Bakelite

Mary Todd Glaser <nedcc [at] world__std__com> wrote

>I'd like to hear from anyone who knows anything about identifying
>bakelite, the plastic used to make the very "collectible" costume
>jewelry of the 40's and 50's.  Are there simple tests?

A very good article to refer to is "Celluloid Objects: Their
Chemistry and Preservation", written by Julie Reilly, in the
_Journal of the American Institute for Conservation_, Vol. 30, No.
2, Fall 1991. The diphenylamine test referred to therein (also found
in CCI Notes, No. 17/2), is fairly simple and straightforward,
although one does have to be careful with it--the diphenylamine is
made into a solution with 90% sulfuric acid for this type of test.
The limited quantity (100 ml) made will be enough for hundreds of
tests though. The solution should be stored in a brown glass bottle
and carefully labelled as to its contents. Hope this helps

Barbara Brown

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:14
                   Distributed: Friday, July 28, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-14-001
                                  ***