Plaskon Color Samples

1953 Plaskon Melmac Samples from my Collection

The colors of the rainbow, are sure to brighten any day. I often think that choosing a color palette or to limit my collection seems unlikely. I am going for the sunny and bright look and have still yet to unpack my melmac from my move from Baltimore to West Virginia. I have downsized my space from a 4 bedroom Victorian style home to a 1 bedroom cabin. It seems unlikely I will ever get room for my melmac unless I build an addition. Also, the heat in the West Virginia summer is not ideal for any plastics collection. I have decided recently to get rid of my Fiesta (urgh, this is great in the microwave, oven, and I make the best casseroles and pies in it) to redoing my kitchen in Italian dinnerware.  I guess after time your tastes change and / or you get tired of the same old same old.

These are some plastic discs I acquired in my travels and are plastic Plaskon Melamine samples. If you note they are large discs about 6" around and flat, each labeled with the 1953 color name to them. They came in a box that says "House and Garden" and features the stacking colors you see in my banner.   Ironically many of these colors strike me as basic colors of the rainbow.

Note the Meladur seems to match in dark green, but not in yellow...

Not all melmac coloration is the same....for instance when I first started collecting I remember assembling a set of pink at the thrift store. I would pick up this pink cup or that pink bowl here and there in my travels. None of the pinks matched and I started to think I was crazy or that someone washed them in the dishwasher a bit much. Unfortunately, some were just a teeny tiny shade or hue off.   I later realized when in Syracuse studying Russel Wright that the plastic designers (and yes there were designers for the major melamine vintage lines) used to make custom colors, so their colors were just a bit off of the competitor. For instance Russel Wright used to add this or change that just to get that special turquoise color.  As you can see from the photo above, some of the Meladur (Lapcor and General American) samples match the 1953 House and Garden colors but some are just a bit off.

I suppose you need to look for the rainbow.

Vintage Rainbow Kitchen Set Salt Pepper Shakers Trivet Utensil Holder Toothpick or Creamer 6pc 1970s   $32 here at RetroChalet

Lapcor General American Meladur Custard Cups Melmac Samples Part One

Lapcor and General American Meladur Custard Cups

Recently I acquired a very rare set of Melmac Color chips. These most likely came on a ring and were shown to customers to choose common colors for their melmac.  Here is the set of 50. I love them so much!

There are 50 chips most likely color samples of popular blends on keyrings back in the day.

I spoke with fellow Plastics Researcher Christopher McPherson who runs the awesome Plastic Living website, who suggested I try to date the chips based on the color matching.  So , I pulled out some of my melmac (which now lays boxed up thanks to a multi-state move) and found these custard Cups.

Meladur Color Cups , Color Matching

More on Meladur Custard Cups

First let me indicate the custard cups are hard to find, and I have collected some with backstamps of General American circa 40's and later Lapcor. They are the line of Meladur, first created by Russel Wright for General American under the GATX Meladur Russel Wright label. However, I can never prove or disprove they were or weren't a Wright design. I saw some similar indication in Syracuse that may indicate this custard cup was thought of by Wright, yet the feet were designed differently.   It is my opinion the item was in the works but in the middle of contractual disputes and non-renewal, so the company nixed the feet and produced it anyhow.

1940's Blue Color is a Perfect Match to early 1940s Meladur color!

Not one I have NEVER found any signed Russel Wright and I feel they are an after-Wright creation. Why? The feet are not ribbed as his were. He created feet that were ridged for easier drying and stacking, which the design of the feet was later dropped when the line was sold without his name (after contract). After GATX finished contractual disputes, they sold the entire line with molds to Lapcor who continued to produce the line in many colors, some vibrant and lovely.

Nevertheless, I have collected them as a go-with and shown above are three original Russel Wright colors.    As you can see, two of the three match the color samples perfectly.  The blue tends to be melmac sample "BB171" and the pale yellow matches exact yet the code is scrubbed off and I will never know but appears to say "XX 103", of course the XX being letters I cannot make out .  The tan, or almond color is a hue off.

The tan sample matches close but not perfectly. 

So now I pull other colors to see if I can match. Here's what I end up with.  The tan above does not match exactly and is one slight hue off. However, with only a 50 chip keyring is it not possible that other colors existed on a master keyring full of hundreds of chips?

The dark green common on Meladur and Boonton does not match exactly but appears to be a hue off all the samples, black being shown in the center. 

My research notes in Syracuse indicate Wright's Meladur colors, he tried many and even put some pieces in the oven to see when they burnt and at what temperature, believe it or not.   Many color codes he copied down and tried to make custom colors.

(((However, some of the same colors on Meladur (dark green and also an earlier maroon) are also common on Early Bootonware. Surely discontinued due to major scratching visibility. )))

See all the greens, n a ring of 50 it's hard to find an exact match.

In conclusion, I cannot for certain date my color sample ring yet can say that it matches the early blue and yellow perfectly. These blues and yellows originally debuted in the 1940's on Meladur, Boonton and many other dishes. 

MY GUESS:  1950-1953

If I had to fathom a guess, based on my research, I would give it 1950-1956 possibly learning towards 1950-1953.  I would deduce this suggestion based on the fact that a) it's a 50 chip ring and not all samples wer included in the ring, because of lack of customer interest. Thereby elimination of the dark green and maroons (color scratching), and tan on it's way out (feedback circa 1946-1949).  Although this could certainly be a 1940s basic starter ring missing some colors, I would guess  by the looks of the pretty vibrant blues and yellows shown above, that the colors are circa 1950-1953, keeping some of the popular older colors but adding some new for the uptown housewife. 

What do you think? Leave a comment +Cindy Fahnestock-Schafer  or tweet me   twitter.com/iramency

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Lapcor Meladur Marge Miley Russel Wright

Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy offers these great cups for sale!

I just had to snatch and post this gorgeous picture of Lapcor's Meladur cups and saucers taken by Cattle Dog Modern on Etsy. If you are wondering they are for sale in their Etsy shop. As you may or may not already know, I talk a lot about how this original Russel Wright design (produced by General American Transportation Company) was reproduced years later in Manitowoc, Wisconsin under the Lapcor label (and later very similar but not exact Rainboware in Canada.  All the details can be found on the Meladur page.

A lot of collectors hold out for the original designs which have the Russel Wright signature on them, but I'm not one of them. To me it's all relevant and part of history. If Lapcor was using the same molds, and although they did reproduce some of the original colors, they had a nice soft pastel palette that is definitely worth a place in my collection.

I was sad to read that Marge Miley, whom I had the pleasure of corresponding with and talking to over the years had passed away this February. She was a town historian and had worked for the paper for years in the Manitowoc (WI) Herald Times Reporter.  She helped me greatly in my Russel Wright melmac research when it led me to her town, put me in the paper, and in fact, went above and beyond to solve mysteries for me.  She will be missed. What made me smile was the fact, that she decided to have control of her last words by writing her own obituary as any good journalist would do. 



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Vanished: Russel Wright Prototype pre Meladur Melmac Mug Where Did It Go and Why Did it Vanish?

Where Have I Gone?

This one from Syracuse University, has cracked with age....note the free flow handle into the rim.

Somewhere between March 1944 and 1946, came into existence a very rare melmac mug prototype (shown here in blue, above, and below.) This mug was designed by Russel Wright, and was set to be an accompanying piece in his original "test line" (originally marked Cyanamid Plastics, later named Meladur.) To understand the whole sordid saga, you must first understand this "test line" was designed by Russel Wright only to do research in restaurants and get consumer opinion wherein a huge survey was compiled and reported back to American Cyanamid. He did not have to design the line--as other melamine dishes existed in fact Edward Don and Company was one of the companies he was talking to to get crucial feedback.

Here it is! Marked Cyanamid Plastics, it was flat based, with stacking ridges.

The goal of the survey was an effort to get molders (more than 15 in the first year)* to mold dishes or dinnerware of melmac and melamine therein obtaining the powders from American Cyanamid. It's secondary goal was to gain consumer interest knowing that upper crust designer Russel Wright (whose American Modern had made it's way into tons of homes and housewives loved his style) was doing the survey.   The point here is, Wright's test line would later be produced by General American Transportation Company circa 1949 under the name Meladur.  When it went into production, the mug in question, all but disappeared--in fact, was replaced with a not-so-similar mug go with by General American. But why?

Redesigned Meladur Mug, Not even close! The handle is not flush with rim, no stacking ridges. Not Wright Designed.

FLUSH HANDLE DESIGN - CUPS AND MUGS

Flush-handle Cups.  Wright was known for these both in china and plastic.

What I'm talking about by a flush-handle is the way the handle "flows" right into the rim with basically "no" rim area present.  Although the FLAIR cup above has a bit of rim action, it gives the illusion of free form from other angles.    Top Left to Right: Blue-Meladur, Blue -Aussie Superware Duperite,  Bottom Row Left to Right : Orange: Flair by Russel Wright , Peachy Pink: Watertown Lifetime Ware, Yellow: Canadian.

Russel Wright's Residential Cups were Perfect Examples of Flush Handles, these @ RetroChalet.

**Bermuda Coral Free-Form Mug by Watertown, by QuietRainz.

WATERTOWN : FIRST TO THE FLUSH!

*It should be noted here, as per Christopher's research, that Watertown Manufacturing Company was "the first" manufacturer of the flush handled cup for residential use that we know of.  Christopher's research on Lifetime Ware has been extensive, and I must say--quite impressive.  Many people credit Russel Wright for being "first" melmac to the table, but sadly, that was just a fable started over time and not fact.

Back to the prototype mug in question, one known prototype exists in Syracuse, and some others in the personal collection of Mr. Melmac, obtained first hand from an American Cyanamid executive. But why and when did this cup disappear or stop being produced?  The mystery remains unsolved and the debacle continues.

Another shot of the one-in-Syracuse mug. Was it too simliar to it's Military counterparts below?

So we can date the original test pieces from 1945 to 1948.   In the original line, not only was a regular cup and saucer designed, but a small mug.  The mug had a free form handle that flowed into the rim such as these cups below.  It had a stacking ridge for drying purposes, and was not a large mug, but more of a upgraded coffee cup side, and of course, fit just fine in the well of the saucer. I guess the best way to describe it, was smaller than a regular mug, but larger than a coffee cup.  Odd, I suppose.


Possible explanation/s:

THEORY ONE: THE SIZING OF THE MUG WAS TOO SMALL.
The test mug was not as large as military mugs, and would have held maybe an ounce more if that than the coffee cup. So perhaps it was more European in sizing and perhaps American Cyanamid decided it wouldn't fare well in the USA.
 
THEORY TWO: COPYRIGHT (PATENT INFRINGEMENT) ISSUES.*

*Thanks to Christopher who pointed out this would have been a "patent issue."  We can look onto other melmac mugs and see some similarities in size, stacking ridges, but none have the exact shape of the free flowing handle. Many are close, but no two exact.

Military mugs (AngiesIris) are larger, different handle, not flush with rim but have the stacking ridges.

If copyright (*Patent Infringement) was the case, there are plenty of known examples where designs can be a bit different and not in infringement.  (Besides, I can't find any patents.)  So I find it hard to believe this was the case, but if so, why wasn't Wright's put into production? Even if Cyanamid thought it was too close to another manufacturer's existing style, why wouldn't Wright change it or redesign it slightly and put it into production later during the time Meladur was actually produced?  We can see "traces" of the original design everywhere we look.

Kysite of Maine, by Bitta Vintage.  Same shape handles and overall size.

My Austrailian Superware Duperite Set looks just like the real deal!

I bought these out of Canada, from ThriftFindDesign, they have free flowing handles and stacking ridges. Perhaps a predecessor of the Prototype Mug?

Dallas Ware Cups by AnnieGreenSprings hold many simliarities, size, ridges but still the handle is not free form into the rim.

These lovely orange cups by FunkDaughter are marked GPL of Canada.

GPL of Canada again by Cottagewear aka The Lakehouse.

Similiar design by Vanguard from Maplex of Canada available at StarlingMemory.

Harmony House Today mugs, same size, handle similar but not exact, missing ridges, now in the McPherson collection.

Many years ago, I found a patent search by HJ Stotter, which showed cups made of Stacking ridges almost identical to the prototype cups. Since these cups came much later, I did not think this could have been an issue.  I've also seen examples by Arrowhead, Boontonware, Cloverlane, and Halsey that are similar to the ones above.

THEORY THREE: THE CAT ATE IT.

Do you know why this mug vanished? Solve the Mystery!  Tell me! 

RELATED READING:

Read about the Test Line on the Meladur Page. 

Read about the first "flush form mug" and see Watertown at Plastic Living.

Special thanks to Christopher whose expertise keeps me in line.

For Sale: Lapcor Meladur Melmac Dish Building in Manitowoc, Wisconsin also made Stetson Melamine Too

Old Lakeside Plastics Building as named in 1952, Lapcor circa 1955 plus additions. Photo Credit: Courtesy LoopNet

Now you can own the commercial building originally built in 1945 at 2214 Franklin Street for a mere $295,000.  Too bad I don't live near Manitowoc, I'd probably be living in it with my Meladur dishes! Interviews with Marge Miley (local newspaper historian since 1943) and Jan Burkart (Ruh) led me to realize that Meladur dishes while at Lapcor were very popular circa 1955-1958 (unlike production in earlier years at General American). The factory produced other melamine dinnerware lines for outside companies such as Stetson. Aside from dishes this molder was big into production of industrial components.  I found indication this factory was still being used according to Hardware Age, circa 1966, but later addresses for Lapcor (1983) - give a 2702 Division St., Manitowoc. Wl 54220 (414-682-4666).  So is this picture a factory or storage house back in the day?

Meladur had a new following when at Lapcor, almost 10 years after it's original design.

For years I've done research on Russel Wright and melmac dishes. Originally designed and produced by Russel Wright to do market tests, (on the request of William Bell of American Cyanamid), they later went into production by General American Transportation Company (GATX).  With much contractual issues, the molds were later sold to Lapcor Platics circa 1955 after Wright's much disputed contract was defunct. 

More Meladur Info Needed: 
I'm pretty much finished my MELADUR page here on the blog, so check it out.  I'm really trying now to put together PROPER color names, ephemera, and this will take me many more years of research.   I can't tell you how many letters I've received from the citizens of Manitowoc, about Lapcor plastics, and how it employed someone they knew or loved.  Good town citizens like the late Mary Jane Wachal, who dedicated 19 years of her life to Lapcor Plastics, or the late Dorothy J. Gordon, who had 30 years in! Thank you for all the information!  It's getting harder and harder to find out information due to the fact the employees I'm looking for worked there in the 50s, which (even if they were in their 20s or 30's) puts them at 80 years old now.

Know anything?  Contact me!

Russel Wright Meladur : GATX, Lapcor, Rainboware, and More

I finally finished my Meladur page on this site.  It took a bit to transfer the old information previously published on my old site, and add the new.  I thought you may like this photo of a rare "end of day" mottled confetti Meladur creamer by Lapcor.

 This is in my personal collection and I'd just love to find the sugar bowl to match!  This is the same mold used at General American Transportation Company back when Russel Wrigtht's line of Meladur hit the scene after the test line.  This same mold is also used in Canadian examples of Rainboware and even Sears Warner Melmac.  Sadly, I've never been able to prove Russel Wright himself designed this creamer, I suppose I'll never know who did.

In the meantime, check out the Meladur page HERE.