We previously published an article on Starlite, in which we stated that we would seek comments from the relevant parties involved, the following are Thermashield LLC's responses.
1.) We were concerned about the company's legitimacy as there was no company number on their website and no record of them in California. Upon raising this with Thermashield LLC they informed us they were registered in Delaware. After checking the state business records, we can confirm this to be true.
2.) We inquired about Thermashield’s assertion that their version of Starlite had been tested at a “prestigious U.S. research institution.” Specifically, we asked at which institution the tests were conducted so we could verify the claim. They responded: 'The laser tests were conducted in 2015 through a personal contact at a prestigious U.S. research institution.' They added they would: '...seek permission to share their contact details and confirm whether they can be quoted directly.' We emphasised that we would require direct and official confirmation from the institution itself. Their response: 'This will be difficult to pursue.'
3.) We asked about Rudy Naranjo’s connection to Thermashield and Starlite as he is one of the testimonials given on the website. Specifically, we pointed out that Naranjo could not have provided a testimonial for Thermashield’s version of Starlite as he died in 2011 and Thermashield acquired the recipe in 2013 – a point they seemed to concede.
However, the CEO of Thermashield, Rafel Silva, then put forward the claim that he had corresponded with Naranjo in 2011. This communication was alleged to have taken place directly on the phone and via email - he provided us with the email chain to examine.
The contents of the email chain were in Spanish, so we had a translator examine the documents. The translator highlighted some issues. Naranjo was born in Cali, Colombia, and would therefore have a specific regional dialect, which, according to the translator, was absent. Furthermore, the translator pointed out that if Naranjo had written the emails, the spelling of several words would have been different. For instance, words like ‘abances’ would instead be spelled ‘avances’.
These findings were put to Thermashield and their response was: ‘Rudy had spent the last 50 years in the US, I do not believe that local Colombian colloquialisms would apply to him at that stage.’
We find this unlikely because the primary written and spoken language in the U.S. is English.
Email contents aside, the fact that there was any communication at all is puzzling. It is a matter of public record that Naranjo was experiencing the later stages of Parkinson’s disease, which would have severely impacted his cognitive and motor abilities. Indeed, Naranjo passed away from the disease just a few months after the alleged correspondence.
Despite this, Silva stated he didn’t ‘remember him struggling over the phone’. Thermashield maintains that the email chain and phone communication were authentic, although they conceded they ‘cannot prove it beyond all doubts’.
4.) Thermashield was also asked about the FOIA response from NASA, which stated there was no connection between Naranjo and Starlite.
They did not directly address this point, instead stating: ‘...how do you reconcile the fact that Rudy is seen in at least 2 videos related to Starlite, one in which he talks about potential applications: "Anywhere where there is heat, there are applications", and the fact that this is not being acknowledged in the FOIA reply that you received? I have not bothered to submit a FOIA because we are counting on the material's performance that we and 3rd parties can prove, not necessarily on historical anecdotes.’
We were only able to find one video with Naranjo involving Starlite, which was the dateline interview. We could not find any proof of a second video. Furthermore, in our article, we did directly address Naranjo’s appearance. We posited that he was chosen by NASA to comment on the data provided by the 'Dateline' team and was not actually involved in any form of testing.
5.) Regarding the Sierra Nevada Corporation testimonial, Thermashield stated an individual at the ‘Sierra Nevada Corporation provided feedback on our samples in 2019. The project did not progress, but the material performed as required in their tests.’ The Sierra Nevada Corporation as of the time of writing have not yet responded to our request for comment. So, we are unable to confirm or deny that claim.
6.) The ‘European laser welding machine manufacturer’ is, according to Thermashield, unnameable. Thermashield claims to be bound by a non-disclosure agreement that prevents them from going into further detail.
We found this strange as they are included on Thermashield’s testimonial page.
7.) Concerning Thermashield's use of the BBC documentary, they stated: ‘The BBC video serves as informative media, not an endorsement.’
8.) We also asked Thermashield about the FOIAs from the AWE and the U.S. DOD (White Sands). They replied, saying a ‘FOIA request is…subjective’ and ‘depends on many variables, historical records, etc.’
We found this response to be illogical.
9.) With regards to Bennett and Starlite Technologies, Thermashield stated that: ‘Maurice severed ties with Bennett, who falsely claimed more than his share and fabricated a NASA letter.’
We pointed out that this was at best anecdotal, and Maurice’s daughter Nikky ran StarliteTechnologies.org with Bennett.
They responded to this stating: ‘Nikky…never worked with her dad’
This seemed strange to us as by many accounts, including Maurice’s, it was his daughter who came up with the name Starlite. Indeed in the BBC documentary, there is archival footage of both Maurice and Nikky presenting Starlite.
Additionally, when we looked through the sales agreement that was provided to us by Thermashield, we found something interesting. In it, it is stated that ‘...the entire right, title and interest to the trademark Starlite, whether registered or not, as well as websites including www.starlitetechnologies.com and www.mauricewardstarlite.blogspot.com together with any goodwill associated therewith would also transfer under the Sale Agreement.’
In other words, according to the document, the websites discussed in the article came into Thermashield’s ownership in 2013. As such, you may, like us, wonder if there was any connection between Bennett, Nikky and Thermashield.
10.) We also asked how the company had financed itself for 11 years without selling a product. Thermashield stated: ‘We have not taken private investment from individuals yet, other than the original founders.’
11.) Finally, we asked if after over a decade of operation, the company had any published or peer-reviewed data to corroborate their claims. They said they, ‘...have approached several academic institutions to no avail. All have responded with basically the same: "Give me the formula and we will submit all the patents to our institution or to the research professor”’
After interacting with Thermashield and conducting our own fact-finding, we believe that many of their views and claims remain incongruous at best.
Dear Mr Drane,
I was working to produce a material which is similar to so called starlite since 2016. As a matter of fact I found one. In fact, I think it is the same thing.
Please try not to take me wrong but I don't think it requires epoxy, or plastic or whatever this starlitethermashield.com people are claiming. I even doubt the possibilities to synthesizes this material with plastic or any other epoxies etc. accept that of minerals and oxides. I don't think because it cannot expand with plastics or epoxies. I tried with epoxies (Formx and Havel Composites' epoxies) and it didn't work. With other minerals it works fine. Oxides like zinc and magnesium I tried and it…