Who invented vulcanization of rubber

He had no scientific training, but by , he had spent two years experimenting with rubber and was completely obsessed with it. After reading in a newspaper that 20 people drowned worldwide each hour, he had become convinced that he had a God-given mission to prevent such loss of life. Rubber life preservers, he believed, could be the solution. He did not have a job, but lived, barely, off the money he persuaded investors to advance him.

He reduced his family to poverty, was jailed for debt, and derided as a mad man, but he persevered. When his repeated failures scared off the last of his investors, he resorted to unsecured borrowing and landed in debtors' prison. On his release, he pleaded with neighbors for charity and pawned his family's furnishings, even his children's school books. Woburn farmers recalled that the Goodyear children were so hungry they would dig up potatoes that were only half grown.

Six of his twelve children died before reaching adulthood. Finally, in , Goodyear had a breakthrough. A former business partner, Nathaniel Hayward, told him about mixing liquid latex with sulfur and heating it in the sun, a process that came close to producing rubber in a pliable, stable form.

One morning in , Goodyear took the next step: he either dropped or placed some of the sulfur-rubber concoction onto a wood burning stove, and the leather-like form that resulted was the world's first vulcanized rubber.

Goodyear left Woburn in to sell his new product in Boston and New York. Most people had long ago stopped listening to his claims. The costs and complications involved in gaining a patent delayed that critical step for five years, giving Hancock time to steal the formula and patent it in Britain.

Even in the U. Although he was hailed as a great inventor at international expositions in the s, Charles Goodyear was barely solvent when he died in Accumulated royalties, however, eventually left his surviving children with enough money to enjoy the comfortable life that had largely eluded their father.

On this day in , shoppers in Springfield became the first Americans to find frozen food in their grocery stores.

A test marketing program was designed to see if people would buy frozen food. On this day in , Alexander Graham Bell received a patent for the telephone. Born in Scotland, Bell settled in Boston when he was in his early 20s. He made his living as a teacher On this day in , Percy Spencer, the self-taught scientist who discovered the power of microwave technology, was born. His son Charles Jr. You can re-create the process of vulcanization using a modern product to make your own rubber items, like these pencil erasers in a shape you might recognize.

We think Mr. Spock would appreciate them. Determine how much Pliatex, water, and vinegar are needed to make your erasers by calculating the volume of the mold.

You need to use enough liquid ingredients to fill twice the mold volume for each eraser because the solidified rubber occupies considerably less space than the liquid ingredients. Mix equal amounts of water and Pliatex in a bowl and stir until smooth. You can add food coloring to the final product if desired. Measure an amount of vinegar equal to the amount of water used and place it in a bowl.

Add the Pliatex-water mixture to the bowl with the vinegar. Stir briefly until the solution congeals into a cheesy, soft mass. Working quickly, place the rubbery mass into the eraser mold and press firmly. Pour off the surface water and press firmly again. Pour off any pooling water that appears on the surface of the mold. If you simply let the rubber harden in the mold, it will turn into a harder, tougher eraser.

Remove and let it thoroughly dry. Your eraser is ready for use! It will naturally begin to coagulate and harden on its own unless it is stored in an alkaline environment. So, the manufacturer adds ammonia to keep the pH level high during storage.

When you add vinegar to the solution, the acetic acid in the vinegar quickly lowers the pH, and the large polymer molecules in the latex come out of the solution to complete the vulcanization process and form a solid piece of rubber. William Gurstelle is a contributing editor of Make: magazine. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Special Pinterest-only offer!

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