POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

Plastics have been described as "materials that can be moulded or shaped into different forms under pressure or heat." They were a cultural phenomenon in the twentieth century when they changed the way objects were produced, designed and used. It was also in the twentieth century that most plastic products moved away from natural raw materials to synthetically produced ones. Before the arrival of synthetic resins natural plastics such as amber, horn, tortoiseshell, bitumen, shellac, gutta-percha and rubber were used to mould and manufacture artefacts. Horn was the most used of these products and by 1600 moulding was being used to produce horn products. This ability to mould products quickly and cheaply rather than carve them became the prime motivating force behind the development of plastics. By the middle of the nineteenth century tortoiseshell and ivory were becoming expensive and this encouraged the search for alternate materials. In 1852 Alexander Parkes developed cellulose nitrate into a mouldable dough he called Parkesine. By 1860 it was being pressed into moulds to make billiard balls, pens, and even artificial teeth. By 1900 there were a number of plastics being produced but it was still a relatively small industry and as Susan Mossmann, an historian of plastics states " ... a typical middle-class family would encounter few plastics as they went about their daily business. Perhaps women would wear Celluloid combs in their hair, or carry Celluloid evening bags. If in mourning, they might wear artificial jet jewellery made of Vulcanite, have celluloid or casein cosmetic boxes and use celluloid backed brushes and mirrors." (Mossmann, 1997) By the end of the twentieth century most of these products had been replaced by synthetic plastics. Others found niche markets and lasted for longer such as the use of shellac to make gramophone records which lasted into the 1940s. The first fully synthetic plastic was developed in early twentieth century by Leo Baekeland. His new plastic was named Bakelite and heralded in a new era as this plastic was not only lighter than metal it could be made into a wide variety of objects traditionally made from wood or metal. During the First World War Bakelite was used for electrical insulators such as plugs and switches as well as Thermos flasks and cigarette boxes. In the 1930s there was a surge of interest in plastics and plastic products particularly coloured Urea-formaldehyde laminates. These products had excellent temperature resistance but, unlike early Bakelite, could be produced in different colours. This object is made of an early plastic moulded from urea-formaldehyde resin powder. The most popular form of this powder was first marketed in 1928 by the British Cyanide Company as 'Beetle' powder. However within a few years there were a range of other companies manufacturing similar thiourea/urea products such as 'Pollopas', 'Resopal' and 'Cibanoid'. These products were less resistant to water and allowed coloured effects but they were also more susceptible to heat than many other plastics. One noticeable feature of products such as lampshades and electrical fittings using this material is the very distinct smell they give off when decomposing. Dunlop-Perdriau Rubber Co Ltd donated this dessert plate and a number of other items to the museum in 1934. Henry and Stephen Perdriau were among the first in Sydney to pioneer plastic products in Sydney. In 1885 Henry began importing rubber for railway carriage buffers and as demand increased he opened a plant at Drummoyne, Sydney, and by 1888 was an agent for English, German and American rubber companies. Increasing demand and protection after Federation resulted in the formation of the Perdriau Rubber Co. Ltd in 1904. The company amalgamated with the Dunlop Rubber Co. of Australasia Ltd in 1929. Dunlop-Perdriau gained a controlling interest in Moulded Products Pty Ltd (previously Australian Moulding Corporation) from 1934 until 1937 when it sold off its interests in the company. REF: Mossman, S., (ed.), Early Plastics; perspectives, 1850-1950, Leicester University Press, London, 1997, p.6. Mossman, S., Morris, P. J. T., (eds.), 'The Development of Plastics', Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, 1993 Kaufman, M., 'The First century of Plastics', The Plastics and Rubber Institute, London, 1991? Australian Dictionary of Biography, available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A110206b.htm