No_6_1955 — Page 66

PAMMASTIC RESIN PAINT

Exact details of the

When Japanese troops overran Malays that would dry in an hour or two, that rigið requirements. early in 1942, they unwittingly set in mo- would leave no odour, that could be plasticizer We

a: still a Blundell tion an amazing train of events that was scrubbed repeatedly for Vears without secret the secret that makes PAMMAS. to result, only seven years later, in the signs of wear. In fact, they wanted a TIC different from ordinary plastic emul- production of PAMMASTIC and a revolu- paint which could last as long as the sur- sion coatings. tion in Britain's paint industry.

face over which it was applied. And now,

thanks to new scientific this seemed possible.

The loss of Malaya was a tremendous blow to the Allied war effort, for it cut off the bulk of our rubber supplies. An alternative source of rubber had to be found and quickly. Science stepped in and evolved the first man-made rabber, synthesizing it from resins which them sives had to be devised and manufactur.

rd

It was after the war that chemists be- gan to consider the vast new field of de- velopment opened up by the discoveries of wartime. Synthetic resins appeared to De a particularly promising raw material There were many for paint manufacture. such resins. although most of them were made only in America and were not avail- able in dollar-starved Britain.

into common

knowledge, all

a

Discovery of this plasticizer solved whole host of other problems which were holding up the production of the first can Blundell's chemists and technologists of PAMMASTIC. It solved the problem. studied the progress that had been made fo instance, of controlling the drying pro- in the development of synthetic resins, perties of the coating earlier experi- and considered how these achievements mental coatings had dried so quickly that could be harnessed to their own ends, they left no "wet-edge" to enable a paint- They selected the basic chemical com- er to link one section to the next without pound on which they would work-poly- leaving a line to show the join. It solved vinyl acetate. Following the fashion of the problem of the brushability of the those post-war days, when initials were paint, making it easy for the decorator creeping

currency of our to apply. It solved the problem of stor- language, the name quickly became ab ing the coating in cans so that it would breviated to PVA. Soon, those initials remain in perfect condition. were familiar to us all. So was the sub- stance itself

a milky liquid with a rich, Samples of PAMMASTIC were tested in fruity smell.

many different atmospheres-in the grimy air of a city, in the salty breezes of the But there were many problems still seaside, in the hot and humid climate of Knowledge that had been gained of to overcome. PVA was found to be too Malaya. They were tested indoors and these materials during the war, however, brittle, once the moisture had dried out, out of doors, on brickwork, plaster, and clearly showed the path for print tech- to be used in paint manufacture without many other surfaces. The opinions and

of For the first time, some medium to transform it into a flexible criticisms nologists to follow.

and decorators the ideal paint appeared to be a practical paint film. It tended to crack and flake were sought. And finally, PAMMASTIC possibility

For months we worked on the was put on the market. a paint easy to apply and off a wall.

development of a suitable plasticizer, to give flexibility to the coating. It took PAMMASTIC is manufactured by three years of intensive research and thou- Blundell, Spence & Co., Ltd.. the local sands of tests before a substance was agents being Holland China Trading Co.. found that would measure up to Cur Ltd.

almost indestructible.

Architects had dreamed for years of a paint that could be applied to bare plas- or brickwork without undercoating,

ter

architects

DOMESTIC WATER FILTRATION AN INTERESTING RANGE OF EQUIPMENT

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The importance of having all water used candle. This is a great advance on for for domestic and drinking purposes clear mer types of Kieselguhr candle, not only and pure is of course generally recognised, acting as an efficient filter but sterilising but it is often forgotten that pure water as it filters, thus providing a complete is not a natural product but needs to be safeguard against waterborne contamina- treated by filtration. Many serious epi- tion. Germs are both trapped and des demics such as typhoid, cholera and troyed on the exterior surface of the dysentery may be caused by drinking candle, and filtered water can therefore water containing these germs.

be stored and will remain pure for lengthy

Prominent in Britain in the field of periods. The candles too will last for a water filtration and treatment are Berke- long time without renewal, and for clean- feld Filters and Water Softeners Ltd., ing purposes all that is necessary is to (Sardinia House. Kingsway, London, wash them occasionally with a soft brush England) who manufacture a wide range in clean water to remove superficial dirt. of both domestic and industrial filters, No soap or detergent should be used. made of stoneware, enamelled iron, aluminium, steel and other materials.

For domestic use where there is ade- quate pressure the pattern 'H' filter is particularly suitable, being available with right-hand от left-hand inlet, and it several styles of finish.

The yield per

The filtering medium of the "Berke feld' filters is in the form of hollow can- dles of various sizes made of Kieselguhr, an infusorial or silicious earth which on hour at a pressure of 35-40 lbs. per square account of its enormous porosity is an inch is 25 gallons of clear pure water, ideal filtering medium. These filtering the height of the equipment in each case candles are completely closed at one end, being 16" and the diameter 6 while the and the other end is fitted into a metal weight varies from 51

9-3/4 lbs. de. от porcelain mount. The water passes pending on the material of construction. through the walls from outside to the in- side, leaving all impurities on the external surface, and then out through the small aperture of the mount.

As the standard candles required boiling at frequent intervals in order to restore their sterilising ability, the firm have car- ried out intensive research and experi- mental work with the object of eliminating thu process.

As a result they have re- cently introduced an entirely new design of self-sterilising candle, the "Sterasy

Interesting also are the 'Pattern Ice' stonewater filters with yields of 3. 6 and o gallons per 24 hours, which includes a the filtered water compartment. chamber for ice entirely separate from In this

way

the filtered water is kept very cool. ther and in hot climates. a great asset during warm spells of wea-

The local agents for Berkefeld Filters and Water Softeners are Messrs. Jardine. Matheson & Co., Ltd.

(4

Section through Stoneware Filter showing chamber for ice