The magic of visqueen [Archive]

T. Ashley McGrew

03-15-2012, 07:33 PM

Hey Paul,

This is so bizarre! I was just talking to someone today about material names and the name Visqueen came up. Sage at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian (who is plays music for the SpongeBob Squarepants show - yes I am somewhat stage struck) here in LA told me that he knew people in a band going by that name which I thought was excellent.
Of course I am old enough to remember when Polyethylene sheeting was commonly referred to as Visqueen. I remember my dad buying a sheet of this miracle material to use as a ground cloth in our floorless WW2 army surplus "pup tent". The night started out fine but that morning I woke up with something stretched firmly across my very confused and unhappy face (really kind of disturbing I must say). As it turns out, overnight I had gradually slid down the campsites slight incline to find myself wedged inside my sleeping bag in the very lowest corner of the tent. The resulting sense of extreme claustrophobia has thankfully lessened over the years.
Anyway there was the whole Perspex/Plexiglas = Acrylic discussion going on as well as the fact that what we know as "Mylar" in the future will illicit puzzled looks from people who say "Do you mean Melenex?" when what we are both referring to is Polyester film. Whatever...
I am going to find a use for that illustration! It looks like a natural for our nonexistent Facebook page to me.
Cheers,

Ashley