What are these materials?

Bakelite is the trade name for polymers produced by Bakelite Ltd. in England and Bakelite Corp. in America. It still refers to these materials but is frequently used as a generic name for phenol formaldehyde (Phenolic). This is usually reinforced with a filler (inert) material added to a polymer to improve its properties. Usually in powder or fibre form such as wood, pulp, cotton flock and talc) but cast has no filler and can be translucent.  It can be easily colored and was used decoratively for jewelry, radio cabinets and all kinds of ornaments, the special marbled type, forms original catalin radio plastics.

Bakelite radio another type strong like catalin plastic during the 1930s have a great effect on most of today's products.  We can no longer work and live without these materials.  But why was the era of the depression the best time to conquer the USA and the rest of the world with extremely tough and other kinds of products?  The plastics that were appearing more widely during the 1930s, from steering wheels and tableware to dice, reflected organized research efforts within a commercial framework. Modern technology and its products needed to be "sold," as they were in part through design. The Du Pont Company developed the most important of the new, multiple-use-plastics - nylon, number 66 of nearly 100 "super polymers" produced by a special research team.  Nylon another polymer soon replaced silk in women's stockings; catgut in tennis rackets, musical instruments, and surgery; steel in machine bearings; and varying materials in wire insulation, umbrellas, and parachutes.

During the 1930s the USA was one of the leading nations with the development of polymer plastics.  Nylon polymer opened, as a new product, a wide range of possibilities for new items.  But Bakelite radio was also a product, even older than nylon, which still conquered new parts of the market after twenty years after its invention.   During the 1920s and specially during the 1930s, Americans viewed these as miracle materials from which to shape contours of a desired future. Such early components as celluloid and this shared in a mystique generated by the chemical industry.

Lots of Americans had the feeling that chemists would indeed "make a new world by creating new substances out of anything."  Popular magazines and books mostly described plastic during the 1920s and 1930s as a product of utopian magic, creating an artificial world of transcendent beauty and perfection from earth's commonest elements. Even "Fortune", the nation's most intellectual business journal, entitled a 1936 review of the industry with a biblically resonant phrase: "What Man Has Joined Together..."

The magic of the polymer such as Bakelite radio was, in fact, the beginning of a new era. Plastic material, and this especially well, made a lot possible in producing new products.  This unique compound was also known as "the material of the thousand uses"

1927 was, in fact, the turning point in its use, this because of the fact that real competition with the Bakelite material was now possible, since the patent on this phenol-formaldehyde resin expired. So, after 1927 the competition with products began.

The end on the patent was only one of the factors which contributed to the success of Bakelite Radio and other not as strong types in consumer goods during the 1920s and 1930s. The increased competition between these material suppliers, the development of other compounds, but also the design (streamlining) made it cheaper than ever before.

Bakelite became one of the best substitutes for traditional strong materials. It was also cheaper than traditional materials like wood and steel and in various situations just as strong.

On the other hand, this and all the other types did not require much hand labor for assembling and the finishing touch of the end product. Every product could be given the color of your choice, which was not the case with wood and steel. But black and brown Bakelite were the most commonly used colors during the 1930s.

Furthermore, the machines that were used to produce the products could be equipped with standard equipment, this also made the product cheaper.

By using the standard equipment of mold machines you could make an endless variety of unique forms, for instance, various radio cases.  This strong product was often used, to imitate wooden materials and products, for instance, cigarette boxes, lamp cases, and so on.

In the wealthy part of the American society there was some resistance against it, for it was seen as cheap and inferior.  This vision and reputation was made possible because these were not well-used in products before. So, in fact, it had an unfair reputation in the more wealthy parts of American society. The BakeliteCorp led the way in convincing manufactures to beautify products with multi curved molds.

In the case of the bakelite radio, This strong non flammable product was seen as a good substitute for all others. Wood was often used by the wealthy part of American society.  But the imitation by bakelite radio was almost perfect. The best thing of all was that, a bakelite radio was much cheaper, than a receiver with a wooden case. Mostly, during the depression of the 1930s, this new material made it possible for everyone to buy a radio for just $10 instead of hundreds of dollars for one with a wooden case. The irony is bakelite is the toughest consumer plastic ever made. And because it was thick and filled with fibers, is now a true collectable. Today's plastics are lightweight, very poor strength, short life expediencies, hence cheap to produce, making Bakelite high quality long life KING of PLASTICS..............................................

During 1933 an 1934 "Modern Plastics and Sales Management" ran a series of advertisements focusing on individual designers and their products. Each ad featured a single item, each contained a small photograph and capsule biography touting the designer as a celebrity, and each quoted the great man himself on the virtues of modern design.

Bakelite and other polymer could do more than only to be cheap. Design, styling and coloring was very easy with this and other like plastics.  In fact, the relationship between industry and design was symbiotic. As "Business Week" awkwardly phrased it in 1935, "modernistic trends have greatly boosted the use of compounds in buildings, furniture and decoration, and contrariwise, by their beauty, have boosted modernism".

Polymer was and still is a very good material for streamlined design and styling. The 1930s were struck by streamlined design and styling.  Low, sculptural, and flowing, streamlined design reflected the American desire for a frictionless flight into a future whose rounded forms would provide a protective, harmonious environment. This is known as Art Deco. Fada was a good example, as was Crosley, now a high demand brand, of the deco radios.

Rounded contours also brought out the reflective beauty of glossy plastic.  In fact, this product and streamlining reinforced each other.

Art Deco, on the other hand, influenced many Bakelite products by design.  Because of the depression a lot of people began thinking of new ideas to bring the economy back to life.  In fact, some were "made" for the depression.  Many people thought that the design of products was one of the things that could make products more attractive to people so they could buy them.  These were very good materials for using it with design and styling.

But not only design and styling of products could attract people starting to buy new goods. Products had to be made affordable. Many original radio plastics were made for this task, they were cheaper to produce, became attractive substitutes for traditional materials, needed less hand labor than other materials and were beautiful as well. For instance, cases of receivers popped out of the machine, colored and well, as one single unit. In other words, this polymer became materials with very strong competitive character.

It was possible during the 1930s with different kinds of material to compete with the traditional materials like wood and steel. Bakelite material was and still is very strong and durable.

During the 1930s there were a lot of individual designers who designed products. A lot of these products (radio, pens, fans, coffee grinders, shavers, lamps, etc.) were sold in support of huge advertisement campaigns. The radio was, in fact, the biggest advertisement generally, in the USA, during the 1930s.  At the end of the 1930s in the USA, many became a real fashion item including retro tube catalin radio vintage types.

Thousands of small radio cabinets were made of decorative unfilled cast phenolic (Catalin plastics or Marblette). The choice of colors was endless: onyx, marble, jade, coral, rose quartz. The size of these reflected the development of smaller components, and the material, unsuitable for larger moldings was easy to work on standard equipment into an endless variety of beautiful original radio plastics forms.

The instant mass media receiver was also made very important by US president F.D. Roosevelt.  He used the radio frequently, by sending messages via this medium to the American people.  Although there was a depression, many Americans could afford a radio at their home because it was affordable and very competitive with other traditional materials like wood and steel.  The deco radios and others changed a lifestyle during the 1930s.  Bakelite and other polymer products, just as today, were very useful but today cost much more to produce than cheaper, lighter less durable types.  At that time it was very certain the era after the "Machine Age" could bare only one name: "The Plastic Age."

Because of the bakelite radio, with the use of these special plastics, in art deco radios of the 1930s to 1950s, along with other great tube radios included, such as Fada brand, Addison or Sentinel have since become truly great collector radios as well as unusual gifts for men. The 1940s, the war years, played many a song for the GI family's. Own a real piece of History?

Have a conversation heirloom, for both home or office, with one of these multi generation, beautiful, working, art deco radios.