1] industry with its capacity to create structural effects and imitate all sorts of material: horn, tortoiseshell, ivory, wood, etc. It was also used in the 1930s for jewellery, pens, umbrella handles, white piano keys (replacing natural ivory), etc. World production at that time reached 10,000 tons.
One of its great qualities is its porosity, making it ideal for dyeing, by immersing white galalith in coloured baths. Galalith cannot be moulded, and is manufactured in the form of sheets of different thickness, sticks and tubes, and is therefore worked by hand.
In 1914, Syrolit Ltd gained the license for manufacture in the UK. Renaming itself Erinoid Ltd,' it started manufacture in the Lightpill former woollen mill in Dudbridge, Stroud, Gloucestershire.[2]
References
- ^ Button Country (2010). "Synthetic Polymers (Section 12)". Georgia, USA: Peach State Button Club. Retrieved 6 March 2010. (To view reverse of button, hover mouse over image.)
- ^ "A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11: Bisley and Longtree Hundreds (1976)". british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2010-05-14.
External links
- Morrell, George (1935). ""Method of making casein buttons"". Sampling One Hundred Years of Button Patents. Georgia, USA: Peach State Button Club. Retrieved 12 March 2010.