Exhibits
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", August 2006, page 40
While there is a lot of good natured "ribbing" between collectors
or glass and porcelain insulators, Gregory Delia's exhibit was more on the
subject of material used in the manufacture of insulators. He displayed examples
of insulators and go-withs made of glass, porcelain, rubber and composite
materials. Commercial competition for the manufacture of a superior product made
or broke many companies.
No Lone Star Here
Alan Stastny brought some four dozen Star insulators to the Lone Star State.
Star insulators are a popular collecting topic. .
Chris Sistrunk displayed insulators and other items used in the service area
of the Entergy company, which includes east Texas and Louisiana. Among the glass
and porcelain insulators was a cobalt blue Hemingray signal. Highly prized
cobalts were used on second power lines such as street lights and fire alarm
circuits in Port Arthur, Texas.
WHITE GLAZE
Chris Hedges notes in his display that the use of white glaze on porcelain
insulators dates back to the 19th century when white was the most common
potter's glaze. Threadless insulators manufactured by Bennington Pottery can be
found in a white glaze, and are documented to the 1850's. Early power insulators
from the 1890's often came primarily in white. Production of white glaze
continued until the 1960's.
BRIM PORCELAIN
Jimmy Burns displayed insulators made by Brim Porcelain. Included were low
voltage styles, insulators for guy wire applications, and antenna strain
insulators. Brim's literature notes that the company uses dry process vitrified
porcelain in a smooth glaze finish to retard moisture absorption and reduce
dirt/ dust accumulation.
MID-OHIO COMMEMORATIVES
Steve Blair exhibited miniature CD 260 "Roman Helmet"
commemoratives produced for the Mid-Ohio Insulator Show for the years 2000
through 2005. The Mid-Ohio show is a major event that has been held for 36
consecutive years.
The next Mid-Ohio show will be November 4-5, 2006 at the Clark County Expo
Center in Springfield, Ohio.
The event will feature 125 sales tables and 25 display tables. There will be
glass manufacturing demonstrations by the Wilkerson Glass Company; and the
miniatures will be produced while you watch. For info, call Steve at
740-852-3148.
UNDER LIGHTING
Ross Baird displayed an exhibit of insulators that show up best when
displayed in the dark with lighting from underneath. The specific insulator
shown above not only has milky characteristics, but also contains a fish-hooked
shaped piece of metal.
Photographing milk in insulators is a difficult challenge. Under lighting
helps, but shooting pictures in the dark isn't very easy either. Another
technique is to photograph insulators that are under water. That's how the two
milky insulators on pages 32 & 33 were photographed.
GRAND CANYONS
Derik Lattig used symbols of Grand Canyon National Park in his exhibit of
insulators collectors call "grand canyons". The unembossed, and often
colorful, CD 145's were most prominently used on a railroad line that ran to the
famous National Park. It is generally believed that the insulators were
manufactured by glass companies in Denver circa 1895 - 1905.
There are Johnny Balls
and then there are Johnny Balls
This 50-pound giant came was used on a military antenna in the Czech
Republic. Brian Reicker (left) shows his insulator off to Carl Scott, putting
the size of the giant ball into perspective.
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