Question About Material Used In These Balls

[rossaroni]

I have a dilema with my balls....billiard balls that is. Someone gave this set of balls, and told me that they are bakelite. I think he just said that, because he saw a set that looked similar being sold as bakelite. They came from a table he bought. The table is a 1979 Brunswick. Do not know the age of the balls. Before I sell the set, I would like to know what they are made out of, or at least rule bakelite in or out. I read about some test you can do on bakelite. Has anyone had any luck with these tests or know which one would be the best for billiard balls? Or if someone could help me out by just looking at the balls would be great. Thanks!

 

[cajunfats]

Bakelite ?

No. Not Bakelite. Standard Composition Billiard Balls. Fine for use on any table. No real collector value unless they have provenance. After clay,ivory,and other ww2 era plastic compositions,you may be hard pressed to find any balls made of Bakelite in existence or out of a private collection. Mike Shamos would know more,check his Billiard Encyclopedia.

 

[rossaroni]

No. Not Bakelite. Standard Composition Billiard Balls. Fine for use on any table. No real collector value unless they have provenance. After clay,ivory,and other ww2 era plastic compositions,you may be hard pressed to find any balls made of Bakelite in existence or out of a private collection. Mike Shamos would know more,check his Billiard Encyclopedia.

You can tell that they are not bakelite from just looking at them? What do bakelite balls look like compared to the standard composition billiard balls? Thanks for your help!

 

[Cornerman]

You can tell that they are not bakelite from just looking at them? What do bakelite balls look like compared to the standard composition billiard balls? Thanks for your help!

The term "bakelite" encompasses all phenolic thermosets. So, yes, technically, your pool balls could be made from bakelite.

So, there needs to be clarification on the question.

Today's forumula (most notably from Saluc of Belgiuum) is most definitely a phenolic resin material (and wouldn't be realy wrong to call it Bakelite), but more advanced in terms of impact resistance to the earlier forms of Bakelite.

Fred

 

[cajunfats]

Telling the Difference

Yes,I can tell the difference by looking. The box they are in is a tell tale sign of modern manufacturing. Plus the clarity of finish,design,and my experience with pool industry products for about 40 yrs. as a caveat,my wife is an antique jewelry collector with a lot of bakelite jewelry from the 1930's-40's. Distinctive colorations. Glad to help.

 

[rossaroni]

Yes,I can tell the difference by looking. The box they are in is a tell tale sign of modern manufacturing. Plus the clarity of finish,design,and my experience with pool industry products for about 40 yrs. as a caveat,my wife is an antique jewelry collector with a lot of bakelite jewelry from the 1930's-40's. Distinctive colorations. Glad to help.

The box is actually an older Centennial box. I was leaning toward 'not bakelite', but just wanted to make sure. Thanks again!

 

[cajunfats]

Technical Term

Fred is right in regards to the usage of the term bakelite in polymer resins used to manufacture billiard balls. The common usage of Phenolic Resins to describe today's balls,like Aramith,become a name we can all relate to. I have a set of Super Aramith Pro's I'll take a picture of later and post to see how they compare. If Fred would be nice enough maybe he could find a picture of some very old Bakelite Balls. The last time I saw any were in Iowa City when I worked for the BCA and they were in the BCA Storage Room that housed a lot of stuff destined for the Hall of Fame Building...if they build it before that stuff gets lost!!

 

[Cornerman]

Fred is right in regards to the usage of the term bakelite in polymer resins used to manufacture billiard balls. The common usage of Phenolic Resins to describe today's balls,like Aramith,become a name we can all relate to. I have a set of Super Aramith Pro's I'll take a picture of later and post to see how they compare. If Fred would be nice enough maybe he could find a picture of some very old Bakelite Balls. The last time I saw any were in Iowa City when I worked for the BCA and they were in the BCA Storage Room that housed a lot of stuff destined for the Hall of Fame Building...if they build it before that stuff gets lost!!

I'm sure there are some on the net. The white yellows, and it's not transluscent yellow like some of today's balls.

I have a set of Mah Jong tiles that are Bakelite of that era, and they are chipped and yellow.

For the balls in the original post, I think whomever said "bakelite" was just using the old style trade name. I agree that this set wouldn't be the old bakelite but rather the modern (as of the 70's) phenolic resin.

Fred