FOREIGN "WHATISITS"

In recent weeks I have received several letters from collectors seeking information on pieces they believe to be insulators. All were manufactured in countries outside North America, which explains why the letters landed on my desk. I would like to share two of these with you. The first is from Gary Short of Chapmansboro, Tennessee, who first wrote to Carol McDougald, our Crown Jewels Editor, and she in turn forwarded the letter on to me:

"Enclosed is a picture and a diagram of an insulator I recently acquired. The insulator is shaped like a school bell, or a big cookie cutter. It is 4-5/8" high, the base is 5" wide, and the thickness of the skirt glass is 3/8". The best thread measurement I could get was 15/16". The knob on the top is 1-5/8" high and 1-3/8" thick. It has 3 grooves that are 1/8" wide. It has a groove on the bottom that has four buttons which are 90 degrees apart. The buttons are approximately 3/16" long and 1/8" high.

The only marking on the insulator is '013' on the front skirt. On the inside on the left there is a '1' and a '3', one on top of the other, and 180 degrees to the right there is a '3'. The insulator's color is aqua, similar to a coke bottle or a little darker, and it is glass. There is no doubt -- it is an insulator.

The origin and use, the manufacturer, and the time of manufacture are questions I have concerning this insulator. I did not find it in the McDougald's book. A collector in my area has a foreign manual and it is was not in it. Her husband seems to think it may be a prototype. If there is a way to find out more about this insulator, I would certainly like to know how and where. I look forward to hearing from you regarding this matter."

Unfortunately, Gary's photos were not clear enough to print, but they did enable me to identify the piece. His diagram was excellent. 

I will be happy to give you what information I have concerning the bell shaped insulator you have found. It was manufactured by a company called SEDIVER, headquartered in Paris, France. The name is taken from Societe Europeene d'lsolatueurs en Verre or "European Glass insulator Association". SEDIVER was established in 1959 by the merger of two French insulator manufacturers known as L'ELECTRO VERRE and NORD VERRE. Insulators produced at the SEDIVER plant in St. Yorre were marked EIV, for Europeene d'lsolatueurs en Verre or "European Glass Insulators". In 1988 this trademark was changed to SEDIVER. Quoting directly from GLASS INSULATORS FROM OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA, SECOND REVISION (1993): "SEDIVER continues to furnish both communication and power units to a worldwide market according to international specifications. For overhead transmission lines, the company exports toughened glass insulators to at least sixty-three countries. SEDIVER's processes are also applied, under license, in seven countries for local assembly of insulators. There are manufacturing facilities in three other countries outside France, and many sales agents all over the world."

Your photo and drawing indicate that you have the glass portion of a clevis-tongue. type insulator designed and manufactured by SEDIVER for distribution deadend and suspension applications. It is made of "toughened glass", a process developed by SEDIVER in 1945 to give the glass dielectric shells increased resistance to breakage in shipment, storage, installation and service. Toughened glass is the material best suited for overhead line insulation, regardless of voltage. Enclosed is a drawing of an insulator taken from a recent SEDIVER catalog. It is similar in size and shape to the one you have, except it has a cap of cast malleable iron and a pin of forged carbon steel. Your insulator would be considered an incomplete unit without these metal components. This also explains why it is shorter than the insulator in the drawing. The piece you have may have been removed from a batch of glass shells headed for an assembly plant. I say this because if the insulator had been complete and someone had removed the cap or pin with some kind of solvent, visible signs of tampering would be noticeable on the crown and in the pin hole.

Clevis-Tongue Type 
Cat. No.: CT-4R2M

Today, SEDIVER offers several other suspension insulators varying in size and design, with selection by the user, dependent on application and environmental conditions. Present day units are made of either clear or light green glass, as these colors seem to blend best with all surroundings. The aqua color of your insulator indicates that it is a bit older. Suspension insulators are intended to be used in groups or long strings, rather than singly. They are connected together by "cap and pin" i.e. the cap of one insulator fits around and secures the pin of the one above it, etc. Below is a photo showing a string of suspension insulators I have hanging in a tree, just for fun. The shells are the same size as the one you have, but mine are made of clear glass. The iron caps are marked as shown at the right:

I asked N. R. "Woody" Woodward for help in deciphering all these numbers. He says the "50" indicates a wet flashover voltage of 50,000 KV. "SED 86" means the insulator was made by SEDIVER in 1986. "5000 TEST" is the maximum mechanical load one insulator can support, and the number "3101" may identify a particular run of insulators, but he does not have the precise information for decoding these particular numbers.

The three grooves on the crown of your glass shell were designed to hold the cemented iron cap securely in place and this cap probably would have been marked EIV. Woody thinks that the numbers on the glass are mold and or date codes and that the four small buttons on the base are just part of the mold. They would serve no special purpose. An insulator like yours, even if it were a complete unit, would probably not bring more than $8 to $10 at an insulator show. These pieces are interesting but they are of current production and quite easily obtained. One can see them on power lines in just about every part of the world. Hope I haven't taken the wind out of your sails, Gary. It is still a beautiful piece of glass! Thanks for writing.

The next letter comes from Michael Neese of Caro, Michigan. This is the real head scratcher!:

"I've been collecting American glass insulators for a number of years now and have only recently been purchasing porcelain pieces (of which I have little knowledge), but have never laid a finger on any insulators from outside North America, at least not until today. My grandfather, knowing that I collect insulators, picked up an odd porcelain piece and just now gave it to me after coming back from one of his numerous antiquing treks. This piece is the strangest thing I've ever seen, but of course I'm uneducated when it comes to foreign pieces. I figured I could send you a letter and perhaps you could help me identify this piece. Enclosed are drawings and dimensions".

Michael's sketch of the piece, showing it to be 3" in height and 2-7/8" across the base, was one of several he made. Due to space limitations, not all are included here.

Your Bing & Grondahl 'insulator' caused quite a stir at our recent Lone Star Insulator Club meeting. There were several knowledgeable collectors there that night, including Elton Gish and N. R Woodward. Many wild guesses as to its use were thrown around, ranging from part of a gigantic coffee maker to some sort of plumbing fixture! All of us were in agreement that it is not an insulator, nor was it intended for either telecommunication or power use. Nevertheless, we were impressed by the line quality of the navy blue glaze and consider this a beautiful piece of porcelain, whatever its function in the scheme of things. 

No one could figure out how this thing was made, since it consists of two separate pieces, which can be turned freely and independently of each other, yet cannot be taken apart. As for wires coming together and going down through the hole at the top, this would indeed be possible, but there is no place for them to come out again! So that option was ruled out. It is our collective opinion (pun intended) that this piece was meant to be used as a drain for liquid of some sort, but we do not know in what capacity.

Bing & Grondahl of Copenhagen, Denmark did indeed make insulators at one time (I have one dated as early as 1918), but I don't know if they are still a part of the company's product line. I suspect not, as very few have been located. Those in captivity appear to be quite old. However, the factory is still making fine porcelain dinnerware, because I'm still seeing it in department stores. Supposedly they produce articles of stoneware and earthenware as well, but my source of information does not specify what types. Insulators are marked simply "B & G", while dinnerware is stamped with the more complete trademark found on the piece you have. 

Thanks for getting in touch, Michael, and I'll sure let you know if any of our readers can come up with an answer. I'm dying to know, myself. Hopefully, you won't have to settle for using it as a toothbrush holder.

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I received a third inquiry by telephone. This came from Earl Ross of Bingham Farms, Michigan. Earl is a not an insulator collector, but he has had this strange looking glass piece ever since he cleaned out his parents' attic in 1981. He is not sure how long they had it or where it came from, but he'd like to know if it is an insulator. If it is not, he hopes at least to learn its age, its intended use and perhaps its value. Earl agreed to send it to me for the photos you see below. This would-be "insulator" is hollow, and the straw colored glass of which it is made appears to be of fine quality. It is 4" in height and measures 3" across the widest part of the base. Embossed on one half-mold are the words "THOMAS'S HALIFAX" and on the opposite half-mold "MADE IN ENGLAND". There is no hint of a date. 

Our local Lone Star Insulator Club had its monthly meeting not long after you sent the glass, and I took it along as a "show 'n tell" item, hoping someone would recognize what it was. Two of our members, N. R. Woodward and Elton Gish, are exceptionally knowledgeable about all sorts of insulators made of porcelain and glass, and neither they nor anyone else thought it could be an insulator used for telecommunication or power. None of us have seen anything exactly like it before and we are all mystified over this piece. The consensus of opinion is that it is either a reflective cover for a light, such as a landing light at an airport, or some sort of conduit or holder for electrical wires, in which case the indentation on the side could be for securing a metal clamp to hold the glass in place.

If anyone can shed any light on either the "B & G" porcelain or the "THOMAS'S HALIFAX" glass piece, please write and let us know. Michael Neese and Earl Ross will be two happy campers!