Page 38 - January1948

NATIONAL BUTTON BULLETIN

The origin of Casein plastics goes back to 1897. They are derived from
skimmed or sour milk, and are particularly adaptable for the making of
buttons. When ground flsh scales are added to this plastic, a beautitul
pearlized surface is obtained. Caseiu plastics are kuown by the tlade names
of Ameroid, Gala, and Galorn.
The Cellulose plastics are derived from wood, cotton, cornstalks, and
other cellulose fibers; and in the new form of plastics they can be easily
molded or fabricated. Cellulose pltrstics, in oDe form or another, have been
used by mankind for rnore than seveilty years. The modern Cellulose plastics
corne to the fabricator in fouLways, as small gl'anules of colored rnolding
rnaterials, in liquid form, in sheets, rods, or tubes of nrany colcrs, or in verl'
thin foil for packaging purposes.
Cellulose Acetate is much in denand fol modern buttons. X.Iany of the
so-called "goofy" buttons, in the shapes of animals, birds, etc., have beerr
made from Cellulose Acetate. They may be easily recognized by noticing the
rough edge about one-eighth of an inch long, lvhere the buttons have been
bloken off from the rDold. To give a more lustl'ous effect ground fish scales
are sornetin.les added. Very lovely buttons are appearing in quantities on
the market this Autunrn which are Cellulose Acetate Metalized. Some of
these appear to be gold, others silver plated. One of the widely advertised
trade names for Cellulose Acetate is Lumarith.
The Styreue plastics were flrst made in this country in 1937, but they
were ploduced in Engla[d uearly one hundred years before. Polystyrene,
produced by the Bakelite Corpolation, is the best known trade name in this
group. It is prepared in all the opaque and trausparent colors. The crystal
clear and the transparent colors are particularly brilliant and sparkling,
and are nruch used in making imitation jewels. When Polystyrene was
first made, it developed a yellowish tinge if exposed to the sunlight tor even
a few minutes. The chemists added sun-tan lotion to the basic ingredients,
and the result \tras a pernanent crystal clear: plastic. Polystyrene aud Methyl
Methacrylate, the last type we are to consider, have the optical clarity of
qnartz crystal.
Methyl Methacrylate is genelally designated in the trade as Acrylic.
Both it and Polystyrene are lighter in rveight and less fragile than glass, and
they are not brittle; but they scr'atch more easily than glass.
Modern plastic buttons as collectors'itenrs have not yet reached the
popularity of old glass or picture buttons; but the trend of the tin'res seems
to predict that during the lext few years modern plastics will become a very
important part of the hobby, and there will be hundreds of button collectors
who will specialize in them.
As collectors of modern plastic buttons, let ns try to not be too exacting
in designating the type of material flom which each button is rnade, for
evelr the experts admit that it is often difficult to distinguish for a certaint!'
l)et11'een closely related types.
Note: At the Cliuic, Dr. Gould made particular mention of the Styrene
plastics rvhich wele discoveled in 1li39 brrt only made in this country in 1939.
He laid stress on their transparency, particularly Polystrene, which is so sat-
isfactory in its brilliancy that it is used for initation jewels. Methyl Metha-
crylate is also c|ystal clear.
Both Dr'. Gould and \{iss Shull have pointed out the difficulty of deter-
nrining the exact material *'hen it cornes to making up a tray of transparelrt
buttons snch as "Lucite," "Polystrene" and "Methyl Methacrylate." The
buttolis *'e have illustrated here from the collection of Edith lla]l, (of Middle-
town. Connecticut). They are examples of various types and a great nnmber
of us are satisfied to enter them under the name of transparent plastics.
\Ve have consnlted experts in this field, and agree with 1\[iss Shull's
stateDrent that we should not be too exacting until we become Drore familiar
with evety type of plastic. I s'onder how many collectors know an opilque
"Lucite" color.ed button ra'hen they see one? I anr not at all fool-pr>of. This
is such a vast field and \,!'e al'e mere begiuners. As infornratiou presents
itself that rvill help us to distinguish more accurately these various plastics,
we shall do our best to present it to you. Ed.