If any of our readers are old enough to remember Lino then must be in their 50’s or 60’s.Do you remember that shiny stuff that your mum and dad used to have in the bathroom and kitchen, and every time you got out of the bath you almost broke your neck when you slipped on that shiny material, well that is good old fashioned linoleum (lino).Nowadays it would make a great break dancing surface.
Originally lino was made out of solidified linseed oil, pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate but today it is synthetically made form PVC.
The First Mate being a bit of an industrial historian, in a part-time capacity told the crew about the fascinating subject “Up until the 1960’s the Linoleum Manufacturing Company was the major employer in Staines but it closed in the 1970’s and a shopping centre has now been built on the site of the original factory and that’s where the bronze statue of the Lino Men can be found”. “Why do you think the company shut?,” asked the Cabin Boy” “Well Billy Boy just you think about it a bit, what you have on your floors at home then?” . After a while the Cabin Boy came back” Carpet, vinyl tiles, cushion floor and laminates “, “Well there’s your answer Billy, things have progressed since the 1860’s when Walton invented lino.
The Captain added “You forgot to tell him First Mate “That those Argies we thrashed in the Falklands used to supply the linseed oil, the old stuff when burnt gives out poisonous fumes and often caused deaths in houses fires that had lino in them and don’t forget when you drop your perfume bottle on it, Sweety Billy, it dissolves the stuff.”
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