Sources Of Celluloid Ca. 1925-1950

[FredRydr]

Can anyone share references to articles and research about sources of celluloids that manufacturers used to make pens and pencils in the second quarter of the twentieth century? Put simply, who made the stuff?

 

I'm looking for detail, because I want to trace a certain pattern used by several American and European pen and pencil manufacturers.

Edited January 27, 2019 by FredRydr

[MarcShiman]

Fred,

 

There's some info in this post.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/332743-my-modest-collection-of-late-production-american-swans/

 

Essentially, DuPont was the main company making pen plastics in the US.

[FredRydr]

Fred,

 

There's some info in this post.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/332743-my-modest-collection-of-late-production-american-swans/

 

Essentially, DuPont was the main company making pen plastics in the US.

 

Thanks, Marc. I'll have a look.

 

Perhaps a hop over to Wilmington to delve into corporate archives, if they'd allow it.

[MarcShiman]

The Hagley Museum has their archives. Most of it is online, but visiting wouldn't be a bad idea.

 

I don't have my notes with me right now, I could list some of my sources.

 

There's quite a bit of information out about how plastics became a part of everyday life, and the development of Arlington Works and the Celluloid Corporation. However, there isn't that much about the use of celluloid in pens, because for the most part pens were one of the last applications of celluloid nitrate. By the time pens started using it in the late 20's, most of the world had moved on from Cellulose Nitrate to Cellulose Acetate or rayon. It's not entirely clear why pens didn't also make that transition, except maybe for cost and I've heard that the early forms of cellulose acetate were very water soluble and the plastic might have reacted badly to ink. I don't know that, I'm just speculating.

 

I had to read a lot to get little bits and pieces of information.

 

The stability of celluloid did improve in the 30's, but I never ran across anything that explained what they were doing differently, or how they came up with the various patterns. Most of what I found were the different techniques and machines they were using to fabricate barrels and caps.

 

I never found anything in the Hagley Museum related to DuPont's pen business.

[AAAndrew]

Hagley Museum in on my list of "want to visit."

[Roger W.]

Sheaffer originally got Cellulose from DuPont, Fiberloid Company and Cellulose Corp. Nixon Nitration would have been a supplier as well but, they had an extensive explosion in 1924 which took them out of the running. It appears that DuPont became the leading supplier 2 years later but, other suppliers still made stock for Sheaffer as well.

 

Roger W.

[Kaweco]

..........

I'm looking for detail, because I want to trace a certain pattern used by several American and European pen and pencil manufacturers.

Hello Fred

Can you show a pic this pattern?

Thank you and Kind Regards

Thomas

[MarcShiman]

Sheaffer originally got Cellulose from DuPont, Fiberloid Company and Cellulose Corp. Nixon Nitration would have been a supplier as well but, they had an extensive explosion in 1924 which took them out of the running. It appears that DuPont became the leading supplier 2 years later but, other suppliers still made stock for Sheaffer as well.

 

Roger W.

 

As Roger mentioned, Nixon blew up (it was in a factory that shared a common wall with a storage facility for spent artillery shells). The Celluloid Company closed up and moved to Cumberland to make rayon in 1927. I believe DuPont bought Fibraloid Corporation (in addition to Arlington Works), making them pretty much the only game in town.

 

Celluloid was more of an artisan profession, so it certainly could be done in small scale. Probably the plastics done for Indian brand pens was done in some small shop. But by the late 20's in the US, DuPont was the main manufacturer of all celluloid in the US under the Pyralin brand name.

[FredRydr]

Hello Fred

Can you show a pic this pattern?

Thank you and Kind Regards

Thomas

 

 

The pattern is commonly known as "Ray," as in Silver-Ray, Emerald-Ray, Copper-Ray and Blue-Ray. It is most familiar in Waterman's Ink-Vue pens, but it was incorporated into a surprising list of American and European pens, from Wearever to Montblanc!

 

I tried to display an example, but FPN kept blocking the links. Just enter "Waterman Ink-Vue fountain pen" in your search engine for images.

Edited January 29, 2019 by FredRydr

[JonSzanto]

I tried to display an example, but FPN kept blocking the links. Just enter "Waterman Ink-Vue fountain pen" in your search engine for images.

 

http://i.imgur.com/TMgEaod.jpg

[Kaweco]

Very nice! I have some "Hermann Böhler" /Germany. I am pretty sure that Böhler had his own sources in Germany. Many Celluloid manufacturing works had been located in the south- west e.g. in Speyer, Pfungstadt, Mannheim- Neckarau and Ober- Ramstadt. This pattern had been very costly so I do not expect that Böhler made an expensive import from USA.

Kind Regards

Thomas

Edited January 30, 2019 by Kaweco

[FredRydr]

Thanks, Jon. Perhaps links to images on FPG are banned here.

 

I'll be speaking with Mark Hoover, who attempted a start-up of genuine celluloid production especially for pens, some in classic patterns. (Some of you may recall the effort to reproduce a 60th Anniversary green striated 146 a decade ago.) I'll get some insight from Mark into how these intricate patterns were created in big lumps of soft celluloid, and still come out in such repeatable geometric patterns in the final cured slabs and cut rods.

 

Thomas, I have a Böhler in Ray pattern in my collection...somewhere.

Edited January 30, 2019 by FredRydr

[Ron Z]

 

 

Perhaps links to images on FPG are banned here.

 

I think they are.

 

I trust Mark, but I don't trust any of the modern celluloids. I've seen too many go bad on some really expensive pens.