MMD > Archives > December 2005 > 2005.12.28 > 09Prev  Next


Celluloid
By Mark Kinsler

Pratt, Read & Co. said:

> ... It is applied with the same adhesive that we use on the
> cellulose nitrate that we still use on a decreasing percentage
> of our keys.

I think that cellulose nitrate plastic is better known as celluloid,
and that its use is banned, at least in the US, for anything but
Ping-Pong balls.  The problem is that it burns explosively and gives
off some truly unhealthy gases when it does.  That is why to this day
movie projection booths are fireproofed to extremes, though movies
stopped using celluloid film eons ago.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cellulose.pdf tells about this.  I wonder
if they use celluloid in other parts of player pianos.

Mark Kinsler

 [ At http://www.goironbound.com/html/history_body.htm :
 [ "... this complex was first known as Celluloid Corporation of America.
 [ It was founded by John W. Hyatt, who in 1868 invented celluloid; this
 [ was the first cellulose nitrate, and from it sprang the entire plastics
 [ industry."  -- Robbie


(Message sent Wed 28 Dec 2005, 12:29:29 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

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