Roger E. Blumberg wrote: > > >>From: Frank Nordberg <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>Date: Sun, 22 Oct 2006 14:03:19 +0200 >>To: [email protected] >>Subject: [CITTERN] Re: Andrade Portuguese guitarra >> >>Roger E. Blumberg wrote: >> >> >> >>>Humor me if you would. Take a pin or needle, grab it with pliers, >>> >>> >>.. >> >> >>>Smell like burning plastic? >>> >>> > > > > >>Oh, we're definitely at a time long before plastic was invented. There's >>absolutely no doubt about that! >> >> > >that's the point, we should be (pre-plastic). >So what material is Ron's bound with if not plastic? What material is so >bright white and pliable? >
Celluloid, used as a material for furniture and instrument binding from well before the 1890s. Coloured celluloid, various types of early setting resin materials, 'compo' plastics - the stuff used for Union cases, photo frames, cheap jewellery, fake jet, fake ivory, fake pearl etc. Plastics are a 19th century invention. However, you would not want to poke a heated probe into a 19th century celluloid plastic instrument binding. They are highly unstable and can break into a semi-explosive flame, just the same way that early cine film (1890s) and photo rollfilm (ditto) on nitrocellulose bases can do. The gases which are the real danger with films (sealed in canisters, so nowhere to escape) are not a problem with instrument bindings but any artificial ivory of the 19th c needs treating with caution. David To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
