Bakelite History

• Leo Hendrik Baekeland, a chemist, invented and patented a synthetic resin in 1907. He called it Bakelite. In 1910 he started the General Bakelite Company to manufacture the plastic for use in industry and its first use was in making billiard balls. When Baekeland's patents expired in 1927 other companies began making the material, providing competition and allowing manufacture of lower-priced consumer items. Bakelite began showing up in items as small as buttons.
  
  

Bakelite Beads

• Bakelite beads are available in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes and have found their way into the art of making jewelry. Vintage Bakelite pieces are available, but reproductions are being made as well.
  
  

Bakelite Properties

• Bakelite can be molded, which makes it easier to work with than celluloid so it was used for various products. It is a thermosetting resin, meaning that once it is molded it will keep its shape regardless of heat or the application of solvents. It has high resistance to electricity and heat, which makes it ideal for the automobile industry. It was used in non-conducting parts of radios as well as light sockets and bulbs. It was used to support other electrical devices, too.
  
  

Other Uses

• Bakelite was also found in iron handles, telephones and washing machines. The Bakelite Corporation's motto was "The Material of a Thousand Uses."