Unusual Fabrics No. 23
September 1942
TOS home
This unit includes:
- two samples of plasticized
cellulose-coated fabric (one plain, one printed). The notes
describe the plain sample as white; if this is correct, the color
shown is the result of 63 years of aging.
- a small envelope containing redwood bark fiber ("useful as wool
admixture"). As related in the notes for this unit, this material was
a serendipitous discovery, a byproduct of commercial lumbering.
Although the fibers are quite
fine, their texture is coarse; redwood-enhanced wool yarn would make an
unpleasantly scratchy sweater.
- two samples of Webril, an early
non-woven fabric, which remains popular as a lint-free polishing or
applicator material for printers and photographers. Webril can be
obtained in small quantities from many art supply stores.
- a sample of fabric laminated
with an acetate membrane and impregnated with wax, described in
the notes as a moisture-proof wrapper for metal parts. In this kit,
this sample was apparently stored between the two Webril samples, and
it now adheres to them strongly; in the photos, the wrapper material
is visible as a brown triangle where the Webril has been carefully
peeled away.
- a sample of Pliofilm, a woven plastic substitute for leather
(missing in the photos)
- a set of descriptive museum-style cards, shown in the photo next
to the samples they describe. The card describing the redwood bark fiber
is missing.
- five pages of notes containing 3
experiments. Unlike later units, these notes were provided on
three US letter-size sheets of paper rather than stapled together in
the form of a booklet.
This unit was apparently mailed in a brown envelope
rather than the customary box.
TOS home
This unit includes:
