Ebonite
Highly vulcanized rubber that is generically known as "hard rubber" / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the type of rubber. For the bowling-ball manufacturer, see Ebonite International.
Ebonite is a brand name for a material generically known as hard rubber, obtained via vulcanizing natural rubber for prolonged periods. Ebonite may contain from 25% to 80% sulfur and linseed oil.[1][2] Its name comes from its intended use as an artificial substitute for ebony wood. The material has also been called vulcanite,[3] although that name formally refers to the mineral vulcanite.
Charles Goodyear's brother, Nelson Goodyear, experimented with the chemistry of ebonite composites. In 1851, he used zinc oxide as a filler.[4] Hugh Silver was responsible for giving it its name.[5]