#Radios July 16

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Today is Day 16 of the 30-Day Ingredient Coach4aday Challenge with the focus on what went into making tabletop RADIOS from 1930-1950.

Historians often define the “Golden Age” of radio from the late 1920’s to the early 1950’s. Families in America would gather around to listen to news, music, and programming.

Plastics Used

There were many types of radios including upright consoles that became like a piece of living room furniture. Yet, the most popular was a tabletop. When it came to that design Bakelite tabletops are what many folks think of first. 

Bakelite was the first molded plastic used in building radios. It had its limits because the color choices were often black or brown. The look of plastic radios changed dramatically, however, when Plaskon was introduced in 1933. That allowed expansion of color choices to include white or beige.

Two other types of material used during the “Golden Age” were Catalin and Beetle. This link is a great resource about each different type of plastic used.