Porcelain Insulator News
by Jack H. Tod

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

Note. I always answer letters promptly, but don't be surprised if an item you report gets in the column long after you've forgotten about it! For example, items reported after August ends are in copy made up and mailed at end of September. These are then sent from Chico to the publisher on the 10th of October and the magazines come back at the end of that month. The U.S. mails then manage to get this to you by about mid-November. Dora says we are gaining and hope to eventually get copies to readers by the first of each month.

Limited space requires some selectivity on questions to be included in the column, and those included are the most newsworthy ones plus ones which kill a lot of birds with only a few stones. Address porcelain questions to me at 3427 N. 47th Place, Phoenix, Arizona 85018.

Here is a complete drawing of the U-401 and all its pieces as described in the October issue. Thus far, we've located two of the insulators, one of the porcelain "caps" for the top and none of the metal clamps that hold the cap down in place.

I just haven't had time to get back to the time- consuming patent searching again. How about one of you New York patent snoopers giving us the information on this item? It just has to rate as one of our best "patent top" porcelain items - if you can manage to come up with all the pieces of it.

Here is a drawing of the threadless type owned by Larry Harmon (Wentzville, Mo.) and reported in the October issue.

I strongly suspicion that this item may not be a proverbial "threadless" pin type of great antiquity and suspect that it could be an "equipment insulator" of some sort. The pin hole is oversize for standard threadless types, and the crown design is more like types made in more recent times - say 1910 and later. This item will just have to remain a question mark unless we can get more information.

Dear Jack:

While digging on a nearby dump recently we found some unusual names on some porcelain insulators and we wonder if you can shed some light on who made them or who they were made for. Can you tell us what the number 7 (below on right) was used for and who made it?

Jerry Turner 
Goshen, Ohio

Your items #1 thru 45 are "secondary rack spools". These racks are sold by steel companies and various electrical supply companies, and the porcelain spools are made for these companies under contract by any of the porcelain companies. They usually carry only the user company marking but occasionally also have the manufacturer's marking in an inconspicuous fashion. Your spools are as follows:

Other common names you'll find on these standard rack spools are SISSELL, Ohio Brass Co., Square-D Co., Illinois, Joslyn, Thomas, Kearney, Findlay, Cook, Line Material, J-D, P.P. Inc., I-T-E, Locke, Knox, Elise. Mfg. Co., Whse, Victor Insulators Inc., Utility Services, etc. etc.

Your "FLETCHER PATENT" item is a "clamp insulator" and is covered by the Pletcher patent, mfd by the J. R. Fletcher Mfg. Co., Dayton, Ohio. See page 4 of Cranfill's "Dictionary..." While we're at it, before you guys spend another $4.25 for an insulator, send that amount for that book and it'll answer many of your questions (from Cranfill 5536 Keoncrest Circle #2, Sacramento, Cal. 95841).

Your other item is a "one wire cleat". The "B & D" refers to the Buffinton & Dow patent (#544,501, Aug. 13, 1895) which covers the reversible positioning grooves. This patent and later versions of it were licensed for many years to all porcelain mfrs. The "F" is the marking of Findlay Elec. Porc. Co., Findlay, 0. (1911-1927). The "4" refers to the size of the cleat, and the "1/2" indicates larger hole size than for a standard #4 cleat. 
J. Tod

In July, page 24 I listed 2 insulators as "bolt end" items. The Lapp one was cataloged as such, but the Westinghouse one was a specimen which I have. I began to suspicion this later one because of its 3/4-16 threads and sent to Whse for the drawing. It turns out this item is a porcelain bushing cap for distribution transformers. These were made ca. 1938.

Scott Blake (Granada, Hills, Cal.) reports having a U-188 Dry-spot insulator which in identical to the Automatic Electric Co. (A. E. Co.) item but is marked:
AMERICAN ELEC. CO., INC. 
A check of my files shown American Electric Co., Chicago, Ill., established 1893 (2 yrs after Automatic Elec. Co.), manufacturer of telephone apparatus & accessories. The U-188 was heretofore thought to be an Automatic Elec. Co. design, but evidently some were made by Square-D Co. for this other company, and this is the first I've heard of. Inquiry letters are on the way to clear this up.

There are about a half dozen of the larger knobs (spools) in the standard porcelain list which have such large grooves and thin central sections as to make them difficult to make with normal split dies in a dry press. These are commonly made in two identical half-pieces and then glaze-welded together as shown below. I mention this mainly because correspondents have been improperly referring to this glaze-weld juncture as a "mold line".

Dave Parks (Yucaipa, Cal.) came up with what I rate as the most unusual porcelain this month. This is a dry process U-9 pony, light chocolate brown, which is glazed allover (no firing rest) and then was fired on porcelain "sand", some of which adheres to the rim of the insulator. Although guy strains and some other line insulators have been fired in this fashion, this is the first time I have ever heard of a sand-rest pin type.

FINDLAY. Although these rate as TUF items, most of the complete catalog line is now represented in various collections. The majority of these are the normal Findlay chocolate brown, but nearly all the styles are now known in white and some of them in yellow and blue. Ron Leland (Tempe, Ariz.) traded to get a Findlay 194 (U- 474) in yellow, and I have this in both brown and blue also. Harold Folckemer (Cheektowaga, NY) just sent a color photo of some nice items including a Findlay 180 (U-291A) in blue. A number of collections have the U-15 Findlay pony in blue (with the small Diamond-F marking).

Two-piece transpositions. From catalogs I have on file I have long suspicioned there was still another two-piece transposition, and for some time I've had a bottom half which is definitely neither the U-223B or the U-225B. This bottom is brown, bottom rest, side mold marks fettled off. Does anyone have this item along with the proper top or a stray top not like those in the porc. style chart??

MARKINGS ON PORCELAIN INSULATORS
(Continued from last month)

Continuation of markings found on "standard porcelain", line items and special porcelain insulators & devices. Markings used only on pin types are not included here. The A.S.P. Co. and E.M. Co. items are for last month's.

A. S. P. CO.	(Unattributed) (cleats)
E. M. and E. M. Co.	Electrical Mfg. Co., Battle Creek, Mich. (estab 1940's, but now Oliver Elec Mfg)
-------	-------
G	(Unattributed) (all std porcelain items)
	Grabler Mfg. Co., The (conduit bushings)
GAMEWELL	Gamewell Co., Newton Upper Falls, Mass.
G. E. Co.	General Electric Co., Schenectady, N.Y.
G E E. P E E	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
G E E - V E E	Gillette-Viber Co., New London, Conn.
GLOBE	Globe Porcelain Co., Trenton, N.J.
G P Co.	General Porcelain Co., Parkersburg, W. Va.
GRIP-IT	Mfr ?? (Parker tradename on knobs)
	Hubbard & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.
H & H	Hart & Hegeman, Hartford, Conn.
HAMILTON	(Unattributed) (specialties)
HAMMOND	(Unattributed) (self-tieing cleats)
HOLD FAST	Adamant Porcelain Co., E. Liverpool, Ohio
HOLMES	High Tension Elec Spclty Co, Newton, Mass.
HUBBARD	Hubbard & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.
HUBBELL	Harvey Hubbell Co., Bridgeport, Conn.
IDEAL	Star Porcelain Co., Trenton, N.J.
ILLINOIS	Illinois Electric Porc. Co., Macomb, IL.
	ditto (for line items)
J	(Unattributed) (wireholders)
J. C. P.	James C. Phelps, Springfield, Ohio
JIFFY	Trenton Porcelain Co., Trenton, N.J.
J. I. P. INC.	J. I. Paulding, Inc., New Bedford, Mass.
JOSLYN	Joslyn Mfg. & Supply Co., Chicago, IL.
	(Unattributed) (std porc. & specialties)
KEARNEY	Kearney-Nat'l Inc. (Kearney Co.), St. Louis
KEYSTONE	Electric Service Supplies Co., Phila., Pa.
KILLARK	Killark Elec. Mfg. Co., St. Louis, Mo.
KIRKMAN	Kirkman Engineering Corp., Now York
K K K	David C. Killock, New York
KLINGEL	E. L. Klingel, St. Paul, Minn.
KNAPP	Knapp Foundry Co., Inc., Akron, Ohio
KNOSTRAIN	Harvey Hubbell Co. (tradename)
KNOX	Knox Porcelain Corp., Knoxville, Tenn.
KRETZER BRAND	St. Louis Lightning Rod Co., St. Louis, Mo.
L	(Unattributed) (wireholders)
	(Unattributed) (wireholders)
	Leviton Mfg Co.
LEVITON	Leviton Mfg. Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.
	Line Material Co., Milwaukee, Wis. (many variations, as applied by numerous porcelain companies making items for L-M under contract. The ones at left are representative of these markings, but there are many similar variations.
LINGO	(Unattributed) (specialties)
M or M.	Illinois Electric Porcelain Co., Macomb, Ill.
	ditto
	ditto
	(Unattributed) (wireholders)
MACALLEN	Macallen Co., Boston, Mass.
MACOMB	Illinois Elec. Porc. Co., Macomb, IL.
	McGraw-Edison Co., Macomb, (line items)
MESCO	Manhattan Elec. Supply Co., Inc., New York
MONCUR	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
MONOWATT	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
MULLER	Mfr ?? (Parker tradename on guy strains)
MULTI	Multi Elec. Mfg. Co., Chicago, IL.
MURDOCK	William J. Murdock Co., Chelsea, Mass.
N	(Unattributed) (std porcelain knobs)
NAILIN	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
NAILIT	Mfr. ?? (Parker tradename, split knobs)
NAT	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
NAT'L	(Unattributed) (wireholders, see below)
NATIONAL	National Metal Molding, Pittsburgh, Pa.  (Note: a Nat'l Elec. Co. is listed as a mfr of wireholders in another ref.)
N C 0	(Unattributed) (wiring cleats)
N.E.T.& T.CO.	New England T & T Co.(Tel spools, cleats)
O. B. CO.	Ohio Brass Co., Mansfield, Ohio
OHIO	Frankel Light Co., Cleveland, Ohio
OLIVER	Oliver Elec. Mfg. Co., Battle Creek, Mich. (Form. Oliver Iron & Steel, Pittsburgh)
O. P. Co.	(Unattributed) (cleats)
P & S	Pass & Seymour, Inc., Syracuse, N.Y.
PAULDING	J. I. Paulding, Inc., New Bedford, Mass.
P. B. MFG. Co.	(Unattributed) (specialties)
PEARL	(Unattributed) (wireholders)
PEIRCE	Hubbard & Co., Pittsburgh, Pa., pole-line hardware, established 1843.
PEIRCE	N. Slater Co. Ltd., Hamilton, Ontario, poleline hardware, established 1907.
PEMCO	Phila. Elec. & Mfg. Co., Phila., Pa.
PERU	Peru Elec. Mfg. Co., Peru, Indiana
PHILCO	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
POWERLET	Multi Elec. Mfg. Co., Chicago, IL.
	Porcelain Products Co.(Clarken), Carey, 0.  (This Co. was P.P. Inc. until sold to The Clarken Co., St. Louis in 1960's)
P. P. INC.	Porcelain Products, Inc., Carey, 0.
PRIME	(Unattributed) (knobs)
P S W	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
RACO	(Unattributed) (specialties)
READY	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
	Reliable Electric Co., Chicago, IL.
RELIABLE	ditto
RODALE	(Unattributed) (specialties)
R. R. S. Co.	(Unattributed) (specialties)
R T & S CO	(Unattributed) (probably Thomas)
RVA	Great lakes Radio Supp. Co., Elmhurst,IL.
S	(Unattributed) (spools, wireholders)
SACKETT	"Sackett Patent" (Mine insulators)
ST LOUIS	St. Louis Malleable Casting Co., St. Louis
SCREWIT	Mfr. ?? (Parker tradename, split knobs)
SEALET	Butte Elec. & Mfg. Co., San Francisco, Cal.
SECURITY	E. H. Freeman Elec. Co., Trenton, N.J. tradename. Mfd by Security Insulator Co.
SENSOR	(Unattributed) (screweye insulators)
SEYLER	Seyler Mfg. Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.(now owned by A. B. Chance Co., Centralia, Mo.)
S - H Co.	(Unattributed) (specialties)
SISSELL	Lloyd D. Sissell Co., So. El Monte, Cal.
S. P.	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
S. P. Co.	(Unattributed) (emb., headed tubes)
S. P. Co.	(Unattributed) (r-e, wireholders)
	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
S P W	(Unattributed) (split knobs)
SUPERIOR	(Unattributed) (knobs, cleats, wireholders)
S W P	(Unattributed) (cleats)
T	(Unattributed) (all std porcelain items)
	Trumbull Elec. Mfg. Co., Plainville, Conn. (on all types switches only)
TERMILET	Freeman Elec. Co., Trenton, N.J.
THOMAS	R. Thomas & Sons Co., E. Liverpool, Ohio (1873-1918, thereafter Lisbon, Ohio)
T. P.	Trenton Porcelain Co., Trenton, N.J.
T. P. Co.	ditto
U or	Universal Clay Products, Sandusky, Ohio
UNIVERSAL	ditto

(Continued next month)
J. H. Tod