Bakelite Beauty

Nice set, goes very well with that board! 👍

Bakelite things are very retro cool right now. It was I believe the first synthetic plastic and had many uses as it was resistant to electric current. It was used in many early products that were made of plastic, and some things you might not consider, such as distributor cap rotors, insulators for electric telephone lines, the bodies of telephones themselves, and of more interest to us here, chess pieces and also chess clocks. I see some bakelite chess items on eBay or Etsy all the time. The problem with bakelite is it is a rather brittle form of plastic, so you will often find cracks or chips in the items. They can also lose their shine over time. Still, if you can find things in good condition you will have a treasure. Powder, yours look fabulous, especially after the polishing you did. Congrats on another wonderful set.

Thanks @BrownishGerbil and @PDX_Axe - I appreciate the feedback. On the polishing… I visited a local hardware store and 3 old blokes and I were chatting about the pieces - they commented on how lovely they were (I took an few samples so I could get the right advice) and we discussed various polishing options. In the end, they all thought that beeswax oil was my best option… yes, those that know me know that’s what I apply to my wooden pieces. It worked a treat - below is a knight unpolished and polished.

and the board and pieces now under evening lamplight.

Great pieces, @Powderdigit! Bakelite has a different look and feel compared to today's plastics. The colors you found are unique as well, nice find! The booklet you have is a great piece of chess history as well, CJS Purdy, if I'm not mistaken, was the first Correspondence Chess World Champion and published his own chess magazine. He was a huge chess presence in Australia. Thanks for the pics!

Noting PDX’s insight into cracks and chips I had a close look at this set and note the bishop’s mitre is a bit rough on closer inspection. Hardly visible under normal circumstances but I thought it might be interesting for others to see. In truth, with no provenance, I cannot confirm this material or indeed the material of the set that I originally posted here but my gut and very basic knowledge says they are an old
plastic/resin of some form, perhaps Bakelite and a joy whatever they are. My guess - and it is just a guess - is these sets were made between 1930-1950.
and the white bishop just because it looks lovely. 😊

I thought it might be interesting to show the weight and size of these pieces. I have no idea if it is comparable to the height and weight of historical wooden pieces from which they may have been modelled?

Hey @Powderdigit, just want to say thank you for your positive and refreshing posts. I don't often reply, as i've nothing or very little to add (not being a chess collector) but i enjoy reading and viewing your offerings. Well done and "thank you."

Thanks so much Wits - I appreciate the feedback. It’s a cold and rainy Winter’s day here in Melbourne and with not much to do, I was just chatting to another forum member and noted that a set didn’t have a box…. it made me think about the creative ways I use boxes .. here’s a few pics. There’s some irony in the post. I use a Nancy Drew hidden-cavity book to store one set…and the pictures end with a book that I found recently - it was out-of-site (essentially hidden) under paper in the base of a box of vintage pieces. I nor the seller were aware it was there! I enjoy reading the style these older books are written; quite matter of fact. This book is a reprint - with this edition published in 1946 - perhaps close to the time that these Bakelite pieces were made? So, I set the pieces to resemble a 1946 puzzle.

There’s a nice romance to the story even if the provenance of the pieces nor the book are available. 😉☺️

Great little anecdote and great chess boxes! Majority of my sets are stored in the typical cheap wooden boxes. Recently I've stopped even doing that and started using empty plastic containers (eg from icecream and the sorts). What a stark contrast with yours 😅

I watch out for vintage sets on Ebay, and have done for a few years. I've never seen these.

Is it possible they were molded? I've seen metal sets made from a Jaques set before. If they were molded it might explain why there's no cross on either King (although I might be talking nonsense here)

Very nice set though, and good job on the polishing.

Nice! Looks like a Jacques Morphy or Anderssen. With so many variants on the same design, I often can’t tell them apart. And I guess interpretations of any of the original designs will veer between different designs depending on how some of the details are reinterpreted. None of the designs below are an exact match. But the Jacques knight design is unmistakable.

A ~1970 makeover of the 1962 Varna Olympiad set (which had crosses on kings). Weighted, bakelite (but I'm no expert on this). This kind, so I got it from the vendor, was widely used in tournaments in Bulgaria. I could have bought one like new with coloured cardboard box and board.. but I took the rocked one from the nice odd photos taken in a kitchen for half the price. Turned out a jaw was missing on a knight, who looked like an involuntary Goofy. I recreated it from plasticine rubber, colour mixing and all! Now it has to spend most of its time resting in a jar, to stay in form

Love that you find opportunities to set up outdoors @ungewichtet! 👏🏽👏🏽 You and I think alike in that way…

Sehr gut gemacht!!

Bakelite is easy to test for once you know how. The easiest way is to heat it up - not super hot, vigorous rubbing with your thumb is usually enough - it will give off an unmistakable formaldehyde odor. Hot water also works, but not too hot please, tap water is enough.

It is heavier than ordinary plastic, makes a deeper sound when knocked together ("clack" like a billiard ball,) and does not have seams. It is a very hard plastic and not thermoplastic - it has no flexibility or give, and does not melt or soften when heated. (Similar to melamine, but bakelite is heavier and seems denser.) It oxidizes over time, developing a yellow patina on the surface - most bakelite was a significantly different color when new; white became ivory, pink turned to orange, sky blue to avocado green. This trait can be used to test for bakelite using Simichrome metal polish; the polish will rub off some of this patina, turning the qtip or cloth yellow. But if it has already given off the formaldehyde smell, no need to bother!

They do use sawdust as filler in bakelite for utilitarian products, or if they were just being very cheap. Molded pieces will have minimal seams. (I suspect it did not mold well, perhaps because of its inflexibility.) For more aesthetic applications like jewelry or tableware they used pure resin, produced as a blank and then carved into the final product. Molded surfaces have a subtle texture like an eggshell - you can see this inside vintage bracelets; they would cast tubes, slice them, then finish them by carving or polishing the outside, but the interior still has the original texture.

Not that anyone asked - but I happened upon this forum while I was researching something, and it seems as if there's frequently confusion here about what is or isn't bakelite. I've sold vintage jewelry for decades, so I thought I'd offer a few tips that may be of use in the future.

Hello pips

I live in Melbourne

My grandfather gave me this set many years ago

He told me the set is from 40's and is made in Australia Sydney

I am consider to pass it on to another member Let me know if you like photos Please provide email

Cheers

Gabi

To assist everyone, here are the photos from Gabi.

Great set!

I am trying since long to find more information about this nice bakelit set from Ayres, without success. What do you think guys? I also have a clue about the value. I will try to sell it in the next weeks.