Dear list,
A customer asked about plastic and ivory which prompted me to wonder
when plastic first came on the scene. I had always thought this century
was the age of plastics, but then again, some older uprights have
plastic keytops, soooooo....a search ensued and this is what came up:
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http://www.pvc.org/factfile/intro.htm
FROM STONE AGE TO POLYMER AGE
Man has worked hard from earliest times to develop synthetic
materials which would offer benefits not found
in the natural products around him.
Since its first development in the 19th century one such material
is to be found everywhere in modern-day
society ... synthetic plastic.
Cellulose nitrate was one of the first synthetic plastics.
Discovered by Alexander Parkes in the middle of the
last century, it was first put on show at London's Great
Exhibition in 1862 and was used for such things as
shoe soles and billiard balls.
John Wesley Hyatt improved cellulose nitrate by blending it with
camphor in 1869 and called his new product
Celluloid. This early plastic became popular for use as combs,
buttons and cutlery handles...
(There is more text + graphics at this site)
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Keith A. McGavern
kam544@ionet.net
Registered Piano Technician
Piano Techicians Guild
Oklahoma Chapter 731
Shawnee, OK, USA
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