Low bulk and light-weight products

An article of manufacture comprising a fabricated, shaped and integrally-bonded, cured article having a matrix built up from oxidation of at least a part of a cellulosic mass prepared by subjection to curing and bonding conditions of a basic fabrication composition comprising, in admixture, components of:

• (a) the cellulosic mass, useful for chemical conversion by strong oxidation into a curved, essentially reticulated resinous material portion of the intractable fabricated article, which contains, based on the total weight of components (i) and (ii) of said cellulosic mass, as follows:
• (i) at least about 1 weight percent of a coarse cellulosic paper stock selected from the group consisting of a newsprint, a kraft paper, a cardboard, and mixtures thereof, which has retained a substantial remnant of a lignin and which has retained some of at least one remnant selected from the group consisting of a hemicellulosic, a starch, and a sugar;
• (ii) from 0 to about 99 weight percent of an at least substantially undried, particulated, fibrous plant cellulosic material, plus (iii) from 0 to about 75 weight percent, based on the total weight of the fabrication composition, of a lower carbohydrate constituent in addition to any in components (i) and (ii) of said cellulosic mass, selected from the group consisting of a starch, a sugar, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) an effective quantity from about 0.001 to about 1 mole for each carbohydrate unit in said cellulosic mass of a strong, non-azotizing, non-alkali oxidizing reagent for said chemical conversion, and for at least partial water-solubilization of at least a portion, of components (i) and (ii) of said cellulosic mass and all of component (iii) of said cellulosic mass, said strong oxidizing reagent capable of destructive attack upon at least some of components (i) and (ii) of said cellulosic mass when subjected to article-fabricating conditions and also upon all of component (iii) of said cellulosic mass, and said strong oxidizing reagent being nascent-oxidation-reactant-forming and selected from the group consisting of a chlorine-releasing material, a bromine-releasing material, an oxygen-releasing material, chlorine, bromine and mixtures thereof, adapted for suitably providing chlorine, bromine and/or oxygen for said chemical conversion;
• (c) which water, in addition to any in said cellulosic mass and any in components (a) and (b), is present in an amount from 0 weight percent, based on the total weight of the fabrication composition, to that amount which is adequate to furnish sufficient moisture to the fabrication composition in order to facilitate physical handling and said chemical conversion, and
• (d) from about 1 to about 75 weight percent, based on the total weight of dry solids contents of the fabrication composition, of a finely divided filler inclusion selected from the group consisting of particulated mica, fillibrated asbestos, and mixtures thereof, uniformly incorporated throughout the admixture;
• provided that the basic fabrication composition excludes added resin-forming adduct feedstocks of a non-cellulosic and of other non-carbohydrate nature, and
• wherein the basic fabrication composition components are present in an amount sufficient to substantially prevent shrinking and swelling of the matrix of the fabricated article, after contact of the fabricated article, dry, with water for three days at room temperature followed by re-drying.