Catalin Radios of the 1930's and 40's

Catalin was an early form of plastic that was used in the manufacture of Radios, jewelry, handles for furniture and flatware and many other uses. It is translucent and typically marbleized. It's original color is often different than when it was made. The plastic did not contain any UV protection and would darken over time. The exception to this are the colors red, black or maroon. Most all other colors changed overtime. Some collectors prefer to leave the color in it's current state and some will restore back to original color. This is achieved by a process of wet sanding with fine grit sandpaper (starting out with 400 and working up to 3000) then polishing it with rubbing compounds and finally waxing. This will make the radio really stand out. It may only be necessary to polish it and maintain it's rich aged color. Most radio's that have yellowed to what are referred to as butterscotch look better this way. These sets are not as common to find such as bakelite models. I would estimate they make up less than 1% or all sets manufactured between 1936 - 1947 when catalin was being used. They were not made during the war years of 1942 - 1944.