| In this article we're going to continue our transformation | | | | was celluloid. However, because of the problems with |
| years with the changes that were made in billiard balls | | | | his earlier billiard balls, acceptance of these celluloid |
| to begin with. | | | | billiard balls did not come easily. However, this process |
| The early billiard balls were made of wood. They were | | | | did lead to the discovery of Bakelite and cast-phenolic |
| easy to shape, inexpensive and readily available. In the | | | | resins which are the main components of billiard balls |
| 1600s ivory billiard balls came into use. While they were | | | | even to this day. |
| more playable than wood they were very expensive | | | | Then in 1892 William A. Spinks, a professional billiard |
| and only the very rich could afford them. And while | | | | player from Chicago, began working with chemists on |
| they were nice to look at they never were very | | | | the components of chalk. It was during one of his trips |
| dependable. They also took a very long time to make | | | | to Paris that he discovered a chalk like no other. He |
| as the tusk softening process took almost two years. | | | | was impressed with the chalk's ability to grip during |
| Ivory billiard balls could split or fracture easily if not | | | | play and set out to invent a chalk that could grip even |
| made just right. New balls had to be broken in gently | | | | more. Finally in 1897 he was granted a patent for billiard |
| by being struck softly for the first couple of months. | | | | chalk, which actually did not contain any billiard chalk at |
| Finally in 1869 an Albany chemist mixed nitrocellulose | | | | all. It was made up entirely of silica and axolite. This |
| with camphor under high pressure. This resulted in a | | | | compound was crushed to fine powder and then air |
| hard, shiny, mouldable substance he called celluloid. The | | | | floated to achieve just the right fineness. |
| man's name was John Wesley Hyatt and while he | | | | The effect of the new "chalk" on the game would |
| didn't know it at the time, he had just invented the | | | | change billiards forever. The grit actually took hold of |
| world's first plastic. It was this discovery that led to | | | | the ball on impact in a way that had never been seen |
| improvements in billiard balls to this very day. In April of | | | | before. It also solved the problem of blackboard chalk |
| that same year Hyatt discovered "collodion," which | | | | which discolored the billiard cloth and even rotted the |
| was actually an early form of celluloid. The addition of | | | | fabric. The original color of this chalk was green but |
| collodion to the surface of the balls resulted in a hard | | | | eventually it was made in just about every color. This |
| and perfectly smooth surface. Unfortunately, the new | | | | chalk greatly improved the performance of the cue tip |
| balls could shatter under hard impact and manufacture | | | | and literally revolutionized the game itself. |
| of them had to be stopped until a fix for this problem | | | | In the next article in this series we'll take a look at cue |
| was found. The discovery that solved this problem | | | | construction during the transformation years. |