Bakelite?

N

Nicole Miller

Registered Guest
Hi there, I have a bangle that I think is bakelite but it has a sticker saying, Made in India. From what I've been reading, vintage bakelite was not typically made in India. I've done the smell and 409 test and they've both been positive, but the sticker is throwing me off. What do you all think?
 

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Linn said:
I agree. It doesn't look like Bakelite. I don't think of India for Bakelite - vintage or otherwise. One of the things that looks really "odd" about this piece is the thickness of the wall of the bracelet.
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Linn, you are exactly right! The thickness of this piece is very curious, indeed. Just looks "not right" for bakelite. And the color is a little off, too!
 
This to me look like modern plastic that has been made in recent years and may possibly be resin coated so that it smells and passes when tested to be Bakelite. It's pretty but I agree that it does not look like Bakelite. Modern plastic bracelets are hollow and lightweight in comparison to the solid and heavier feel of Bakelite. Bakelite also sinks in water whereas many of today's plastics such as those made with polypropylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene float in water. There are some other modern plastics that do sink which are those made with polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate so if it sinks you cannot automatically assume it to be Bakelite but if it floats you know for sure it's not.
 
Furwise said:
Bakelite also sinks in water whereas many of today's plastics such as those made with polypropylene, low density polyethylene, and high density polyethylene float in water. There are some other modern plastics that do sink which are those made with polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate so if it sinks you cannot automatically assume it to be Bakelite but if it floats you know for sure it's not.
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That is a useful test! I didn't know that.
 
I didn't know about this either so yesterday after I read about Bakelite sinking I filled my kitchen sink with water and tried it. Everything I tested sank. Two pieces I tried "could" have been Bakelite -but once they sank, I took off the bangles I was wearing, dropped them in the sink and they sank. These two bangles I know are lightweight plastic and I expected they would float. I don't know what kind of plastic they are, but they are definitely not "Bakelite" contenders.

I don't think the sink or float test is going to be that helpful. As Caryn mentioned polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate all sink. I don't think there is any way to tell what type of plastic something is made from - other than the traditional way. I still would use the sniff test, the wipe test with Bakelite testing pads, 409 or simichrome, clink or clunk, feel the weight, check for mold lines and most important evaluate the overall look and feel of the piece.

Linn
 
That's right. Some modern plastics do sink. I mentioned some of them in my last post so you cannot determine a piece to be Bakelite because it sinks. When checking to see if your plastic sinks or floats you can only use the result to determine that the plastic is not Bakelite if it floats.
It's not a test to determine whether a plastic is Bakelite but it is an easy quick test that can automatically rule Bakelite out.
 
I understood completely, and I think it's a useful first test. If it floats you don't need to test any further, you then know it's not bakelite, but if it sinks you can move on to other tests. I've never found bakelite an easy thing to determine, so having an easy first test that might rule bakelite out is useful.
 
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