Forgotten fibres: fibres from unusual sources

Summary of paper only published in conference post prints.In the mid-twentieth century, there was tremendous interest in making fibres from new sources. Some of this research developed the successful synthetic fibres which we know today. However, fibres were also made from various regenerated protein sources which seem unusual and surprising today. Classified as Azlon fibres, these had a short lived commercial life and most have now been forgotten. This paper will present research into these fibres which were made from a wide range of protein sources. The significance of these fibres lies not only in their history or technological development, but also in the motives behind the original research. Their development is often linked with the pressures for national sufficiency prior to the Second World War. Interestingly, these sources are again being explored for their fibre forming potential but this time the motivation is different and the result of surplus rather than lack.