Celluloid?

[pwdrive]

The clear windows on the HRO coil packs, varoius meter scales eg: early Hallicrafters etc, anyone know if it is celluloid?

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

The wikipedia entry doesn't mention a transparent version or any such use. Of course it may not be exhaustive.
More likely Perspex - Poly methyl methacrylate - I would think.

Alan

[pwdrive]

The wikipedia entry doesn't mention a transparent version or any such use. Of course it may not be exhaustive.
More likely Perspex - Poly methyl methacrylate - I would think.

Alan

Hello Alan, I don't think it's perspex/plexiglass, you can bend it in a compound way if you know what I mean, it has similar properties to the stuff they used for side screens in old cars, woolies (vintage car supplies) sell what they describe as a celluloid sheet for that purpose.
The stuff on the HRO coilpack windows can distort and frost over, possibly due to damp, heat or UV, that's what happened to almost all the coil packs I have, the ones that escaped the worst polish up like glass and are very clear even after 70 years, the same stuff is used on the Halli SX28 "SS meter window and also on the SX17, I would like to replace it with the same stuff but I am not sure what it is called so I was guessing celluloid sheet or celulose acetate maybe. I have a small piece of small supposedly celluloid but it is a bit to thick for what I need, besides that there is not enough of it.

Lawrence.

[AlanBeckett]

That would be the stuff that was used for the 'windows' in Soft Tops. It used to go brown and milky and crack. It was certainly called Celluloid, but what it actually was I don't know.
As you can buy replica hoods, and even new ones for such cars as Morgans, would a Vintage Car Parts outfit be a possibility?

Alan

[pwdrive]

That would be the stuff that was used for the 'windows' in Soft Tops. It used to go brown and milky and crack. It was certainly called Celluloid, but what it actually was I don't know.
As you can buy replica hoods, and even new ones for such cars as Morgans, would a Vintage Car Parts outfit be a possibility?

Alan

Yes Woolies, the vintage car parts firm purport to sell it, not sure if it's the real deal maybe I should phone them.

Lawrence.

[Joe]

Try putting a match to it. Pusser celluloid is highly inflammable.

- Joe

[pwdrive]

Try putting a match to it. Pusser celluloid is highly inflammable.

- Joe

Yes that's right it is Joe, we used to make smoke bombs out of that stuff in the TV workshop, most of the old tellies had a small white/cream cellulose type stuff label in them, I think it was some kind of licence or saftey label, when some of the enginers went out for dinner we used to collect a few of these things and wrap some old dropper wire around them then plant it in the telly they were working on and wire it across the mains on the switched side, we used to get a real rasping for that.

Lawrence.