# Timeline of Plastic Use **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268 "2022-07-20T16:48:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2022, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/21 "2022-07-21T21:52:41Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Yeah. I used to use a screwdriver to bend the tabs back and disassemble my toys, too. A budding engineer, I was. I never took apart tin toys (they were mostly before my time) but I used to like unraveling the little doughnut “pusher” thing in paper drink umbrellas to get strips of Chinese/Japanese newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/22 "2022-07-22T00:32:14Z")
> [@Tabco](#): > > Dry erase markers came in metal pen bodies instead of the plastic they come in now. Chalk (actual pieces of chalk, cut into a good shape to write with) came in cardboard boxes. [Maybe it still does](https://www.target.com/p/crayola-12ct-chalk-white/-/A-51077344?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012806747&CPNG=PLA_Seasonal%2BShopping_Local%7CSeasonal_Ecomm_Home&adgroup=SC_Seasonal_School/Office+Supplies&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9005590&targetid=pla-1430701857778&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-NC1756L-QIV9TizAB3P9g5EEAQYAyABEgIAP_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds); though I can’t tell from the picture what that box is made of. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/23 "2022-07-22T00:56:46Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > At first there were glass bottles with somewhat puffy “jackets” of plastic wrapped around to both insulate and prevent breakage (1980s into the 1990s). Are you referring to the foam wrapped around this [bottle](https://picclick.com/Vintage-Rare-Pepsi-%E2%80%9CThe-Boss%E2%80%9D-64oz-Glass-Foam-383762402608.html#&gid=1&pid=1) or something else? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/24 "2022-07-22T12:32:21Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Are you referring to the foam wrapped around this [bottle](https://picclick.com/Vintage-Rare-Pepsi-%E2%80%9CThe-Boss%E2%80%9D-64oz-Glass-Foam-383762402608.html#&gid=1&pid=1) or something else? That’s pretty much it. Not very effective at insulating temperature, but pretty effective at keeping bottles from bumping into each other and breaking. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/25 "2022-07-22T13:39:08Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > Along the hobby lines, but even more esoteric: airgun piston seals were made exclusively out of leather until the mid-1950’s, when the first synthetic seals were introduced. However, the early plastics used there would chemically disintegrate with time, leading to nasty surprises. > > Leather piston seals remained in ever-dwindling use until the mid-1970’s, when the much-improved synthetics became the dominant, practically only material used. These days you’ll only find a leather seal on an antique airgun. Why not rubber for these things? Rubber has been around a long time hasn’t it? Or did rubber not become very good until plastic technology came along? ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/26 "2022-07-22T15:22:48Z")
Off the top of my head: rubber has very high friction, which kills the velocity of the piston. You need a material that can form an airtight seal AND make the piston zip quickly forward in the cylinder, for the spring-piston airguns to work. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2022, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/27 "2022-07-22T19:51:30Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > As for toys…is 1948 early enough? > > [LIONEL ELECTRIC TOY TRAIN DIESEL ENGINE IDENTIFICATION GUIDE](https://www.tandem-associates.com/lionel/lioneldiesels.htm) In the UK, Triang Railways were making toy trains in cellulose acetate from 1951, and in polystyrene from 1956. Airfix were making polystyrene kits from 1951 or thereabouts. I had a Triang trainset by 1960. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/28 "2022-07-27T09:20:24Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Raingear might be one of the best examples of problems that couldn’t be solved before plastic. Eh? Both oilskins and rubber macs existed long before plastics. I grew up in the 70s, I started out already playing with plastic toys (Lego(ABS), Action Man and Barbie (both Vinyl)) but metal cars were still a thing (Dinky, Corgi and Matchbox) and only gradually moved over to mostly plastic by the 80s. But a lot of toys like dolls were already plastic since the early 60s, I’d say. I’ve never lived in a time when toys were _mostly_ metal or wood. ---
**Author:** ![Fortyfold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7c8e57/32.png) [@Fortyfold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortyfold)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/29 "2022-07-27T11:03:34Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Why not rubber for these things? Rubber has been around a long time hasn’t it? Or did rubber not become very good until plastic technology came along? Most rubbers are eventually destroyed by the grease and oils inside spring guns, or worn down by friction. Leather wears much better and was only replaced when PTFE started to be used. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/30 "2022-07-27T12:15:11Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Eh? Both oilskins and rubber macs existed long before plastics. Something that people don’t appreciate is that the “oil” in oilskins and latex itself are noth polymers – that is, plastics. Some plastics have been around a long time. Linseed oil – the “oil” of oilskins – will polymerize, giving off heat (which is why linseed oil-soaked cloths can spontaneously ignite). It’s why linseed oil is the oil in oil paints – after they’re spread out on the canvas , the oil polymerizes and makes the painting permanent. Linseed oil mixed with chalk makes classic putty. It can be deformed and molded into place – say, to hold window pane in place – then polymerizes and becomes hard. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/31 "2022-07-27T13:43:14Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Something that people don’t appreciate is that the “oil” in oilskins and latex itself are noth polymers – that is, plastics. Latex is definitely a polymer, and oilskins used linseed oil, which you already know is a polymer. “Polymer” is not synonymous with “plastic”. I think the idea of being synthetic is integral to something being considered a plastic. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/32 "2022-07-27T13:45:38Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “Polymer” is not synonymous with “plastic”. I think the idea of being synthetic is integral to something being considered a plastic. Gotta disagree with you there. To me polymer = plastic ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/33 "2022-07-27T13:55:28Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Gotta disagree with you there. To me polymer = plastic DNA is a plastic to you? Wood? Jello? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/34 "2022-07-27T14:01:07Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > DNA is a plastic to you? Wood? Jello? You’re definitely stretching it there with Wood and Jello. And the non-repeating nature of DNA and its dispersion would tend to disqualify it, in most people’s eyes. But if you got pure long-chain DNA together in one place, it’d probably be a plastic. Cellulose, the relevant material in wood, if isolated , is arguably a natural plastic. Certainly cullolois, made from nitrocellulose, has been argued to be the first artifical plastic. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/35 "2022-07-27T14:14:30Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > You’re definitely stretching it there with Wood and Jello Yet lignin and gelatin are _definitely_ polymers. So’s starch, and chitin, and lots of others. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > a natural plastic “natural plastic” is an oxymoron. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/36 "2022-07-27T14:38:27Z")
Going back to paper bags changing over to plastic bags in stores - I don’t think we had plastic bags around here until the 80s. I could be wrong since time flies by so quickly. But my question is, what type of paper bags did the non-grocery stores use? If I went to Target and purchased clothes, shampoo, etc. did they put those items in a brown paper grocery bag? I remember flat paper bags (they didn’t have a flat bottom) but those wouldn’t have held very much. I think department stores used paper shopping bags with handles. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/37 "2022-07-27T15:16:41Z")
I don’t remember Target or any similar stores in my area in the '80s or before - but in general, non-grocery stores used paper bags of some sort. Clothing stores and department stores used shopping bags with handles and other stores used either flat paper bags or something similar to a brown paper grocery bag but in different sizes. I’m pretty sure I also remember some stores using heavy plastic bags back then , not the thin ones. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2022, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/38 "2022-07-27T15:25:04Z")
The paper bags from non-grocery stores were often white or other pale colors with the store name printed on them. Hardware stores used (some still do, or do again) the same type of brown paper as the groceries, though in various sizes depending on what you were putting in them – a handful of nuts and bolts would get quite a small bag. And those nuts and bolts were sold loose, from bins or drawers, often by weight – again, some hardwares still do this for at least some of their selection. A lot of things now commonly sold in sealed plastic containers or bubbles used to be sold loose – and generally don’t, IMO, need or benefit from the packaging; the modern packaging only supplies the considerable nuisance of having to get the thingamajig out of the package, which often requires tools and may risk cutting yourself or the thingamajig in the process. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/39 "2022-07-29T11:45:06Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “natural plastic” is an oxymoron. not by my definition ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2022, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268/40 "2022-07-29T11:50:11Z")
“Paper or plastic?” “Well, actually, cellulose is a natural plastic, so your question makes no sense” Suuuure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/timeline-of-plastic-use/968268.md?page=3)