After bakelite powder is pressed into tablets they are warmed in oven on left. These tablets are then placed in mould.

Fly presses carrying many different jigs for assembling hardware products, components etc.

Presses for manufacturing components for electrical roses, self securing
ball catches, push catches,
etc

Challenge Hardware
presses for manufacturing
products.

Either tablets which have
been pressed in tablet
former, or straight bakelite powder, is placed in heated mould in 100 ton press which closes under pressure.

Son, Murray, halfway through repairs on old American Vickers hydraulic pump which works No.2 100 ton press.
Murray, also having music studio Foundry Sound , www.foundrysound.com

our skills
in action

The "Melalite" trademark was started
around the 1930's by Qeensland Plastics
in Violet St, Eagle Farm, Brisbane. It was taken over by Nylex which was eventually bought out by ACI Glass.
An employee of ACI Glass, upon his retirement,
saved the original dies and machinery from being
scrapped and kept the company going until
we acquired it in the mid 1990's.
By this time interest in Bakelite was all but gone
but the company survived by manufacturing
electrical components for electrical switchboards
and diesel trains which are products that we still do
today. Some of these are made from
Dough Moulding Compound (DMC)
which is a type of compressed fibreglass.

The BAKELITE"NORPLAS"
101 Fuseholders were also keeping things afloat
as thousands are still supplying street lights
and houses today in Queensland and
The South Pacific including New Guinea.

The Ornate 8 1/4" coolie shades in white have been
another line which has sold well since the 1930's and
continue to help flower growers as the shades are
able to withstand high wattage globes without melting
when strung over fields or hung in green houses.
When we acquired the firm, galleries were being made only in white and it was only the fuseholders that
were being made in the traditional brown bakelite.
My son Murray and I have since then,
by experimenting and using traditional methods,
come up with the range we have today.

We are also very grateful to Mervin for snippets of history of the "MELALITE" brand and how
"packs of coloured shades were freighted to
hardware stores far and wide" Mervin,an employee
of the original firm for many years has at times
been our trouble shooter, helping us nut out some awkward problems on our old but well engineered machinery. Advice on methods and techniques
of making bakelite have been gratefully
accepted from this fine old craftsman.

some of the products are :-

galleries, lamp holders, bakelite ceiling roses ,
bakelite switches, batten holders
ornate & plain coolie lightshades cord weight
(also used for plant propagating),

house/street light service fuses (hangs on overhead
wires), fluorescent light bullet ends, reel insulators,
deco switchplates & power points, cord pull knobs,
threaded ball knobs including"welding knobs",balls
for the game "BOBS", Aladdin lamp caps, ashtrays
switched lampholder etc and most things to order,
art deco switches, moulding in all
colours of Bakelite and Urea
and also in Dough Moulding Compound (DMC)
for domestic and commercial use.

TRADE ENQUIRES WELCOME

"Challenge Hardware Products"

The "Challenge Products" trademark was started

around 1932 by the Ziviani family,

running under the name

"Austral Metal Pressing", Greenacre Sydney


In Red Hill, Brisbane, out of the old "Green's"
sandcast foundry building we manufacture
original
"Challenge Hardware Products" using
the original Heine presses and dies,
fly presses, thread tapping machines, jigs etc

of 1932.

some of the products are :-
brass b, barrel bolts,
flush w/robe bolts,

single and double ball catches, machine oilers,
door stops,

picture hooks, , curtain-bracket
castor wheels ,maltese crosses, light chain

chrome, brass and florentine push button catches

with coloured bakelite or metal buttons,

( caravan push catch ) old locks ball catches

keyhole esc. plates, curtain brackets and finials,

screen door catches & handles, brass lampholder,

"gripper" spring steel cupboard catches, locks,

drawer runners, shelf supports, front door locks,

tin window hoods , oil lamp burner lady-lamp

***

GAGLIARDI'S STORE pre 1910

This shop is sometimes confused with another General Store
in Musgrave Road not far away which was owned by
another member of the Gagliardi family.

"VICTORIAN LIVING" 2007

Authentic Lighting and Hardware