Material Analysis - Bakelite
What is Bakelite?
Bakelite is strong, cheap, highly moldable, heat resistant and has low electrical conductivity. These properties allowed manufacturers such as Electrohome to easily mass produce radio casings and components such as the ones used to create the RM-315.
This new material was a turning point in the design of radios, and the standardisation of radio components such as knobs, dials and casings. Bakelite, in the form of a powder mixed with fillers (such as wood flour, asbestos, or cellulose), would be put into heated steel moulds and compressed under high pressure. The powder, reacting to the heat and pressure, would liquefy and take the shape of the mould. This final form would fully harden within a minute. With minimal polishing, as bakelite is naturally shiny, the other components of the radio would then be assembled within the case.
Mass Manufacturing
This moulding process informs the design of the RM-315, the affordances towards mass production can be easily observed in the design of the outer casing. The entire maroon body of the radio, including the intricate grid detailing and the feet, are all one piece of moulded bakelite. The knob and dial are the only separate pieces other than the inner mechanics such as the tubes and wiring. This design ensures that production of the RM-315 is fast and efficient, fewer parts to assemble means lower production costs.
Before the use of bakelite, radio cases were often exclusively made from wood, a material that limited the design and increased production costs. Wood used to create the radio casings had to be sourced, prepared, carved, and polished, meaning the production process took much longer and required more resources. As a result of this involved production process, wooden radios being produced in the 1930s had a much higher production cost than the RM-315 of the early 1950s. Wooden console radios were relatively large, and often a significant acquisition for middle-class families. In the 1920s, table-top wood-cased radios were smaller and came in 3 main designs: tombstone – tall and narrow, cathedral – tall with a rounded top, and table top – rectangular and wide. The rectangular design of the RM-315 mostly closely resembles the wood-cased table-top variation of its predecessors.
Initially, bakelite was only available in a dark brown colour as it did not take on colour easily. Due to its use in consumer products, new colours were created in the years following its widespread commercial usage, such as the maroon of the RM-315.