MANY PLASTIC ARTICLES USED IN THE HOME

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 75, 28 July 1950, Page 6

MANY PLASTIC ARTICLES USED IN THE HOME

The wide use of plastics today in the construction of articles previously made from wood and metal, many of which are popular in Whakatane homes, has a number of advantages, but from the many inquiries received by the Dominion Laboratory it is apparent that users of these materials do not fully appreciate their present limitations. What are popularly known as plastics are best classified under two groups. They are both what scientists call cynthetic resins—synthetic because they are made from such raw materials as coal tar, petroleum and natural gas, which upon distilation or cracking yield much of the raw material used. The differentiation between the two groups is that one of them cannot be re-softened by heating after it has been made such as bakelite, and the other can be re-soft-ened and moulded if heated to a certain temperature. Perspex is a member of this group. The thermosetting or bakelite types of plastics made from carbolic

acid and formalin are generally dark in colour—ranging from light brown to black—but there are also forms, made from a different raw material, that are available in white and coloured shades. The advantage of these types is that they are unaffected by moderate heat and organic solvents. They have a disadvantage that in some forms they are rather brittle in texture. They are employed in many types of well known household ■'mouldings, such as electrical fittings, and are used in many paints and varnishes. The thermoplastic (perspex) types are used in many hundreds of forms amongst which are nylon materials, paints, wash basins, water pipes, skylight roofing and wallpaper. In many forms thermoplastic material is exceptionally tough, and has high impact strength. Its disadvantages are that it is affected by heat and by the organic solvents that are used, for instance, in lacquers and paints. In some respects sinks and basins made from the thermoplastics are less susceptible to damage than those made from other materials, but experience will show if they were more acceptable to the householder. One housewife stood a very hot and heavy saucepan in her new plastic sink and this naturally left its mark.