It´s hard to imagine life without synthetic materials in it. They are used in utensils, packaging materials, clothes… We can also find them in the applied arts, such as plastic chess pieces. The Chessmen Museum holds many modern chess sets made of different kinds of synthetic materials. The start of winter time is a suitable moment to have a look at the Ice Sculptures chess game, made of epoxy resin.
Earlier this year, Ivanka Kovacs won the Chess Game Design Competition with this dazzling wintry chess game. Epoxy resin, which is somewhat transparent, could almost pass for real ice.
We have been imitating natural materials by means of synthetic ones for a while, since the 19th century, actually. The tremendous technological progress in the field of chemistry made synthetic experiments possible. Other reasons to experiment with materials were the increasing demand for appliances because of the fast growth of the population, a need for machine materials that kept growing since the industrial revolution and a shortage of natural products.
Artisans used luxury materials such as horn, tortoiseshell and ivory for expensive utensils, but these materials were increasingly harder to get even then. A manufacturer of billiard balls even organised a competition in 1868 to find the best imitation of ivory to produce his balls with.
Volcanic rubber
The first semi-synthetic plastic, with a natural material as raw material, was invented around 1840. English chemist Thomas Hancock discovered that natural rubber became more resilient as sulphur was gradually added to it. Volcanic rubber, named after the Roman god of fire, Vulcan, was born. By varying in its hardness, ‘vulcanite’ could be used for everything from tires to pipe handles and fountain pens to jewellery.
Bakelite radio
This kind of semi-synthetic plastics are the precursors of fully synthetic materials, which are chemically released from coal or oil. Bakelite is the first fully synthetic plastic. Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland invented it and, in 1907, applied for a patent on his creation.
Bakelite is a thermosetting plastic, which means that the form it adopts after heating is irreversible, similar to the cooking of an egg. This good conductive plastic was initially used for machine parts, but ended up being used for everything. From packaging materials to applied arts. But it is the consumer goods that became famous: electrical appliances such as radios, television sets, electric razors and telephones made their appearance in the 20th century. They could not have been made without Bakelite.
Art or fake?
Bakelite lived its glory days from 1925 until after the Second World War. Because of shortages during and after the war, raw materials were of a lesser quality, which gave Bakelite a bad name. People went back to original materials such as wood and marble, when it became available again. They were fed up with bad fakes. Also the limited and somewhat dark colour palette of Bakelite no longer fit with the spirit of the times: it had to be light.
In the meantime, science continued to develop and brought new synthetic materials to market such as acryl and epoxy resin. This artificial resin is used for practical purposes such as coating for boats, but also, as we have seen, for creating art. What´s more, it is almost identical to natural tree resin.
Apart from Ivanka Kovacs´ prize-winning epoxy resin, the Chessmen Museum of course owns a chess set made of natural resin: syrupy yellow and brown chess pieces in which loose bits have been processed. When the light falls on this Baltic chess game you can almost see the little bits whirling around, which makes for a special and playful effect. Did this tickle your curiosity? Come and pay us a visit at the Chessmen Museum to admire our chess games made of natural and epoxy resin. Can you spot the difference?
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