After many years of collecting Bakelite buttons, I've accumulated a slew of them that were made with wooden bits. They are most unusual in that these two materials couldn't be more dissimilar. Bakelite is a type of plastic made of synthetic elements. Obviously man-made, it is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin. And wood is wood. Put them together and the result is a peculiar combo of the organic and the inorganic. Nature meets plastic. And just look at this vivid variety of Bakelite buttons produced with lumber components. The big button at the center depicts an art deco design. Beneath it, the eye-shaped button is made of apple juice Bakelite over wood. The two pieces are ridged where they connect at the center—giving the button a striped texture. The topmost button pictured here is made with a wood base and then two tones of red Bakelite, which are clearly visible with a pinkish red sandwiched under a maroon layer. What else can be said of these quirky half-breeds? When timber and Bakelite get married, they indeed bear some fascinating children.
This pair of buttons has been in my collection for approximately one hour. I purchased these buttons earlier this week from my friend Doreen and they literally just showed up in my mailbox. Not too long ago, my collection of Bakelite/wood buttons seemed complete. But when I saw these two buttons in Doreen's shop, I had to snatch them up on account of their unique style. I don't find buttons like this very often with the Bakelite framing the wood—and with such excellent precision. The round button shown here was carved with a dramatic set of lines that run seamlessly over the circular midsection of wood as well as the apple juice Bakelite. The square button was built similarly, but the wooden area runs smooth with all the carved details whittled into the black, Bakelite border. Bakelite buttons are peculiar enough by themselves, but get some wood involved and they become truly eccentric.
-Sherbert McGee
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