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Red Vulcanite Rather Than Other Colours


checkrail

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Pens of the vulcanite/ebonite/hard rubber age appear, if they were not the ubiquitous black, to have been much more commonly red, plain or some ripple variant, than any alternative colour, although obviously there were others. Was this for technical reasons or simply a response to the market/fashion?

Kind regards,

Timothy

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To para quote the Society of Dyers and Colourists Journal of Feb 1929

 

'(production of hard rubber) ...is subject to fairly drastic treatment in the process of vulcanisation.... is subject to the actions of sulphur chloride; subject to the action of sulphur at comparatively high temperatures with the action of live steam......It is not surprising that until recently rubber was mostly black, grey, white or red......discovery of organic super accelerators ...that have allowed brightly coloured rubber seen in the last few years....'

 

And then they discovered celluloids which produced much better finishes.

Edited by peterg
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Thanks very much. That goes far to answering the question. Celluloid did certainly render the issue academic.

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Thanks very much. That goes far to answering the question. Celluloid did certainly render the issue academic.

And once we had celluloid we could create this:

 

http://www.fototime.com/7050C44CE2CBB98/large.jpg

 

My Website

 

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