m-mman Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 Question was asked at the the museum the other day and I could not find a definitive answer. On early brass cars with side curtains and typically curtain type windshields, what exactly was the transparent part made from? Rodgers and Hammerstein popularized the idea of "isenglass curtains that could be rolled right down" on their musical surrey, and pegged it to 1906(?) which would have been of the era. Web searches have described Sturgeon (fish) bladders and mica being used, but that doesnt seem possible for a large window area. Celluloid seems more possible (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celluloid) since it did make for a transparent movie film, but it was flammable. <yikes> I think pre-1920 would be too soon for a petrochemical type of vinyl but I dont know. What were the transparent parts of the earliest side curtains and windshields actually made from? is there any documentation for that answer. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JV Puleo Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Isinglass is certainly what they called it. Whether it was made from fish bladders or not I can't say but if it was they weren't used whole but were just the source of the primary material. It may also have been some sort of celluloid that was simply called isinglass because it resembled the original material. Movie film contained nitroglycerin... in the 1920s the British embargoed smokeless gunpowder to Afganistan and, in response, the Afgans bought up tons of old movies in Europe. They shredded the film and load cartridges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billorn Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 Isnt Isinglass made using witchcraft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studeboy Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 As a kid I used to play in an old eisenglass pit mine. My understanding was that the large sheets of mica were used to make stove windows. And yes there were boulders of mica in the pit. We used to have competitions to see who could peel off the largest sheets. I don't think we ever got larger than 12 by 12 in all our attempts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curti Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 I don't think that isinglass and mica are synonymous. As I recall isinglass was a type of cellulose and was very flammable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MochetVelo Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 The "isinglass" used on automobile side curtains, etc. was celluliod (cellulose nitrate), I believe. I don't think they use fish bladders or mica. Celluloid (the first man-made plastic, I think) tends to yellow and degrade under ultraviolet light. It is flammable, but not dangerous. A friend of mine collected old movie film. One evening, we took a can of moldy, unusable 35mm film and put a match to it. It burned readily, but no explosively. I often work with old "ivorine", a celluloid piano key covering, It will burn when exposed to a flame or high heat, but the fire is easily blown out. It has a distinctive smell like Vicks Vapo Rub (camphor). I've only seen little pieces of it left from original side curtains. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted October 24, 2018 Share Posted October 24, 2018 I just read an account of a 1922 Chevrolet 490 in Michigan with isinglass curtain windows, the isinglass was only good for about two seasons. Celluloid was cheaper and easier to work with so the family replaced the isinglass with celluloid and blew the stovepipe across the room when they tossed the scraps in the stove for disposal. KABOOM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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