How do you tell if it's bakelite?

[Former_Member]

Hi bakelite experts! I am new to bakelite. I have purchased a few pieces of jewelry that *might* be bakelite, I am doubtful though. But, I really just can't figure out how to tell. I've read about the smells like formadelhyde test, and rubbing it with 409 or something. How do you really tell????

[Former_Member]

Hi princess! I personally use the Simi-Chrome test. SimiChrome is a metal cleaning paste that comes in a yellow and red tube and you only need a tiny dab of it per item to be tested! I use Q-tips and apply just a small dot on the BACK of buttons or on the inside of bracelets -- the least conspicuous place you can find. Then rub like crazy! No matter what color the Bakelite is, there will be a yellow hue to the Q-tip. Be sure to wipe off any remaining paste. I choose out-of-the-way places for testing, as if per chance it turns out the item is NOT Bakelite, the cleaner can damage come materials (another reason why you need to make sure you wipe away any traces asap). Some people use the 'hot needle' test, but I do not like this idea and as of yet, have refrained from using it.

Bakelite also has a different sound to it AND if you rub it hard enough with the pad of your thumb (until your thumb feels warm), you should be able to smell it. Some say formaldehyde, but to me it's more like a petroleum product smell. Hope this helps!

[Former_Member]

Thanks Heirloom Angel. Interesting! So, where do I find the Simi-Chrome? Like Home Depot or Michael's?

[Former_Member]

I got it at an antique shop, but I think even places like Wal-Mart have it. It's somewhere around $9.00 a tube here, but is highly concentrated, so the tube lasts forever! It is not quite as big as a tube of toothpaste and you can find it in the cleaning supplies with the other metal polishes. I've also used MAAS metal cleaning paste, but trust the Simi-Chrome more. I don't use 409 because it tends to discolor things, and depending on the material, will give you a very nice DULL spot! :{ Good Luck!!!

[Former_Member]

Sorry, if I break in. I have always had to drive to buy mine at a metal dealer shop also. I do know that I have seen Etsians selling it.
Well worth the time & travel to see who has it here.
As Heirloom said.... a little GOES a LONG way! Get some q-tips , too!

[AgeofPlastic]

Hi! I thought I should toss my hat into this discussion. I'm going to babble on incessantly for a while. Please, never test resin washed, wood laminated or painted pieces by any method! I was at an antique show once, talking with a dealer about a piece. She didn't know what kind of plastic it was, and before I realized what she was doing, she whipped out a tube of simichrome and wiped the top of the bangle. A huge pinky-purple smear came off on her paper towel. Needless to say, I didn't buy the bangle, because she just ruined it.

I defer to the great Saint Karima Parry, who notes that simichrome can often create a false negative. It's great for polishing plastics (and metals!) and fine for quick testing. It's also completely true that 409 can dull the finish of plastics. The 409 issue has been long debated among collectors. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. If you use it, I suggest you use very little, and *always* clean it off immediately with soap and water. It shouldn't leave a mark if done with care. Don't test the front of any piece, always do the back/inside. My museum-y background says, least invasive is always best. Rubbing if it works, then hot water, then simichrome or 409 if you really have to.

So, what the heck is a girl to do? Learn the old fashioned way, and handle lots and lots of plastics. I'm not endorsing that you go broke by buying hundreds of pieces of Bakelite, but if your sole source of buying plastics is the internet it will take a long time to get a sense of that "feel," we collectors are always babbling about. All plastics have varying weights and textures (and occasionally smells), and the only way to learn that is to buy a few and handle many. Go to antique shows and flea markets. Talk to dealers (but don't necessarily trust them!). Compare the Bakelite and Galalith to see how they smell different. Rub your thumb against the Lucite and Bakelite to see how it slips on one and resists against the other. Take a measuring tape and measure the inside openings of bangles (2 1/2" is the number you're looking for on older bangles, although that's not an absolute indicator). Learn the common colors and the colors you will never see in Bakelite, like white. Believe it or not, after a while, you will know most Bakelite on site and feel, and you won't even really want to test anymore.

And, most of all...read! I love talking to people about these things and am up for a convo any day, but the way to protect ourselves is to educate ourselves. I'd like to suggest the following books to you. If you can't buy them, your local library can probably get them for you: 1) Karima Parry's _Bakelite Bangles_ (The Bible for Bakelite collectors. It will teach you much about identifying and collecting Bakelite). 2) Leigh Leshner's _Collecting Art Plastic Jewelry_ (There is the best section on identifying plastics, which she divides into human-made like Lucite and Bakelite, and natural, like horn and tortoise shell. A must-read.) 3) Tortoriello & Lyons' _Plastic Bangles_ (They also have a book called _Bakelite Jewelry: The Art of the Carver_ which is another classic. These two women are the top experts in this area today. Their knowledge in plastics is impressive, and they are just nice people on top of that. I know I'm not supposed to endorse other websites, but you can convo me if you want to know about their shops on another site.) There are other books too. Build a good library, and refer to it often, so you can begin to recognize patterns, colors, hardware. I wish you luck, and a lot of fun! :)

Cheers,

AoP

[Former_Member]

HOLY MOLY! Thanks a ton!! Super info! My turn to babble...:) I totally agree with you about experience. As far as simichrome, I'd never heard of the false negative issue! THANK YOU! My favorite method in the world is the 'thumb rub!' I am to the point where I only test if I am in doubt. Usually, after a while of dealing with it, you know it on site.

Thank you for joining and for the incredible info!!
Angela

[Former_Member]

Hi AgeofPlastic!

Glad you posted! You can babble all you want. You've got great advice! Thank you!

[TimelessTreasuresVCB]

I use the 409 test. I spray 409 on a white paper towel and find a small area inside the bracelet. Gently rub. If the paper towel turns dark gold it is Bakelite! I also do the test by feel

[Former_Member]

Princess -- I have to agree with AoP on a MAJOR point = do your research! We can all give ideas and opinions, but you need to find what works the best for you! :) Books are SO valuable! Often times they have conflicting information though, so this is where your own experimentation comes in.

i.e.; Per AoP, Karima Perry states that simichrome can produce a false negative. But in Leigh Leshner's book, she suggests using it. LOL! Can you say 'LIBRARY?' LOL!

Good luck! :)

[Former_Member]

Very well put Heirloom! Thank you for posting!

just for the record: I would live in a total bakelite house if I could! :) I would rub the walls all day and just smell that bakelite!

[Former_Member]

LOL! Why does that last comment NOT surprise me! I'm amazed that you ever part with any of it!! ;)

[AgeofPlastic]

Okay, I just had the weirdest experience I thought I would share.

Disclaimer: I do *not* endorse this as a testing method! I had several thin bangles/spacers that I wore to work today and I had set them aside so they weren't in the way while I was typing. Anyway, they were sitting next to this bottle of hand sanitizer. I went to use the sanitizer and a little dripped down onto the bangles... sheesh. I figured, no biggie, they're just old spacers I wear all the time... and I went to wipe it off with a kleenex. Guess what... the kleenex turned yellow. I don't know what the heck they're putting in hand sanitizer that would do that, but I'm keeping my jewelry away from it! Holy cats!

[Former_Member]

Heirloom! :)
AgeofPlastic: Get out! That is so odd. Isn't hand sani just alcohol? Hmmm.... I may find some old piece of bakelite and test it! Very strange. Thanks for sharing!

[AgeofPlastic]

Maybe I accidentally invented something... I'll remember you all when I've retired with my riches from AgeofPlastic's (TM) Magic Bakelite Testing Potion ;)

[Former_Member]

AoP--Holy Cats is right! Thanks for the warning! Well...being me and having a medical background (not to mention a SERIOUSLY intense curiosity), the first thing I did after reading this was compare the ingredients of Simichrome and hand sanitizer. The only ingredient that these products have in common...are you ready 4 this? Glycerine! I may just have to take a 'junker' bakelite button and check into this a tad more!

Found it interesting; just thought I'd share!