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What is Bakelite?

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

Bakelite is another name for phenolic resin, an early form of plastic. Today, objects made from Bakelite are considered highly collectible, although in its glory days of the 1930s and 1940s, it was seen as an inexpensive alternative to high-end jewelry materials such as jade and pearl.

A Belgian-born chemist named Leo Baekeland used his profits from the sale of Velox, a film treatment used by newspapers, to set up an independent lab in Yonkers, New York around the year 1901. Dr. Baekeland spent several years working on a durable coating for the lanes of bowling alleys, similar to today's protective polyurethane floor sealants. He combined carbolic acid and formaldehyde to form phenolic resin. This resin would remain pourable long enough to apply to hardwood flooring, but then become insoluble and impermeable after curing. Dr. Baekeland patented this early form of plastic and started his own Bakelite corporation around 1910 to market it to heavy industry and automobile manufacturers. Bakelite could be used for electric insulators or as an insulating coating for automotive wiring.

Thomas Edison used Bakelite to make his early commercial phonograph records.
Thomas Edison used Bakelite to make his early commercial phonograph records.

After a decade of primarily industrial applications, Bakelite soon entered the consumer market. Thomas Edison used it as the base for his early commercial phonograph records. It was also used to form billiard balls and as decorative handles for flatware and hand-held mirrors. Bakelite could be melted and poured into lead molds to form the shape of drinking glasses, flower vases, musical instruments and other consumer goods. It replaced an earlier, more flammable form of plastic called celluloid.

Bakelite could be melted and poured into lead molds to form the shape of a radio.
Bakelite could be melted and poured into lead molds to form the shape of a radio.

Bakelite products were not often mass-produced through an injection mold process. Craftsmen who wanted to create jewelry or other decorative items from would order it in the form of cylinders or blocks. Powered hand tools and grinders would allow artisans to carve out individual pieces for resale. Bakelite jewelry became the rage among fashionable consumers, but its relatively low cost also made it popular among the general public during the Depression. In 1927, the original patent expired and the rights to the process were bought by a company called Catalin. Manufacturers learned how to add a full palette of colors to the resin and Bakelite-Catalin continued to be popular until the late 1940s.

The Belgian-born developer of Bakelite spent several years working on a coating for the lanes of bowling alleys.
The Belgian-born developer of Bakelite spent several years working on a coating for the lanes of bowling alleys.

Ultimately, Bakelite-Catalin's labor-intensive process proved to be its undoing. After World War II, mass production became the plastic industry's buzzword and this early form became a pleasant memory. Collectors today prize it for its patina and its versatility. Unscrupulous dealers, however, have tried to sell other plastic items as authentic Bakelite. One test for authenticity is called the hot pin test. Interested buyers should find an inconspicuous area of the object in question and apply a heated pin. True Bakelite gives off a distinctive odor as it melts, very similar to the scent of burnt human hair. If the pin melts the object but no formaldehyde/burnt hair odor is detected, it is most likely an imitation.

Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular AboutMechanics contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...
Michael Pollick
Michael Pollick

A regular AboutMechanics contributor, Michael enjoys doing research in order to satisfy his wide-ranging curiosity about a variety of arcane topics. Before becoming a professional writer, Michael worked as an English tutor, poet, voice-over artist, and DJ.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

khaledhabbab

I would like to know how I can make the bakelite stiffer and more durable. I have a college assignment on it.

anon241772

We're trying to make bakelite in school. We have a recipe but it isn't working! Can anyone give us a sure fire way of producing Bakelite safely in school? --Pen

anon153925

Its usages in electric switches and plugs?

anon152362

Do you have pictures of bakelite jewelry?

anon147388

I would like to know the percentage of phenol and formaldehyde for making bakelite, and also the preparation or mechanism of bakelite.

anon124253

20g phenol and 36-40 percent of 25g formaldehyde.

tsvanmeet

I would like to know the percentage of phenol and formaldehyde for making bakelite. Also need to know what coloring agent was used to get the dark brown on early distributor caps. What is the thermosetting procedure?

anon74798

What are the newest types of plastics which are heat resistant and non-conductive of electricity?

anon52591

Anybody know how to cut, carve, join and polish old Bakelite stock? Or can you direct me to a good source for this information? Thanks!

ane6rh

can we come to know how to make/prepare the bakelite rods/block ?. thanks.

ane6rh

please can i know the percentage/ratio of carbolic + formaldehyde to make bakelite resin.

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    • Thomas Edison used Bakelite to make his early commercial phonograph records.
      By: nickolae
      Thomas Edison used Bakelite to make his early commercial phonograph records.
    • Bakelite could be melted and poured into lead molds to form the shape of a radio.
      By: greg mercurio
      Bakelite could be melted and poured into lead molds to form the shape of a radio.
    • The Belgian-born developer of Bakelite spent several years working on a coating for the lanes of bowling alleys.
      By: terex
      The Belgian-born developer of Bakelite spent several years working on a coating for the lanes of bowling alleys.
    • Artisans may use bakelite to create different pieces of jewelry.
      By: Sergey Goruppa
      Artisans may use bakelite to create different pieces of jewelry.
    • Bakelite was formerly used to create billiards balls.
      By: Ruslan Kokarev
      Bakelite was formerly used to create billiards balls.