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Early life
Alexander Parkes was born in Birmingham in 1813. His father worked as a brass lock manufacturer, so Alexander was introduced to metallurgy from an early age. Initially working alongside his father, he then became an apprentice at esteemed Messenger and Sons brass founders, before moving on to electroplating specialists, George and Henry Elkington.
An eye for invention
As Alexander gained knowledge and experience of working with brass and metals, his creative and curious nature quickly led to some new and improved processes.
In 1841, Alexander began working on an innovative electroplating process using fragile objects, such as flowers. He gained a patent for his discovery in 1843 and even presented a silver-plated spider's web to Prince Albert in 1844.
A couple of years later, Alexander was granted another patent for vulcanising rubber using a cold cure process - a method for waterproofing fabrics. His other patented discoveries included adding phosphorous to metals and alloys to improve their strength, and de-silvering lead in what became known as the Parkes process.
Creation of plastic
Although Alexander was a prolific inventor, acquiring a staggering 66 patents, it was probably his creation of the first man-made plastic in 1855 that he became most famous for.
Alexander created his early plastic compound, which he called Parkesine, by dissolving cellulose nitrate, in the form of wood flour or cotton fibre, in nitric and sulphuric acids. He then mixed it with vegetable oils, like wood naphtha and castor oil. The resulting substance resembled a type of dough, which Alexander observed could be moulded or carved when it was heated, as well as painted and inscribed with ornamentation.
Alexander noted that his newly created substance had great potential to be used for many household objects including shoe soles, buttons, walking sticks, billiard balls and buckles. Parkesine was also cheaper to create than using other materials such as rubber or leather and it made for a more readily available alternative to ivory.
Excited by his new invention, Alexander made some objects from Parkesine including combs, knife handles, medallions and plaques. He presented them at the International Exhibition in London in 1862, where he received a bronze medal for his efforts. In 1867, he obtained a silver medal at the Paris Universal Exhibition.
Interest in his new plastic invention spurred him on to establish the Parkesine Company in 1866, with the view to commercially producing items on a large scale. However, despite Alexander's brilliant innovative streak, his business acumen was limited, and the venture failed just a couple of years later. Factors that also contributed to the company's downfall included high production costs, as well as the plastic products proving to be highly flammable and prone to cracking.
After selling his company to his business partner, Daniel Spill, Alexander continued to work on further inventions until his death in 1890, but commercial success remained elusive. Despite everything, Alexander's early invention paved the way for enhancements to the development of plastic, to the product we know so well today.
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