Galalith is a semi synthetic material
manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde.
In 1893, French
chemist Auguste Trillat discovered the means to insolubilize casein by
immersion in formaldehyde.
Casein is the name for a family of related proteins
which are commonly found in mammalian milk , making up 80% of the proteins in cow
milk.
Galalith, sometimes called “milk stone”, is therefore
a semi synthetic material, opposed to Bakelite that is a totally 100 %
synthetic.
Given a commercial
name derived from the Greek words gala
(milk) and lithos (stone),
Galalith is particularly hard with a density of 1.35. It is odourless,
insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually
nonflammable . It is also resistant to acids and solvents.
Like wood it can be sawn,
lathe-worked, drilled, milled, glued, mechanically or hand polished, and
its structure manipulated to create a series of effects. No other plastic material
at the time could compete on price, and with ivory, horn and bone products
becoming far more expensive, it found a natural home in the fashion industry.
This
new material was presented at Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900.
Galalith
could produce gemstone imitations that looked strikingly real. In 1926 even Gabrielle
“Coco” Chanel used it in the production
of her costume Jewelry Galalith was also used for striking Art Deco jewelry
designs by artists such as Jacob Bengel and Auguste Bonaz, as well as for hair
combs and accessories. By the 1930s, Galalith was also used for pens, umbrella
handles, white piano keys (replacing natural ivory), and electrical goods.
Production
slowed as the restrictions of World War II to a need for milk as a food, and
also due to new oil-derived wartime plastic developments.
The
fact that Galalith may be considered as an extinct material which will
definitely stop to be available very soon, gives extreme rarity to whatever
intact rod or raw material that may still be found today. Consequently whatever
may be produced from such material is becoming a truly high valued item of
utmost rarity and avidly sought after by collectors.
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