According to legend, musicians began buying nylon fishing line because it
worked better for stringing musical instruments than gut strings. Soon nylon guitar strings
were being produced commercially. Nylon became the standard material for backpacks, tents and
other outdoor gear. DuPont's Zytel¨ nylon resin composites have found their way into
automobile parts and other high performance applications. There wasn't an aspect of everyday
life that hasn't been pervaded by the wonderful polymer invented by Wallace Carothers.
A Dry Toothbrush
Before the invention of nylon was announced by DuPont, consumers had unknowingly gotten a taste
of the new material, literally. When preparing to produce nylon commercially, DuPont tested
prototype machinery in two trial facilities, the semi-works (1936) and the pilot plant (1938),
before full-scale commercial production began in 1939. The nylon
polymer
produced at the semi-works during equipment testing was not suitable for making yarn for
hosiery. Nonetheless DuPont found a use for the nylon polymer made at the semi-works. In
1937, before the invention of nylon would be announced, the amazing new Dr. West's Miracle-Tuft
toothbrushes hit the market. Unbeknownst to consumers, it's bristles were made from nylon
polymer produced at the semi-works. DuPont didn't reveal the chemical nature of the new
bristles. It simply refered to the material by the name "Exton". The new toothbrush actually
dried out in the time between uses, unlike the old boar's hair bristle brushes. It was the
public's first experience with a polymer that would soon change their lives.
The Big Announcement
In 1938 Charles M.A. Stine made DuPont's first announcement of
"a new word and a new product nylon". Two years later, the first nylon stockings were on the
market. During this time demand was so high that the new stockings were perpetually sold
out. Nylon stockings held up better than silk stockings. Also, nylon fibers could be made much
thinner than silk fibers, so it wasn't long before sheer nylon stockings, simply called
"nylons", became the norm. Here nylon made a big impact on American culture, because it was
with the advent of sheer nylon hosiery that most American women began to shave their legs.
War
If nylon stockings were hard to get in 1940, they were even harder to get by 1942. In 1941
the United States was drawn into World War II, which had gripped much of the rest of the world,
by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Now all the nylon DuPont could produce was requisitioned
by the government and used for making parachutes, ropes, cords for reinforcing aircraft tires,
even shoelaces for army boots. In fact the fear that war would be coming had a lot to do with
the speed at which nylon was pushed into production after its invention in 1935. Since most of
the world's silk was produced in Japan, a synthetic substitute was needed. Because of its
potential as a vital war material, DuPont management had been urged by the United States
government to make nylon a reality as quickly as possible.
Nylon Comes Home to Stay
When the war ended in 1945 nylon products were once again available to consumers in the United
States. Nylon stockings were joined by nylon windbreakers, nylon lingerie, nylon carpet, and
nylon fishing line. Nylon garments were the first "wash and wear" clothing. Before nylon, just about everything
people wore had to be ironed, which meant a lot of hard work for a lot of women. Nylon made
no-iron clothing possible for the first time. Because nylon could keep a shape, it made pleated
skirts possible. And because nylon was moisture-resistant and could be woven more tightly than
cotton, it could be used to make the first windbreakers.
References
1. Labovsky, Joseph. Oral history by John K. Smith, 24 July 1996. Philadelphia: Chemical
Heritage Foundation.