| Frequently Asked Questions |
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- Q: How do I find out about sales, new pieces, or Special Promotions?
A: Sign up for my “First Dibs” newsletter announcements. (Click on “First
Dibs” on the homepage.)
- Q: Why did I not receive a confirmation e-mail from my online order?
A: When using PayPal to pay for your order, you must click on "Return to
Merchant" option on the Paypal confirmation page.
- Q: How can I be sure that my Paypal payment went through.
A: When using PayPal to pay for your order, you must click on "Return to
Merchant" option on the Paypal confirmation page.
- Q: What is your return policy?
A: I want everyone who shops at BakeliteCache.com to love everything they
buy. I am happy to exchange or return your piece if there is a problem. I am
sorry that I cannot refund any shipping charges.
- Q: What is your privacy policy?
A: Your email and information will NOT be shared with anyone, ever!
BakeliteCache.com is a secure web site.
- Q: What is “bakelite”?
A: Bakelite is a completely synthetic plastic, developed and patented in
1907 by Leo Hendrik Baekeland as a shellac substitute. Celluloid and plastic
were just being developed, and Baekeland’s new substance, with it superior
properties of being insoluble, infusible, and cost-effective, soon made it
the dominant leader in that field for handles, radio boxes, and, of course,
personal jewelry.
Brief chemistry tutorial: Bakelite is sometimes referred to as a
“phenolic plastic” because it is made from phenol, a petroleum by-product.
The characterizing feature of phenolic plastic it that it can always be made
to release its distinctive smell.
- Q: How can I test that my piece to see if it is bakelite or phenolic
plastic?
A: Bakelite will release a faint but distinctive smell if you rub the piece
with your fingers (that rubbing gently heats the Bakelite, and it is that
heat which releases the smell). Another way to apply gentle heat is by
putting the piece under hot water for a few seconds. A more conclusive test
is to use Simichrome, a polishing paste—Simichrome is pink, and when a small
amount is rubbed on Bakelite (usually by putting a drop of Simichrome on a
Q-tip, and rubbing the “back” of the piece), the pink Simichrome turns
yellow. Pink Simichrome does not change color when it is rubbed on other
plastics such as lucite, celluloid, or French bakelite.
- Q: What is “French bakelite” or “Galalith”?
A: French bakelite, like lucite, celluloid, and Mr. Baekeland’s bakelite,
is a type of plastic. Unlike bakelite, which is based on phenolic or
petroleum-based liquid, French bakelite is a milk-based plastic. It does not
test like traditional bakelite. Another name for French bakelite is Galalith
(pronounced “Ga-la-leet”). My favorite story about how Galalith was invented
involves a cat who “worked” in a chemistry laboratory. The cat knocked over
a bottle of formaldehyde (formaldehyde is a phenolic liquid) and some of it
spilled into the cat’s milk bowl. The cat intelligently ignored its bowl,
and overnight the milk curdled into a horn-like substance. A laboratory
worker noticed that the substance could be cut, shaped, and polished, and a
new plastic was invented! Unlike the permanent residual smell that can be
brought out on bakelite, the burnt-milk smell on gently heated Galalith is
usually too faded to discern.
- Q: How can you test that a piece is French bakelite or Galalith?
A: Like celluloid and most other plastics, there is really no test for
French bakelite. It is milk-based, so it will not test using Simichrome.
Sometimes, but not always, gently heating the piece with hot water will
release a faint odor of burnt milk.
- Q: How do I, the seller, know that a pin, bracelet, or other piece of
jewelry is bakelite?
A: Before I describe a piece as bakelite, I test it with (1) hot water or
rubbing, to bring out the distinctive smell, (2) with Simichrome (a dab of
pink Simichrome on a Q-tip turns yellow when rubbed against the piece), or
(3) using both methods.
- Q: What about testing bakelite with a hot pin?
A: Never use a hot pin! It will leave a hole in the piece!
- Q: What is “new old stock”?
A: “New old stock” refers to old pieces that have never been used or worn.
They usually come from long-out-of-business manufacturers, from old
warehouses, or from companies that acquired liquidated merchandise.
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