Featured Can't decide if this is bakelite..

Invention from the Belgian, born in Ghent, Leo Baekeland, so just Bakeliet would also be good to say
https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Baekeland

 

That's what we say of course.

Another Dutch lesson folks: Baah-k-eh-leet, and all vowels sound short. (We don't have time for long drawn vowels, we talk too much.)

 

I pronounce it bake a lite

 

Bake a lite or bake-lite. I hear both and tend to use the latter.

 

I’ve never been steered wrong by a tube of simichrome.

though, I suppose I wouldn’t know if the simichrome yielded a false positive (or negative) because I trust it immensely

Anyway, that’s my first and only test for Bakelite.

Although I never tried the “dipping it 70°c water for 23 seconds at midnight on the 2nd full moon after the vernal equinox and see if it balances on the head of a pin pointed at 65° off magnetic north” test

I hear that one is pretty accurate too


I jest. I’ve always been amused by the variety of off the wall “tests” that are floating around the interwebs, for everything from Bakelite to pearls to gold and dinosaur eggs!

 

For pearls, I use a combination of my eyeballs and my teeth. Not sure I'd want to use chemicals on those.

 

I found another potential goodie in this bangle! Charity shop find 2 euros. Funny once you find one they start jumping out at you. The test is a different colour to the necklace, still okay or no?

 

It sure wants to be, but that cross on top is Odd to say the least. I've never seen anything like that done in bakelite. I'd say wash it good and try again to eliminate smoker-induced false positives. The Chinese also made some fakes about 20 years ago. (hot pink, purple and pure white are all dead giveaways.)

 

Understood! It does need a good clean. I tried a brief clean of the area I tested but will clean thoroughly and try again.

 

I just scored a necklace in a baggie at an estate sale. The paper said "amber". Amber-colored plastic said I. Yeppers - the q-tip turned yellow and raised a stink. The color can be a false positive, but the smell was unmistakeable.