Super-Plaster

In occasional spots, the postwar world looks as good as advertised. The current issue of the Journal of the American Institute of Architects tells about a new building material called Pyrok. When sprayed from a special gun, Pyrok sticks to almost any surface (from strawboard to steel) and rapidly builds up a wall of any desired thickness. A sledgehammer ,blow dents but does not crack it. It is waterproof, weatherproof, fireproof, and an excellent insulator, but can be sawed and nailed like wood.

Pyrok was developed in Britain by Samuel Clipson, a big painting contractor. Its chief ingredient is vermiculite, a cheap mica-like mineral which, when heated, swells up to 16 times its volume like a pulled-out accordion. Vermiculite's resilience and cellular structure (mostly air) give Pyrok its lightness and strength. A special combination of lime and cement (Clipson's secret) makes the stuff stick tight.

At present, Clipson is trying to get into large-scale production while fighting off eager customers. Britons hope that his super-plaster, which permits builders to cut all sorts of corners, will boost the government's lagging housing program. In due course, non-Britons may stand in line for exports or patent licenses.

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