Durium

Durium is a highly durable synthetic resin developed in 1929.

It was used in phonograph records, as well as in the casting process for metallic type and in the aeronautics industry.

It is a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin, the result of research by Hal T. Beans, professor of chemistry at Columbia University.

Being resistant to fire and water, the resin was used as a substitute for varnish on aeronautical parts.

The resin was bonded to a cardboard substrate and, being much lighter than its competitor shellac, was sold at newsstands for only 15 cents per disc.