NYLON

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24771, 22 November 1941, Page 7

NYLON

A TRIUMPH OF CHEMICAL RESEARCH NOW IN NEW ZEALAND •' Nvlon ’’ hailed in America and England as the new high-grade fibre for textiles will first reach New Zealand as bristles in tooth brushes. . “ Nylon ” is a synthetic fibre produced from coal. air. and water, and was discovered in 1938 as a result of ten years of intensive research instituted by Messrs du Pont dc Nemours. It surpasses in strength and elasticity any known textile fibre, whether cotton, linen, wool, silk, or rayon—it is actually one and a-halt timfes stronger than silk. “ Nylon ” has many uses. It can be produced in filaments as fine as a spider s web from which yarns of any size can be spun, and also in the form of bristles, rods, sheets, etc. Production and manufacture of Nylon va ms fabrics, and bristles is already advanced in U.S.A. Last year the amount produced exceeded 5,000.000 pounds weight. The bulk of this material went into the production of ’’ Nylon" yarn and was used mostly for hosiery. In England to-day “ Nylon ” is being manufactured by Imperial Chemical Industries in two forms—in yarn and bristles. The war has restricted the large-scale production of “ Nylon ” yarns, and ’’ Nylon ” hosiery will probably not be available until after the war. The whole output of yarn has been taken over by the British Air Department for the manufacture of parachutes. “ Nylon " bristle has considerable advantages over hog bristles in tooth brushes—it wears better and docs not break oft or go soft in service. It absorbs onlv onc-fitlh as much moisture as hog bristle and absorbs it more slowly. The surface of “Nylon" is smooth and hygienic, is not susceptible to bacterial attack, and docs not become soggy and dirty in use. . .... A recent -lest in a machine simulating (he use of a tooth brush, the abrasion and fatigue was such that after 70,000 scrubs the “ Nylon ” brush was intact, with every tuft in place and only a few bristles out of alignment, whereas in a high-grade hog bristle brush, subjected to the same test, the bristles were broken and flattened down. " Nylon ” tooth brushes, made from this wonderful material, are now manufactured in New Zealand. They are individually packaged to reach you in perfect condition, and cost no more than the ordinary high grade bristle brush, Ask your chemist or dealer to show you the new “ Nylon ” tooth brushes—every genuine " Nylon ” brush has the word " NYLON ” slamned prominently on the handle.—X.