Automobile farmers of 1936
This 1936 article on the use of the "Chinese soy bean" to make Ford cars is absolutely charming in its random use of phrases like "chop suey" and "automobile farming."
Auto Made from Beans (Apr, 1936)
PLASTICS — chemical compounds which, are compressed under heat into desired shapes, and thereafter are not subject to corrosion—are increasingly in use. Some are made of coal-tar products, some of milk; and one, which Henry Ford is now employing extensively, utilizes the Chinese soy bean. This useful plant, is, next to rice, the staff of life in the Celestial republic; like beans, peas, and other “legume” plants, it contains the proteins, or nitrogen compounds, for which we eat meat. Its oil, also, has found many uses; and those who have eaten the great American national dish, chop suey, are familiar with the dark soy sauce which accompanies it. The mechanical uses of the soy bean (which does not resemble American beans) are of more recent discovery. It furnishes a fibrous flour, which gives body to a phenol (carbolic acid) compound. Under heat and pressure, this changes into a hard, strong, glossy substance, suitable for buttons, knobs, handles, mouldings, etc. About fifteen pounds of beans are now used in each Ford car, and raised under the direction of the manufacturer.
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Not only can you build a chassis out of these "legumes" from the Celestial republic, but buttons and knobs as well!
Old articles like this one are an obvious proof of the disastrous lobbying done by the petroleum industry, the technology for bio-plastics was available decades ago, but they managed to promote petrol as the only source of polymers.
It is also intersting to know that Dupont, the petroleum giant, was responsable at the same period of the interdiction to cultivate marijuana, whose fibers were the main concurrent of petrol in the creation of plastics at the time, therefore ruining thousands of us farmers, forced to reconvert in growing cereals.
http://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_culture11.shtml
"The Henry Ford" village in the Detroit area has a feature on this topic if anyone is interested.
The museum also has Edison's last breath and a number of other fascinating items.
My father in law has a picture of a Henry Ford banquet where everything, from the food to the forks, and including Henry's suit, were made of soybeans. Ford was at a huge proponent, less for food, more for plastics.
So that's how Bakelite was made. I don't know about the alleged lobbying efforts asserted by #2; even with the high price of crude oil, petroleum-based plastic is still probably both cheaper and more durable than Bakelite. Still, it would be interesting to know who is still making things out of Bakelite.
...There was a piece on the Hit...er..History Channel while I was giving birth to "Stumpy" that went into the whole bit about soy plastics and Henry Ford. Apparently George Washington Carver was involved in getting this started, and when you consider how much of a percentage non-metallics make up a car body these days, who's to say it didn't take off? I prefer a steel car built like a tank so I don't have to worry about possibly driving away after a wreck, but if taken in the strength direction instead of the weight savings one, going plastic isn't a bad idea.
"Old articles like this one are an obvious proof of the disastrous lobbying done by the petroleum industry, the technology for bio-plastics was available decades ago, but they managed to promote petrol as the only source of polymers."
...King Cotton's guilty of the same thing with Hemp. I'm surprised Big Oil hasn't come up with evidence that soy plastics cause dangerous mutations in lab rats and plastic dust causes bald eagle feathers to turn plaid and fall out.
@#3 ...
Ehem ... it used to be referred to as "The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village" when I was I there ... they have recently changed their name to, simply (and I think pretentiously), "The Henry Ford."
I'm pleased they recognised Chop Suey as an American dish and didn't try to pretend it's authentic Chinese cuisine.
Why am I suddenly hungry for edamame?
I donno about "absolutely charming." I'd have to say, boring at best, culturally insensitive at worst. "Celestial republic"? Come on.