Anyway, I picked up four at the Indy hamfest, including a second "screw thread" pattern (center left) and an unusual large-center one with very rounded curves (lower left). Here's the entire collection:
Sunday, July 14, 2013
INDY HAMFEST SWAG, PART ONE
I collect glass antenna insulators. I'd love to use 'em but I worry about breakage. In the old days, they were attractive targets for vandals....
Anyway, I picked up four at the Indy hamfest, including a second "screw thread" pattern (center left) and an unusual large-center one with very rounded curves (lower left). Here's the entire collection:
There are at least three different hues of glass: clear, yellow and pale blue-green. The three large insulators at upper right are supposedly from electric fence service! (Of course, there's a website.)
Anyway, I picked up four at the Indy hamfest, including a second "screw thread" pattern (center left) and an unusual large-center one with very rounded curves (lower left). Here's the entire collection:
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Nice collection! Radio strains are cool. I've always wanted to get some and put them in the air too. Last year at the Springfield, OH Insulator show there was a guy who has an original mold and has been using it to make antenna insulators. That would be a good way to get some serviceable glass and put originals up in the air.
ReplyDeleteI took some pictures of the mold and some of his recently made strains here I didn't get the guys name or his card but I bet it wouldn't be to difficult to track him down.
Way cool! I've been looking for those for my shortwave radio antenna heading out to the tree in my back yard. My dad gave me an antenna counterweight for the far end. It's coming together slowly, but for now I'm just using a brass slinky setup.
ReplyDeleteIf you didn't want to use them as insulators, you could make jewelery from them. Use one as a pendant on a gold chain or something like that.
ReplyDeleteTempting -- even the smallest are pretty big, though. I set the picture to e my desktop at work and a co-worker promptly identified them as "bug eggs." Um...okay....
ReplyDeleteI recall reading that the Aussies had to leave a pile of glass insulators at the base of any telegraph pole, or the Aborigines would cut the lines, to get at the excellent material for knapped spear heads.
ReplyDeleteI use glass insulators on my electric fences they look neat in the sun. A lot of mine are the telephone and telegraph style from the 1800s. I hunted them along where old pole lines used to be, once I found where a pole was you could pace off to the next one and poke around in the ground with a pitch fork until I got the squeak of glass. Fun stuff.
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