I've had a couple of fellows ask who makes the artist drawings of poleline hardware that appear each month on the "Porcelain Corner" lead page. These were made by our good friend, Robert Winkler, Michigan City, Indiana who is given credit each month in the index. Since we now realize that most collectors ignore the index and get right to the meat of the magazine, we've asked Robert to sign his drawings more prominently in the future.

We all appreciate these drawings very much. They speak for themselves; Robert is not only a good artist, but he is a keen observer of poleline construction practices and records all the detail faithfully in his art. Some people collect insulators just as hunks of glass or porcelain, but the majority of us do have a fascination for how all that stuff is used up there on the poles, be it an insulator or a metal bracket bracing the crossarm.

The insulator at right is not a porcelain one per se, but I'm sure curious about it. As first reported by Sue Ducro in Crown Jewels, Jan 1971, page 10, this insulator is made from a combination of Teflon and alumina. Its specific gravity is 1.45 times that of porcelain. 

McGraw-Edison had tested these, and their most prominent comment was that the price of about $7 each would be enough to sink it! The only information I have on it is a connection with "Plastic Age". If anyone can furnish information as to manufacturer or other background on this item, I would greatly appreciate it. 

J. Tod

I found the 2-groove spool shown here at a mine in Arizona. It is 1-15/16" diameter by 2-1/2" tall.

The "G" marking is identical to the customary "G" so common on all items of standard porcelain plus several pin types. What makes this an interesting item is that it's the first instance where the "G" has been related to anything at all. Now all we have to do is try to associate the "HALL" with some patent or manufacturer. 

Jack

The drawing at right is of an unusual pin type porcelain in the collection of Harold Anglin (Fontana, Cal.), and these are showing up on the west coast I hear. This item just "smells like" a Lapp insulator on all counts, but the files at Lapp drew a blank on it - which is par for the course. It has threads made by the wobbler method, the usual Lapp "pumpkin" glaze and fits the style of the early fog types made by Lapp in the 1928-1931 period. 

If anyone turns up one of these with a Lapp or other marking, give us the word. Incidentally, this is a very cute little insulator and does a lot to spruce up the shelf.

Dear Dora: (Ans. by Jack) 

I'm sending a sketch of a knob I found last weekend. The glaze is kinda crude and rough looking and appears to be quite old. 

The embossing on top is the first I've seen or heard of; it's either a dollar sign or maybe a "U" and "S". 

Maybe somebody out in Insulator Land can shed some light on the back- ground of this one. Can't tell you how much I enjoy "Crown Jewels". Keep up the good work.
Harvey L. May, 
Lincoln, Mo.

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Dear Harvey:

This is a "standard porcelain" #4 1/2 knob, and this is a common size. The marking is Monogram-US, one of the markings used by U.S. Electric Porcelain Co. (1903-1911), Findlay, Ohio. This company was formerly the Bell Pottery Co. who made dishware until the 1903 date.

The company became Findlay Electric Porcelain Co. in 1911 and operated as such until becoming part of the Porcelain Products, Inc. merger in 1927. Shortly there after the plant was closed and the operation combined with the other P.P., Inc. plant in Carey, Ohio.

Your knob was probably made during the 1903-11 period, but could have been made later if Findlay continued to use serviceable U.S. dry press dies without bothering to alter the marking by brazing over and repunching. 

J. Tod

Dear Jack:

I have found an insulator in which I can not find any information. With this letter I have sent a drawing of this insulator. It is brown porcelain and I have been told that this insulator is for guy wires to protect them from secondary lines.

I would like to know if this is what the insulator was used for. Also what company manufactured the insulator and how rare it is. If possible could you suggest a price?

Every collector I have shown this insulator to has never seen one like it. I do hope you can shed some light on this insulator which has puzzled me for a long time. 
Wallace Gaughf 
Jackson, Miss.

Dear Wallace:

Nope. You have a tree insulator as shown at right and below, but I grant it could be used for other insulating purposes as well.

These data are from Pinco catalogs, but other companies may have made them also.

I have no way of knowing how common or scarce these are, and trade value depends on how bad the other guy wants one. I'd make a wild guess at a TV of $5 to $10 at present. They may be common in some areas, unknown in others. 

Jack

Paul Mohrs (Terre Haute, Ind.) & Harold Anglin (Fontana, Cal.) have closed-end guy strains recess-embossed as shown at right. We can guess at attributing this marking but can't be positive.

There were two porcelain plants in Carey (one still in operation), and I found knobs and the like embossed "CAREY / OHIO" at the site of the old Federal Porcelain Co. plant (1917-1927) there. However, these guy strains more closely fit the operating history of the other plant there, National Elec. Porc. Co. (1914-27). In any event, it's probably one or t'other of these two.

Dear Jack:

I've just come across this white porcelain tube (1-1/2" by 1-7/8" tall) & cannot identify the maker's mark or initials (both underglaze, green ink). Beneath the initials is what appears to be the head of a dog with a stick in its jaws. Any help much appreciated. 
Judson Fisher 
Buffalo, N.Y. 

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Dear Judson:

Sorry but I don't know this one. Seems as though I've seen the dog trademark on something else but can't recall what. We could dream up all sorts of companies for the initials, such as Union Porcelain Works, but that wouldn't get us very far. The porcelain companies mark specialty items with the customer's marking, and I think this might be a fairly modern battery bushing of some sort. 

Jack

William Loeffler (Troy , N.Y.) sent this sketch (redrawn) of an unusual pin type he has and would like information on it.

This insulator is just like the ordinary cable shape but has a 3/4" cutout (rounded notch) in each crown ear as shown by the dotted lines in the sketch. It is a dark brown, 3-1/2" diam by 2-7/8" tall.

Sorry, Bill, but I have no information on this thing, but we could in time find out what it was, who made it and how it was used. I have a hunch it was specially made for some form of clamp top arrangement such as the U-401. This is undoubtedly a patented item and maybe sometime we will have a rainy year and I can get back to patent search.

Dear Jack:

Enclosed in an unusual insulator that might be of interest. Our company installed a number of these several years ago. These were manufactured by P.L.M. Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.

They are aerial spacer cable insulators and allow a 3-phase line to be run with a minimum amount of space. The insulator is hung on the steel messenger cable by hook "A" and the conductors are placed in the "B" grooves. The smaller grooves are for tie wires.

These items are made of a high alumina ceramic which has a tensile strength four times that of electrical porcelain.

I would appreciate what estimate of trade or sale value you would place on this item for the collector. 
Don Fabbi 
Las Vegas, Nev.

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Dear Don:

Many thanks for the info on these, and especially so because of an inquiry on them received just the previous week. I don't have the vaguest idea of what trade value you could get on these. Most porcelain collectors do accumulate a few oddball line insulators as go-withs but the lack of a pin hole is at least two strikes against it, and ones that don't sit on the shelves nicely usually get a third strike. At least your item can be hung on a small nail on some vacant wall space, and I'll have to admit it is an unusual conversation piece. 

Jack

Scott Blake (Granada Hills, Cal) has sent a porcelain pin type with the marking as shown at the right. This is an underglaze marking (blue ink) on the skirt of the insulator.

The insulator itself is a sky glaze, radio treated cable similar to U-735. Thus far I haven't been able to attribute either the insulator or the marking, but we're working on it.

Here is final information on the interesting U-401 pin type (see November '72, page 16). I finally came across this in a 1915 catalog in my files, and it was listed as a "Fay Clamp Insulator". A check of the patent files here showed this to be patent No. 894,616 of July 28, 1908 by John L. Fay, St. Louis, Mo. These insulators were made by Ohio Brass Co. (drawing dated 10-12-10).

FOG TYPE INSULATORS

Robert Winkler (Michigan City, Ind.) and I have had a running debate for some time about collector availability of all the Fog Type insulators, specifically U-821 through U-844. Robert maintains they must not be generally available as he's never seen them in use and hasn't been successful in finding a collector who will sell or trade them. 

Yet I maintain that he just doesn't get around and that these are in general use in all coastal areas. For instance, in the Los Angeles area the majority of the insulators are fog types -- oodles of them. Would help if coastal collectors would bring these to shows and put them on trade lists for us inlanders. If you have any fog types to trade, write to Robert or us. We can print a list here of those who have 'em.

WHAT'S COOKIN' FOR THE FUTURE ?

The next "Porcelain Column" will contain the complete "standard porcelain" chart showing all the standard solid knobs (and spools) in the code. I've prepared all these drawings especially for this next issue, and I'm sure they will help many collectors list their items. Since publication of this chart will take 8 pages, question-answer items will be deferred to the subsequent issue.

Future issues will have similar treatments for such items as B & D cleats, one-wire cleats, wiring cleats, guy strains, telephone spools, self-tying knobs, nail knobs, rack spools, forestry insulators, etc. -- all as space permits.

Most porcelain collectors add these items to their collection, but I don't know of anyone who really chases them in a big way. It's a fun type of collecting. You can pick them up at flea markets, second-hand stores, junk yards and electrical shops for practically nothing. We all trade them back and forth essentially on the basis of "this here pile of mine for that there pile of yours". The best part of this is that you can have a fairly large collection and still get it into the house!