What is Syrocco wood? Is it a company or a type of wood?

afgardiner --

"Syrocco" or, more commonly, "Syroco," is the term applied to a molded
material resembling carved wood that was invented and first
implemented by a company called the "Syracuse Ornamental Company."

Here is a concise explanation of the derivation of the term from a
website offering a "Syrocco" product.:

"This is an unmarked figurine of a Man Playing an Accordion which was
made from the Syroco molding process that Adolph Hostein, owner of the
Syracuse Ornamental Company, developed in the 1890s. The material is a
combination of a wood compound and casting fluids that were then
poured into molds. The finished casting appears to be hand carved. The
Syracuse Ornamental Company became Syroco, Inc., in the 1930s. By the
1940?s, other companies such as Multi Products were producing Syrocco
products. The Syracuse Ornamental Company produced many products for
the home including ashtrays, decorative architectural moldings and
very sought after cork screws."

China Ladies: Man Playing an Accordion
http://pages.tias.com/5598/PictPage/1921674321.html


A contributor to this linked site describes Syroco "wood" as "a
compression molded mixture of wood powder and thermoset resin with a
paint finish applied after fabrication."

Bullworks: Question
http://www.bullworks.net/virtual/infopages/question.htm


This site explains the Syroco/Syrocco distinction as follows:

"The Syracuse Ornamental Co (Syroco) made various products from a wood
composition material, Other companies followed. Collectors put an
extra "c" into syroco and refer to it as syrocco if a company other
than Syracuse Ornamental produced it."
Kaleden
http://www.kaleden.com/scripts/search_results,page,5,accountNumber,GIX1271.html


If you conduct the following Google search, you can find out more
about both Syroco/Syrocco products and the Syracuse Ornamental
Company:

syroco OR syrocco "syracuse ornamental"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=%22syrocco+OR+syroco+%22syracuse+ornamental%22


Additional Information:

Here is a site that offers information on Syroco corkscrews, which
apparently were a specialty of the company:

Vintage Corkscrewa: Syroco Wood
http://www.vintagecorkscrews.com/syroco.htm


Search Strategy:

I found information on this material by conducting Google searches on
both "syroco" and "syrocco," since I guessed (correctly) that the
correct spelling might be either one.

This led me to the Syracuse Ornamental Company, and using this
company's name as a search term provided more focused information on
the process that carries the Syroco (or Syrocco) name.


I am confident that this information is exactly what you are looking
for, and I am happy to be able to provide it to you promptly.  If
anything is unclear, please ask for clarification before rating the
answer.


markj-ga

I am very satisfied with the answer. I do not think it will be
necessary to continue research until Oct.1st as I now have all the
information I really need on this subject. Great research job!  
Thanks,  Joan