Porcelain

Reprinted from "INSULATORS - Crown Jewels of the Wire", August 1972, page 16

PORCELAIN INSULATORS AT KANSAS CITY
The nearly explosive interest in porcelain insulators during the past year wasn't any big surprise to me and other active collectors in the field, and this was quite apparent to everyone at the 3rd annual national show. In fact, some there could hardly believe all the porcelain activity. There were quite a few tables devoted exclusively to porcelains, and a majority of the others had at least some porcelains.

There were porcelain fans from virtually every distant corner of the country and enough serious collectors roaming the aisles continually to make the competition for the beat specimens quite hectic. It appeared that everyone was able to add considerable new ones to his collection, and each person I talked with had come upon a couple of real good items. Of the many nice specimens I traded for, the two that I was most pleased with were a U-410 and a U-590. These were the first specimens I've ever seen or heard of for those two particular styles.

Voting for the numerous exhibits was by the public, and best-of-show was won by a porcelain exhibit - the "INSULBUG", a novelty display by the Zuspans from very distant Dos Palos, Cal. Gerald Brown once again donated the award ribbons and trophies for the porcelain category. First place went to John Hall of Columbus for his artistic display of many of the classic rarities and a cascade of just about every known style and make of blue pin types. Yours truly won second place with an educational display of pin types and "standard porcelain" varieties.

Both the exhibits and sales tables presented a good opportunity to see some of the rare classic porcelains. A few of these are in the unique category, and many of the others are rated exceedingly rare. For instance, Steve and Ann Freedman of New York showed the two insulators at left below. These are vertical-conductor insulators of the Manwaring & Hessel patent, May 18, 1915. The larger
one in very rare, and the smaller one is unique thus far. 

The insulator at right above in owned by John Hall of Columbus and is of the Slusser patent (#881,967, March 17, 1908). It is also a very rare patent top, if not unique.
The two threadless Elliot types below (left & center) were drawn from specimens owned by Gerald Brown and just about round out the threadless styles pictured thus far in this column. Gerald acquired the smaller one at the K.C. show. The "patent top" tree insulator at right below was drawn from a specimen owned by John Hall and exhibited at the show. After stringing the conductor, the top piece is held in place by a wire encircling the top - under the brows of the bottom piece and over the lips of the top piece. More patent information on this one will be included in a later issue. 
J. Tod

NEW PORCELAIN PUBLICATIONS

There are two publications being readied for release sometime this fall and preliminary info on a third one. We have no detailed  information on these at this early date, but we'll print any releases we are able to get so that impatient porcelain fans can send advance orders.

It might help me answer considerable mail if I gave information here on the 1972 supplement to "Porcelain Insulators Guide Book for Collectors". The supplement is scheduled for release in September, and advance orders will be accepted starting mid-August. Price is $1.95 ppd. It will contain over 100 new U- number shapes for the Universal Style Chart, new markings reported in the last year, price revisions, new historical material, etc. 

Question:

We traded to get this insulator the day we left for the K.C. show. It is a 2-part cemented together, brown glaze and with a groove at both the top and bottom. Is this a telephone transposition or what? 
Don & Dora Harned 
Chico, Cal.

Answer:

Yes, Thomas cataloged this transposition as #2030, and I've shown the catalog cuts at right from the 1907 & 1912 catalogs. Your insulator is the earlier version.

Short of searching my entire file of catalogs, this is the only cemented 2-part transpo I can recall being made by a U.S. company. The only other I'm aware of is a much larger one (4-3/8" x 5") cataloged by Canadian Porcelain Co. in 1916. J. Tod No. 2030

Dear Jack:

Guess what I just got - a dark brown   APR 12 P. M.
U-559 with "APRIL 12 P.M." incuse marked on both crown ears. Have some of the others you list in the May Crown Jewels but no "A.M." or "P.M." until this one.
John H. Hall
Columbus, Ohio

Thanks, John. This makes 3 down and 3 to go for these factory control markings. While we're on the subject of stamped dates on porcelains, I would like to relate that a number of different pin  type specimens keep turning up at shows and in collections and which have full dates as shown here. JUN 24 1915 All dates I've seen are different and generally run in the 1913 to 1917 period. Because of the particular styles involved, glaze colors and method of manufacture, I have pinned these down to Pittsburgh High Voltage Insulator Co., and these dates agree with those of that company.

Whereas the "P.M." type of markings are thought to be lot control markings, these full dates appear to be dates of manufacture. Other than year-only markings used by a number of companies, the only others to ever use full date markings were Imperial and Fred M. Locke. The current McGraw-Edison marking indicates both the year and mouth. 
                J. Tod

MORE ON PORCELAIN MARKINGS

Regarding the new Ohio Brass logostamp reported in the July issue, the factory has advised that this trademark is not yet being used on the pin types. We'll advise if and when it comes out. 

You will note the "HP" marking (at right) shown on page 111 of Gerald Brown's book. There are a number of different U-47 from this source, and they are identical with the P.P. Inc. U-47 found on the same lines in Canada. 

Three I have are:
HP  /  STROMBERG CARLSON
HP  /  MADE IN CANADA --- CTS (on crown)
MADE IN CANADA / STROMBERG CARLSON

The HP in the trademark of Hamilton Porcelains, Ltd., Brantford, Ontario, Canada. These insulators are all dry press and were made by HP in the 1930 to 1945 period.

The marking shown at right is turning up on wet process, closed-end guy strains in the midwest. I am just guessing that this is a marking used by Franklin Porcelain Co. (est. 1920-1928) on porcelain line items. Anyone have info on it??

The "G" marking on dry process pin types is now known on at least four different styles: U-11A, U-50, U-236 and U-229 (in supplement). 

The MACOMB marking is now known on seven different pin type styles: U-42, U-57, U-197, U-197A, U-236, U-244 and U-443. The U-236 turned up in the west coast area.

CANADIAN INSULATORS

I hope this will answer several questions received on this subject. A great number of the Canadian porcelain pin type styles are "stool fired" and they lack the customary prepared firing surface (rest) that U.S. insulators all have. In general then, all of the ones without the external unglazed firing rest are of non-U.S. manufacture. The sole known exception is the early O-B "break out" type which was glazed overall but had 4 break-out teets on the crown top. These are on style U-610A, embossed O-B, considered scarce