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In Singapore, 1842, Dr William Montgomerie was shown a strange latex by his gardener.

This material, when placed in hot water, could be moulded to any shape you wanted, and, on cooling, would set solid. You could do this again, and again and it would happily mould to any shape desired. Unlike rubber, it didn’t crumble in salt water and stayed firm on setting.

This new wonder material was called Gutta Percha, after the tree that it came from, and it would blow Victorian minds.

1 posted on 08/03/2022 6:26:55 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

19th century golf balls had gutta percha covers.


3 posted on 08/03/2022 6:29:55 PM PDT by Hebrews 11:6 (“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24)
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To: SunkenCiv

I thought it would be the phone tree, where you need to press 1 for English and it keep you on hold with crappy music... 🤓


6 posted on 08/03/2022 6:37:04 PM PDT by Deplorable American1776 (I'm the one trying to save American Democracy...Donald Trump 6/5/21 at the NCGOP convention)
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To: SunkenCiv

A materials revolution that, 180 years later, would provide plastic eating aquatic bacteria with the grandest feasts of their species. Ain’t nature wonderful, Moe?


7 posted on 08/03/2022 6:38:02 PM PDT by Born in 1950 (Anti left, nothing else.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Fascinating! Thanks for posting this!


8 posted on 08/03/2022 6:39:49 PM PDT by CatHerd (Whoever said "All's fair in love and war" probably never participated in either.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Great video. Thanks for posting it. At the end, the narrator says that the current use for Gutta Percha is in root canals! It is used to pack the cavity after the pulp is extracted from the tooth. I’ve got several in my mouth.

The environmental disregard for the tree in the late 1800s was astonishing and sad. A TEN TON tree was cut down for 300 grams (11 ounces) of Gutta Percha. The narrator says it was like demolishing an entire house to get one brick. It take 30 years to mature and has come back a somewhat, but is threatened by deforestation. As much as I hate the word “sustainable,” this is a case where practices certainly were not sustainable. Synthetic polymers that were invented in the 30s saved the tree.


10 posted on 08/03/2022 6:41:59 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (“May your neighbors respect you, trouble neglect you, angels protect you and heaven accept you”)
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To: SunkenCiv

For those without 15 minutes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Montgomerie


11 posted on 08/03/2022 6:42:26 PM PDT by TexasGator (ice )
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To: SunkenCiv

The American Minute: Democrat Rep. Brooks beat anti-slavery Republican Senator with his gutta-percha cane till it broke…

https://www.fggam.org/2015/03/the-american-minute-democrat-rep-brooks-beat-anti-slavery-republican-senator-with-his-gutta-percha-cane-till-it-broke/

As soon as I heard it was gutta percha this came to mind. Basically an isomer of chicle or rubber. Chemistry nerd stuff....


12 posted on 08/03/2022 6:45:35 PM PDT by packagingguy
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To: SunkenCiv
Hey, very interesting. Thanks for posting that. It's always a pleasure to learn something new, especially something as important as gutta percha. I'm happy the trees are making a comeback.

13 posted on 08/03/2022 6:47:54 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: All

I wish I could post a picture.

I would have posted a picture of one of those Palm tree “disguised” cell towers.


14 posted on 08/03/2022 6:57:35 PM PDT by Sarcazmo ("Sarcasm is the highest form of wit" ~ O. Wilde)
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To: SunkenCiv

Great, thanks for reminding me I have to get a root canal.


17 posted on 08/03/2022 7:09:36 PM PDT by struggle
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To: SunkenCiv

Was the gardener named Chauncey Gardener, by any chance? I think I was, as a former being, there. 🙂


18 posted on 08/03/2022 7:10:01 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: SunkenCiv; Red Badger; BenLurkin; Gamecock; SaveFerris; PROCON; mylife; Rebelbase; ...

19 posted on 08/03/2022 7:16:48 PM PDT by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait!)
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To: SunkenCiv

I’ll save y’all the click: the “rubber” from this tree makes great insulation for telecomm wires.


21 posted on 08/03/2022 7:27:15 PM PDT by dangus
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To: SunkenCiv

Gutta Percha is what an endodontist uses to fill up the hole he bored in your jawbone in a root canal operation. He packs it with gutta percha. I do not know the rest of the procedure, but I’m well familiar with the material. Gutta Percha Points are tapered sticks of the material in different diameters to correspond with the size reamer that was used in clearing out the root canal.


22 posted on 08/03/2022 7:31:40 PM PDT by Tucker39 ("It is impossible so to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." George Washington )
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To: SunkenCiv

For later read


29 posted on 08/04/2022 3:48:07 AM PDT by SES1066 (More & more it looks like Brandon's best decision was Kamala! UGH!)
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