A is for…ARALAC
I decided to do an occasional series of textile themes in
alphabetical order. Taking inspiration
from one of my favorite mystery writers, Sue Grafton, who uses the alphabet to
title her books ( “A is for Alibi” etc.)
I have already written several “As”: Armor
Aloha
shirts
Arpilleras
Antimacassars
Arsenic
There are many textile As: acrylic, acetate, alpaca, angora
and others. But, ARALAC?
The story of this textile fiber is innovative and
imaginative. Remember the alchemists
who tried to combine various compounds to produce gold, well, chemists
throughout history have tried to manipulate certain elements to produce new
innovations.
Textile fibers, wool and silk, have always been considered
high end (and expensive) . For many
years there was a search for fibers
that could be created from common
ingredients, much in the way rayon and acetate were created from
cellulose that was chemically manipulated.
This became especially important during the years between World Wars I
and II. Cloth produced from natural
fibers was in great demand. Cotton for
bedding and military uniforms, silk for parachutes, wool for uniforms…..all
were in short supply. Therefore the requirement for new fibers
became paramount.
Work was being conducted on a class of fibers termed
Azion. Fibers in this class are made
from regenerated proteins such as milk, soybeans, peanuts and corn. According
to archives at the National Museum of American History, credit is given to H.
Irving Crane and a group of chemists
working at the Atlantic Research Associates, Inc. which specialized in the
development of products from the milk protein, casein ( ARA was a division of
National Dairy Products Corp. which was later to be absorbed by Kraft Foods).
The casein required for Aralac was formed by adding acid to
milk to form the curd (casein) which was collected from small and large
creameries. One hundred pounds of milk
was required to produce 3.7 pounds of casein, which would produce 3.7 pounds of
fiber. From the casein, crystals were formed by evaporation and then ground and
dissolved into a solution.
The solution was processed by forcing it through spinnerets
and hardened in a chemical bath. During World War II Aralac was blended with
rayon and acetate for use in civilian dress fabric and,, interestingly, felted
hats. Other uses were tested
(carpeting, knitting yarn, lace) but it was not deemed satisfactory due to its
poor strength and difficulty in dyeing. Purchasers of the clothing products had
a unique complaint: when wet, the
fabric smelled like cheese!!!
Production was halted in 1948.
As we all know, the search for alternative synthetic fibers
and methods of their production
continued and endless possibilities seem inevitable.
