Radite is a trade name for an early plastic, formed of pyroxylin—a partially nitrated cellulose— manufactured by DuPont and introduced by the Sheaffer Pen Company in 1924 when plastics were first used as a material for pen manufacture.

Sheaffer's Radite pens were the first commercial plastic pens,[1] and Sheaffer marketed the material as "indestructible."[2] Jade green in color, the pens were best sellers at the time.[3] The material is credited with helping Sheaffer capture 25% of the market.[4]

Radite is extremely similar to other celluloid pen materials trademarked at the time, such as Permanite, Pyralin, Fiberloid, Viscoloid, and Herculoid.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hoover, Will (1995). Picks! The Colorful Saga of Vintage Celluloid Guitar Plectrums. Miller Freeman Books. p. 7. ISBN 9780879303778. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  2. ^ "It is the banner pen of a banner year". Vogue. 1926. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  3. ^ Mamoulides, Jim (2017). PenHero Quarterly Q2 2017. Lulu.com. p. 98. ISBN 9780999051016. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  4. ^ Rosenkrantz, Linda (5 December 2004). "Appreciation grows for old fountain pens". The San Diego Union-Tribune.