Bakelite ®

Series 2: Bakelite and Duroplasts.

In the first half of the 20th century, the term “Bakelite” had become virtually synonymous with plastics, and since the emergence of its thermoplastic successors, the term has been used colloquially to distinguish the old, heavy Duroplasts (melamines, phenolic resins) from what is more or less pejoratively referred to simply as “plastic.” However, contrary to what most people assume based on common usage, Bakelite is not a generic term but a brand name—specifically, that of Bakelite AG in Iserlohn (which, since its parent company Rütgerwerke sold it to Borden Chemical in 2005, has been under the ownership of various American chemical companies and is now owned by Momentive Specialty Chemicals). This presents us with a terminological problem: Bakelite is a Duroplast, but not every Duroplast is Bakelite. So we must make a distinction: The black and white switch series are both molded from Duroplasts, but only the black series is Bakelite in the trademark sense, while the white series is molded from a related synthetic resin. You can read more about Bakelite and its significance in the history of materials and culture, as well as its status as a cult material,  here.

You can find the Duroplast switch series here.