Showmen's Trade Review (Oct-Dec 1948)

E-12 SHOWMEN'S TRADE REVIEW, October 9, 1948 Safety and Beauty Can Be United Utmost in Handsome and Luxurious Decor Can Readily Be Combined with Use of Flame-Treated or Inherently Flame-Proof Fabrics That Are Completely Safe A. I. Kessler More and more public authorities throughout the United States are insisting on the use of flame proof textiles exclusively for the theatre's functional and ornamental fabrics. A sense of duty to public safety also requires that only such textiles should be used even in areas where the local authorities have not yet gotten around to requiring them. There is no excuse for subjecting the public to possible death from flaming draperies or curtains when flame-proof materials can be just as useful, just as decorative, and their cost is insignificant. Two different types of flame-proof textiles are available. One is cloth fabric that has been chemically treated. The other is glass fabric which is inherently incapable of burning. Damask, satin, velour, plush, printed cotton and rayon materials — the cloth textiles commonly used in theatres for draperies, wall coverings, curtains and general decorative purposes — all can be effectively flame-treated. The cost of the treatment is trivial, compared with the gain in safety, running in general to approximately 5% of the total decorating cost. However, this small addition to the first cost is not quite the end of the matter, since there is at present no flame treatment that will last the life of the fabric. Chemists are working toward that end but have not yet attained it, and at present periodic renewal of the treatment is necessary. This can be done while the draperies or other fabrics remain in place, and should be done at intervals of from lVz to 2 years. Some cities require retreatment every year. This is desirable, whether required or not, for draperies used on the stage where they will be exposed to the heat of intensive stage lighting, and for those used in smoking lounges or smoking areas. Chemical Fire Retardants Several large chemical companies now make fire retardant solutions that are not only effective, but acceptable to the authorities having jurisdiction. Dupont was one of the first to develop a solution to meet the need and yet not destroy the appearance of the fabric. Monsanto Chemical Company use a formula containing ethyl ammonium phosphate. The National Bureau of Standards specifies a solution embodying borax, boric acid and diammonium phosphate. A number of formulas are known and suitable for the work. The essential requirements of any flame-treatment solution are these: It should not appreciably alter the color or appearance of the textile. A fade By A. I. KESSLER President, Novelty Scenic Studios, Inc. ometer test can be used to check upon discoloration. The material used should not be so hygroscopic as to make the treated fabric any damper under normal conditions than its untreated counterpart. The material used should be one that is not readily removed by vacuuming or dry cleaning or by mechanical action resulting from normal use of the draperies. The material must not be either acid or alkaline to an extent which would affect the color, strength or durability of the textile. Additionally, the retention time of the applied material should be longer than one year, so that the treatment will not have to be repeated annually. It is hoped that in the reasonably near future formulas will be perfected which will make the retention time of the flame-proofing compound equal to the life of the fabric, and eliminate need for re-treatment. Mural decorations, including fluorescent murals, emphatically should be flametreated. The canvas to which the decoration is applied should be treated canvas. The paints and colors used, whether for ordinary or fluorescent murals, should be flame-resistant. This will not be the case if the pigments are embodied in a drying oil or lacquer binder; but laboratory tests show that where the binder is glue, gum arabic or casein, and the background can(Continued on Page E-24) Blue plush, gathered in fullness, with red plush screen valance and side drapes, and silver and hammered satin screen curtains, ornament the auditorium of the newly decorated Yorktown Theatre at Cleveland. All of these fabrics have been flame treated for safety. At right, wall coverings of tufted blue leatherette impart an air of utmost luxury to the foyer of the Yorktown. Leatherette and the cotton wadding behind it have both been flame treated ; and the tufted panels are removable, facilitating re-treatment.