I have a rectangular block of it that I found at a thrift shop a few years ago, or maybe a flea market?

I've only read accounts of it being gathered from car painting factories/facilities, so they would be "car colors", historically.

But a couple days ago, will Pinterest-ing, I saw an image of a paint stirring stick covered in several inches of layered paint, by someone who deliberately kept using the stick over and over, then slicing it open to reveal the layers.

Makes sense that someone might make their own??

Finally found a pic of my Fordite. I think I found it at an antique store or a thrift shop, maybe a flea market.

At my now-deleted Amber Group I had composed a list, characterizing various plastic smells. So, no longer at-hand.

I think the layers would be more even when it was “fordite” from a paint spray booth and could be easy scratched. In your case the toplayers are a bit cloudy. The best fordite is found in the extraction system of a spray booth. (I hope google translate did here the right job)

I usually wouldn't consider Lucite, but came across this example in ETSY. It is odd the way one or some of outer layers wave and seem to blend one into the other layer..
(it's been Sold so you might have to backtrack some):

https://www.etsy.com/listing/878343105/vintage-layered-multi-color-lucite?show_sold_out_detail=1&ref=nla_listing_details

Another more Modern example- shows blending "waves" of color between some of the layers and the blue "eye" on one side (encircled by green) has wavy blending effects also.
Also from ETSY:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/623735743/bold-beautiful-designer-multi-color?ga_search_query=lucite%2Bbracelet&ref=shop_items_search_6&pro=1&frs=1

Both of these Etsy pieces are made from thin parallel laminates of colored resins. There is no undulation or swirling, and not much variation is layer thickness (as we see in the carving shown by Rosanna). So they are very different.

Lucite is acrylic. When hot-needled it produces a sweet fruity aroma.

JDA.

see next post

Jamey, to be clear, I mean the swirling of the colors from one color band (in)to the next and not an outward or upward undulation.
In the initial example you see that most colors are parallel lines, but that there is an interplay and swirling of colors- on the last several layers of her example. It's hard to say more without closer examination. That could Not be the case, but that's what it looks like to me initially.

I don't pretend to know anything about this "stuff" but I thought I could see some similarities in the way the material was interacting and the lucite examples I posted, however fleeting.

Also FYI Fordite and Lucite can BOTH be acrylics (depending on age of car Paint used) according to what I read below, and therefore one reason I made the link. This information could be incorrect, as I said, I'm no expert. This speaks about the Fordite that is made, I expect just for Jewelry, and perhaps is different from the enamel Paint used in a different time segment- see below for differences in Fordite composition .

The differences in Fordite Composition by AGE: "Enter the DuPont Company. In 1924, DuPont, in conjunction with General Motors, developed a nitrocellulose paint lacquer that dried fast and came in several colors, the most popular of which was blue. They also developed a sprayer for the paint virtually eliminating the brushing process for painting. This was still an air-dried lacquer, but it was a faster process and sped up production at the factory. New paint came in the 1930s that was an enamel instead of lacquer and it was baked on the car's frame. This paint lasted longer and retained its shine better over time. The automobile was mounted on an assembly stand and pulled into the painting room, sprayed by a person and baked in place, then pulled down the line for further assembly. The paint overspray on the walls and assembly stands would also be baked in place, making a very hard, thick product.

Overtime, the layers of paint would build up and make it difficult to pull the car chassis through the painting process and workers would chip the paint off the metal sleds and walls. In the 1960s and 70s, acrylic paint was introduced that was more durable and weather-resistant than the enamel being used at the time, creating a buildup of vibrant colors in defined layers on the overspray. Workers noticed this material building up, and they would clear it away and take it home, forming it into shapes. Voila….Fordite, or Motor Agate, was born!"

SOURCE: https://www.wirejewelrybootcamp.com/public/THE-STORY-OF-FORDITE-CABOCHONS.cfm#:~:text=Fordite%20%2C%20or%20Motor%20Agate%2C%20was%20born!&text=You%20may%20be%20wondering%20as,occasionally%20through%20cuts%20or%20scrapes.

I did find this article on Fordite so maybe it will be of help:
https://autobodysource.com/buzz/fordite-from-layers-of-old-car-paint-into-gemstones/

It will be interesting to see what her example turns out to be. Love the idea of Fordite and the "gems made from paint at Auto Factories". I see possible overlaps between Fordite and Lucite and other Acrylics that perhaps merit consideration.

Thanks for your feedback, as always, Anne

Hello Anne.

Thank you for your interesting reply. I have not really delved into the history of Fordite, though I have anticipated all that is included, apart from the actual formulation of the paints used.

The profound difference between the buildup of car paint, that has become Fordite, and laminated acrylic stock, used to make beads and other jewelry parts is easy to understand.

The car paint accumulates on shaped surfaces, and is or can be somewhat random. (There will be convolutions and differences in the thickness of layers—and the whole thing has a random organic appearance. In contrast, the laminated pieces are strictly flat sheets fused together. There are no convolutions. Consequently, the latter appear formal, regular, and static. They lack any "organic" or random quality.

That is, essentially, my only point.

Anytime comparisons are made, we can discuss how things are alike; or how they are different. We often learn something useful by considering both points of view.

Be well. Jamey

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