2005 >> December >> Junk in Glass  

Junk in Glass
Reprinted from "Crown Jewels of the Wire", December 2005, page 26

Whether you specialize in insulators 
made by one specific company, 
or insulators of a certain shape (CD style), 
it's always fun to find 
items with special character.

Jim Harlow collects McLaughlins 
and is always searching for new varieties. 
He lucked out well recovering insulators 
from an old signal line in his home state of Arizona.

Submitting the pictures on these pages,
Jim writes, "This line has produced great colors 
like bright apple green, olive lime greens, 
and a few others including the "Made in USA" varieties.

"What was very interesting though is that it has also 
produced McLaughlins with foreign objects. 
Myself, along with other 
Grand Canyon State Insulator Club members, 
have recovered 27 CD 154's with 
nails, glazier points, 
and even one with a one-and-a-quarter inch 
scraping blade in the dome."


"VERY UNUSUAL FOR MCLAUGHLIN"

In Dreams of Glass, a book about William McLaughlin, 
author Fred Padgett wrote that McLaughlin 
"always made the best product he could, 
adhering to the very high quality standards 
that he imposed upon himself and those who worked for him. 
He was very proud of his ability and was not afraid 
to place his name or mark on the items he made, 
because he had great confidence in the 
quality of what he produced."



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