The Gem of Modern Industry

 

Catalin is a brand name for a thermosetting polymer developed and trademarked in 1927 by the American Catalin Corporation of New York City after the company acquired the patents for Bakelite. "The Gem of Modern Industry" according to period advertising, Catalin took things a step beyond Bakelite, making appealing plastics by adding color to a liquid resin that was cast in lead forms and allowed to slowly cool then polished to a fine sheen. This fact made Catalin more popular than other types of Bakelite for consumer products. Whereas Bakelite was used for items like insulators for electrical systems, black rotary dial telephones or handles on Deco-era toasters, Catalin was used for manufacturing colorful jewelry, clocks and radios that were labor-intensive processes cured with heat, then polished by hand into Art Deco designs. Like Bakelite, Catalin gives off a distinctive chemical odor when heated. Due to oxidation, older Catalin items darken in color and white discolors to yellow. This caused interesting effects in radio cabinets. Catalin items are widely collected today.

Note: The grips on actor John Wayne's iconic six-shooter, seen in every western from 1966 to 1969, were made of Catalin, not ivory, as often thought.