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