Cellophane, a clear somewhat brittle substance made from processed cellulose (hence the name) used to be THE substance that envelope and cardboard food box windows was made of. Apparently it’s been long superseded by alternate plastics, much like “waxed” cartons are no longer coated with actual paraffin. Is cellophane still used anywhere today?
ETA: why do I care? Because as I’ve mentioned in previous threads about improvising stuff for wilderness survival, most plastics will scorch, smoke and shrivel upon exposure to heat, making them unsuitable for fire starting, as candle wicks, etc. But cellulose-based stuff like actual cotton thread and cloth or even rayon are exceptions.
That doesn’t seem to be completely true. The original way cellulose film (aka cellophane) was made involved carbon disulfide, which was highly toxic and dangerous for people involved in the manufacturing process. Later they changed to using lyocell, which is a semi- synthetic form of regenerated cellulose. The end product is still cellophane.
Scotch tape, aka cellophane tape is one product that still uses cellophane. And since cellophane is biodegradable, it’s becoming more common as it’s an eco-friendlier alternative to many of the petroleum-based plastics that started replacing cellophane in the 60s.
Are you sure? Scotch tape is distinctly stretchy and non-brittle, unlike what I remember for cellophane. And it definitely melts and shrivels if exposed to heat.
The article also notes that cellophane use has dwindled considerably since the 1960s. However, it is apparently making a bit of a resurgence due to it being biodegradable.
“Scotch tape” is a brand name used by 3M. This doesn’t appear to be branded. They make all kinds of tapes, only some are cellophane. I’d say the more common ones you encounter are the Magic Tape type, the kind you pull off a roll or dispenser for light taping, which appears to be an acetate acrylic.
Agreed, but they do make cellophane tape, and this particular tape (which isn’t Scotch) is similar and explicit about what it’s made of.
My point being… It’s not uncommon for tape to be made of cellophane, this is an example of one, and Scotch also makes cellophane tape. (Unfortunately I couldn’t find a product page for Scotch showing their tape made of it, though their “About Us” page talks about it.)
I beg to differ on this. I watched a friend melting a plastic pocket caculator onto very wet (our cave got flooded by torrential rain) wood and soon we had a fire, albeit, propped up on rocks to keep it out of the water.
Plastic burns quite well. Why we had a pocket calculator is unknown, we found it in some crack in the cave. Other uses for plastic fire is “zip bombs” named for the sound of drips of burning plastic falling, and hobo-style heating.
Up until a couple of years ago, the wrappers for Quality Street chocolates were made from coloured cellophane. You could tell it was cellulose film because if it was put into water it would soften and eventually break down. The recycling instructions on the pack mentioned that it was compostable.
In 2022, they changed the wrappers to waxed paper, but I expect there are still probably some other brands and off-brands of wrapped sweets that use cellophane.
I’ve sealed the ends of plenty of synthetic fibre ropes with fire. I (in my slightly unstylishway) am wearing a piece right now as a belt. Both ends sealed with fire. You do need to douse it, before the fire gets too enthusiastic.
All such rope, including paracord is flamable, probably the reason mountaineers & paraglider pilots don’t smoke. (I kid)
Yep. I’ve burnt the ends of colorful nylon craft cord. Kite string. Ribbon ends for ballet slippers. Nylon hay rope.
Bag string from feed bags. Shoe or hoodie strings that lost their aglets.
Inside paracord is a core. It’s some kind of white, probably polyester thing. If you pull it out and fiddle with it, it fluffs impressively. I’m told you can light it with a match easily. Flint/steel?, not so easy.
So I assume rubbing sticks lighting would be difficult.
Some Ping Pong balls are, or at least were, made of nitrocellulose, which is notoriously easy to set fire to, and which leaves little residue. I used to work in a factory that made nitrocellulose, and can vouch for its extreme flammability. I’ll tell you about it sometime).
Another source of nitrocellulose is Duco Cement, if you can find an these days. It’s nitrocellulose dissolved in a volatile solvent. If you squeeze some out on an easily peelable surface (like waxed paper), after it dries you;ll have highly flammable streaks.
I’ve looked for celluloid/nitrocellulose ping pong balls and couldn’t find any anywhere; my researches suggested that they were deliberately phased out. Where did he get them?
