Erik Lehmann ID and mellamine question...  

I reckon this is him...
from our very own DA index...
I's still like to hear anyone's thoughts or commentary about his work.
http://www.designaddict.com/design_index/index.cfm/fuseaction/designer_s...

Hi DC
Is this the pitcher you have
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rosti-Erik-Lehmann-Melamine-1l-carafe-denmark_W0QQit...

That is the identical one...
Very handy to have around.

Sorry to do this in two stages...
but I had to know which one you have.
Erik Lehmann Hansen joined Rosti as a in-house designer around 1974/75. At the time his work was divided between housewares and packaging design. In that capacity he designed numerous packagings and a series of melamine spoons, the ash tray show in the index, the so called Module-line of which the small pieces are shown in the index to. He also did some improuvements on existing products and the jug you are mentioning is one of them. The product itself existed already in the Rosti assortment but with a more geometrical spout (I will try to find a link. Initially it had been designed to be used as a high mixing jug for the popular Braun and other "stick" blenders but it really became popular because of a minor "trade" conflict. Copco Inc. the importer of Rosti to the U.S. at the time could not sell the popular Rosti spoons in open stock because Hutzler, another U.S. company had the exclusive rights. Rosti could however sell sets. Sam Farber, the Copco founder and president at the time come upp with the idea of putting them in the jug and make it a jug/utensil set. The set took the U.S. by storm, and container load after container load were send to the U.S. and Canada. Few people use them as jugs and I was quite surprised to hear that you did. The quantities sold were such that Rosti needed extra moulds and so they improuved slightly on the existing design.
As far as Erik Lehmann's contribution is concerned, it was limited to the change of the spout. The handle was of scourse a smaller version of the "Margarethe" bowl handle, the shape, a cylinder with rounded bottom and a rubber ring much like the mixing bowls and the spout was made more consistent with the bowls. The reason for putting Erik's name on it was to avoid any other claim (the original had been developed together with Dr Oetker's kitchen lab in Gernmany).
When The Housewares division of Rosti was sold to the Mepal B.V. (now Rosti/Mepal) I lost track of Erik. He might still work for Rosti's packaging group...
As to melamine. In the strckt sense of the word it is not a plastic. Plastic is the short for Thermo-plastic and designates a group of man-made materials that soften when heated. Melamine is a Thermo-setting material, in other words it is hardening with heat. The process of making it is slightly different to. Thermo-plastics are polymers, whereas melamine and other termo-setting materials are stratifications (the molecules are not just a chain they interlink to). Thermo-plastics are heated to the point were they can be extruded, blow-moulded, injection moulded etc. whereas thermo-setting materials are actually made inside the mould under pressure and high heat. Melamines are stiffer, more scratch resistant and more heat resistant. Most melamine products are not suitable for the micro-wave.
Although un-pressed melamine should be handled carefully, the final product is very safe.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Green-Plastic-Rosti-Pitcher-Vintage-Old-Water-Milk-D...

The link..
The link shows the early version of your jug as produced between 1968 and 1974-5. (that particular green was introduced in 1968 and was not made agian after Erik changed the spout)
The fact that it is in such condition after more than 30 years is typical for melamine.

Wonderful history...
Thank you, thank you. Fascinating to learn the lip handle dates to the old bowls. Does anyone make things out of melamine these days?

And could you tell me about the history of that lip handle...
on the Margarethe bowls some time. I would really like to hear it. The lip handle is such a beautiful shape.

Rosti Galore
Disappointed at missing those melamine items on ebay? Check out the link below.
http://www.portstyle.com/us/item2.asp?Rosti