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When World War II was over, the military no longer needed such intensive manufacturing. DuPont was released from the order to produce nylon only for wartime purposes. As soon as they were able, they began to produce women’s hosiery again.

An enormous demand for women’s hosiery caused women to line up at department stores all over the states, to buy their first pairs of post-war hose. For a period of time, in fact, the demand was so great that all nylon production was focused on manufacturing nylons.

In the meantime, experimentation on nylon’s versatility and potential usefulness led to the production of nylon carpet and upholstery in cars. But nylon was no longer the only new star at this point, as other companies competed to develop the next latest and greatest in manufactured fibers.

The Union Carbide Corporation invented a fiber called modacrylic fiber. Hercules Incorporated developed a product called olefin fiber. And Dow Badische Company came up with metalized fibers. Nylon was still in the lead, however, when DuPont came up with yet another fiber: acrylic.

In the 1950s, the polyester fiber that had been a part of Wallace Carother’s prior research was making a comeback. Originally overlooked and not utilized fully, polyester became the focus of J. Dickson and J. Whinfield, who produced a superior version and patented it nationally and internationally.

All of the excitement going on around the world in the early 1900’s led DuPont through its ups and downs. Rayon was becoming an incredibly popular alternative to natural fibers. It was the beginning of what eventually led to manufactured fibers taking over the majority of the market.

In 1931, DuPont made another splash with the aid of their principal chemist, Wallace Carothers. He was researching large molecules called polymers. Initially, he named the fiber he created “66” based on its molecular structure. “66” was what we now refer to as nylon.

Finally, a manufactured fiber was developed that could outlast, outperform, and outshine rayon in so many purposes. While rayon and acetate had been developed from plant cellulose, this superior product came solely from petrochemicals.

All good things take time and patience. DuPont was not ready to begin manufacturing nylon for the public until 1939. Starting out with parachute fabric, nylon sewing thread, and “nylons” (hosiery for women), the company was set for big retail success.

Unfortunately, the Second World War hit the United States in 1941, leading the government to order that all nylon production be allocated to military needs. The nylon hose, which had only just had a chance to become the latest craze, were no longer in production.

While black market hose were sold for $10 a pair, 8 times their original price of $1.25, DuPont focused on more important things like producing parachutes for soldiers, tires for jeeps, tents, ropes, and even a special paper used for U.S. currency. By the end of the war, manufactured fibers had overtaken nearly a quarter of the fiber market.

Eleuthère Irénée du Pont was an entrepreneur who got his start in his homeland of France. He trained under the chemist, Lavoisier, the superintendent for the gunpowder plant run by the government. He took his knowledge and skills with him when he moved to America.

It was 1802 when du Pont moved his wife and two children to the Brandywine River, between Washington and Philadelphia. Du Pont was seeking a site for the manufacture of gun powder, as he hoped to become successful producing high quality and affordable gun and blasting powder.

Using an old cotton mill to start with, as well as some startup funds from his father’s influential friends, du Pont quickly started his business endeavor and began churning out the best powder in America. It may have been pure luck for du Pont that only three years later, President Jefferson ordered the embargo of trade with Europe, a principal source of gunpowder for the states.

With the sudden widespread demand for more powder, du Pont’s manufacturing site, in a fertile valley by the river, became the largest mill in the United States, in 1811. This Frenchman was living the American Dream. But that was only the start.

The War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War followed each other in relatively rapid succession. For each war, the need for gunpowder was significant and the company DuPont met demands with top quality products.

Despite tragedy, when five were killed in an accidental explosion, and competition, with the return of competitors from Europe, DuPont managed to hold its own. It nearly collapsed, in the late 1800’s, but Alfred du Pont saved the company with the production of brown prismatic powder, used in the Spanish-American War.

The father of man-made polymers, Wallace Carothers invented both nylon and neoprene. With over 50 patents throughout an impressive career of chemical invention, Wallace left his mark in scientific history.

Born in Iowa, he studied accounting and moved to Missouri to teach at Tarkio College. There, he studied science while he taught accounting and discovered he had an incredible aptitude for chemistry.

During his undergraduate studies at Tarkio, he became the head of the chemistry department, during the time of World War I. He went on to earn a Master’s and PhD from the University of Illinois. As a professor at Harvard, in 1924, he began to research the chemical structures of polymers.

Four years later, Carothers left Harvard to run a new lab, at Dupont, established for the research and development of artificial materials. In 1931, DuPont was in the manufacturing phase for neoprene, an artificial rubber developed by Carothers and his research team.

With the breakout of World War II, the demand for artificial materials skyrocketed, and Carothers worked hard and fast to develop a parachute material for the military. Prior to the war, trading with Japan ensured that sufficient silk was available for parachutes. But, relations with Japan soon went sour, so a replacement for the silk was vital.

Carothers and his team found that the neoprene was more sensitive to heat than they would like, so they began investigating other chemical families. In 1935 they succeeded in developing nylon, used in parachutes, webbing, and numerous other products then and ever since. Unfortunately, the career of the famous chemist, Carothers, ended when he committed suicide only a year after the nylon patent and just before his first child was born.

Natural fibers used to be the only option available for fabric and woven materials. From ancient history until the mid-1800s, the only fibers were cotton, silk, and wool. Each of these materials has their drawbacks, including problems with durability and versatility.

Sir Joseph Swan was inspired by Thomas Edison’s invention of the electric lamp. In the early 1880’s, in England, he forced a cellulose liquid through tiny holes into a coagulating bath. His fibers actually worked like carbon filament. He was honored to offer his invention to improve upon Edison’s.

Interestingly, Swan also had his wife weave some of these fibers into fabric. In an exhibit in 1885, he showed these fabrics to the public, but went right back to focusing on electrical lamps. His fabrics were never put into use.

In 1889, Count Hilaire de Chardonnet invented rayon, a copycat of silk, and presented it at the Paris Exhibition. Within two short years, he had commercial production of rayon up and running in Besancon, France. The United States scrambled to produce rayon as well. Once American manufacturers got it right, rayon soon trumped most of the demand for real silk, which was twice as costly.

In Boston, Arthur Little developed acetate, another fiber produced from cellulose. However, he initially created it in the form of a film. Brothers, Camille and Henry Dreyfus used it as motion picture film and then expanded its uses to creating airplane wings. During World War I, the United States invited the Dreyfus brothers to run a plant in Maryland, for the production of acetate for their warplanes.

Nylon was developed by Wallace Carothers, of the DuPont Company, in 1931. Nylon was quickly discovered to be one of the most versatile, durable, and beneficial manufactured fibers thus far. In fact, to this day, nylon is used in countless different applications from leggings to rock-climbing equipment and webbing, and from parachutes to carpeting. Thus manufactured fibers now own a large share of the production of fibers, in the United States.

Nylon is a versatile material, used for many functions today. In the past, however, it was not known how many possibilities nylon had. With cotton providing the majority of market needs for weaved material, it just was not necessary to explore the versatility of this synthetic fiber.

However, with the outbreak of World War II, cotton became more difficult to come by. Once holding 80% of the market, with other natural fibers like wool carrying the other 20%, it was suddenly a challenge to find enough cotton for demand.

So Bill Pittendreigh and DuPont, along with other creative minds and companies, competed to develop materials for the war with nylon. For example, Asian silk and hemp had been used in parachutes previously, and was no longer available. Americans found a way to make a nylon parachute.

In addition, nylon was used for other military purposes like tents, ponchos, and even tires and ropes. The government used it to make a quality paper for money printing. And, by 1945, manufactured fibers had managed to claim a 25% share of weaved materials in the U.S.

Nylon uses expanded to include meat packaging, like sausage sheaths, and packaging for other products. Chemists got creative and started using composites with fiberglass and carbon fiber, in combination with nylon, for automobile parts. Because of World War II, and the demand for manufactured fibers, nylon is a part of everyday life today.

There are three main types of webbing generally available: cotton, nylon, and polypro webbing. Each has its own purpose, benefits, and level of tensile strength. While not as strong as the nylon webbing, polypro has some advantage in strength over the cotton webbing.

Polypro webbing has a tensile strength of 200 up to 2,000 lbs, depending on the width and quality of manufacture. The tensile strength is the point at which the webbing can break, with sufficient pulling. The general rule of thumb is that you should plan on using no more than 75% of the known tensile strength of the polypro webbing you purchase.

If you are, for example, buying a polypro webbing dog collar, you will obviously not need 2,000 lbs. of tensile strength to keep your dog on the leash. (Unless it’s this dog.) On the other hand, you will be grateful for the features of poly-pro webbing’s lightweight feel and mildew resistance.

Polypro webbing is also abrasion-resistant and is more stretch-resistant than nylon webbing. This is especially helpful for use in water. And when using polypro webbing in water, its ability to float is helpful as well.

While polypro does have the aforementioned benefits over nylon webbing, it is still less expensive. The tensile strength of the nylon webbing is the reason people are willing to pay more. They both share a very high melting point of 330 degrees, making them durable for use on even the hottest days.

Whether you are looking for a luggage strap, belt, dog leash, or boat rigging, polypro webbing has widths ranging from ½ inch to 3 inches in both regular and heavyweight construction. In addition, it comes in a wide variety of colors, so your project, whatever it may be, can be both functional and colorful, with the use of polypro webbing.

Nylon, cotton, and polypro webbing comes in many strengths and widths for a variety of different purposes. For each purpose, there may be a different need for hardware attached to the webbing. For example, a dog collar made of webbing may have a plastic buckle to place and remove the collar more easily.

Other purposes for webbing with a variety of hardware needs are camping supplies, boat rigging, horse harnesses, climbing harnesses, luggage, and backpacks. Plastic hardware is generally chosen for such purposes because it is far more lightweight than metal hardware.

Depending upon the need, plastic hardware for webbing can include dee rings (used on collars, backbacks, harnesses, and belts), triglides (adjustable hardware), side release buckles, zipper pulls, shoulder pads (for use on shoulder straps), tension locks, cord locks, and handles. Obviously, a higher-quality and more durable plastic hardware will be important for ensuring the reliability and safety of the hardware.

Side release buckles are a popular choice for webbing hardware because they can be released with only one hand. At the same time, they cannot be accidentally released, a safety feature imperative in sports like climbing.

In addition to the side release buckle, there are also flat side release buckles, helpful for projects that are flat, and contoured buckles which are designed for curved surfaces. These types of buckles can be found in a variety of sizes, to match the width of the webbing. Choosing the right size plastic hardware for the job can contribute greatly to both the safety and functionality of the project.

Controversy abounds around the use of choke collars for dogs. Choke collars will tighten when a dog pulls against the leash. This helps train the dog to not pull when walking on a leash and, at the same time, can prevent the dog from slipping out of the collar.

On the other side of the debate are those who feel that these needs can be met in another way and that to use a choke collar is abusive. While choke collars are not generally painful, unlike the spiked collar that points spikes towards the neck that poke the dog when it pulls, they can constrict the dog’s airway, making it harder to breathe.

However, a good choke collar will let up on the tension as the dog stops pulling against the leash. Thus, the training effect comes from the relief of the tightness when the dog obeys and stops pulling.

Martingale collars are choke collars that are made of nylon webbing, instead of metal chain. They are a softer version than the half check collar that includes a small section of metal chain along with the length of webbing.

The Martingale collar has a safety feature in the limited closure that prevents it from becoming tight enough to hurt the dog in anyway. It can tighten just enough to make the dog feel uncomfortable and encourage the dog to slow down. It can be a safe and viable option for training a dog that pulls an owner on walks.

Jacquard ribbon is a popular embellishment, originating from the designs of Joseph-Marie Jacquard. He was the inventor of a loom that used stiff pasteboard cards with a variety of different patterned holes punched in them, to guide the design.

Because of this invention, Jacquard was able to make detailed patterns and designs, as the special loom automated the process of weaving the design. It allowed for what was before a very time-consuming project, weaving patterns, to be completed in much less time.

These one-sided designs are used in a variety of projects such as clothing, crafts, and décor for the home. Because of the weaving, the backside is not usable for display and is often the site for gluing or placing onto other objects.

Jacquard ribbons can be found in a variety of options and styles such as organza, metallic, beaded, sequined, appliqués, fringes, braids, and ribbon for gift wrapping. The variety of jacquard ribbons allows the do-it-your-selfer to make a project truly unique.

Jacquard belts are often found on jackets, scarves, dresses, belts, shoes, and purses. Bed linens seem extra luxurious when embellished with a jacquard ribbon and hand towels make guests feel special when they are trimmed with an elegant-patterned ribbon.

Even dog collars are popular trimmed with a variety of jacquard designs. Whatever the purpose or the occasion, jacquard trim is an excellent option for adding elegance and a distinctive flair to almost any project.