Testing for bakelite

Testing for bakelite (by Lottie van Sloten)

If you are not sure your item is made of bakelite, there are ways to find out.  You may find a marking on it, that tells you the item is made of bakelite. You can find a marking like ‘Philite’, ‘Futurit’ and more names that end with ‘it’ or ‘ite’. If you can’t find any markings, you can do one of the following tests.  
1.     The Rub Test.
This test relies a great deal on the sense of smell. Rub the surface of the object in question with a very clean and dry finger. Rub until you get a friction and feel heat. Then smell the area you rubbed immediately. Bakelite has a chemical smell like formaldehyde and is very sharp.

2.     The Hot Water Test.  
This test depends also on your sense of smell. Heat water close to boiling, put the object in the water and remove it after a few seconds. Check for the characteristic strong chemical smell.

 3.     The Hot Needle Test.
This test is in fact the best, but can only be used on larger objects. Stick a needle in a cork, use the cork as a kind of handle, heat the point of the needle  in a flame till it is red hot. Be careful! Touch the object with the hot needle, at an inconspicuous spot, for one or two seconds.

The bakelite smell should be intense. Bakelite does not melt. When your item is melting it is usually a kind of plastic.