Telephone pole insulators
Part of a colorful collection of old telephone-pole insulators, accumulated over the years by the father of one of our good friends in the Alma 9th Ward. Photo taken in Tucson, Arizona.
(Footnote: This photo appeared in Explore on 12/31/05, although once again on a different page than the one indicated below by Christine Lebrasseur. I found it on page 8, and it may be on a different one now. But it most assuredly is there! And while I'm at it, thanks once again to the lovely and very talented Christine for bringing this to my attention.)
Comments and faves
ZeCHAOS, S.C. Asher, jeannine7780, DarrylW4, and 25 other people added this photo to their favorites.
Picture This1 . (78 months ago | reply)
wow nice collection
Christine Lebrasseur (78 months ago | reply)
www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/2005/12/31 /page33/
:)
in-di-go (78 months ago | reply)
Wish you a happy and colourful 2006!
Victory Rose (78 months ago | reply)
Very nice - I love it when usefulness and prettiness go together like that.
DarrylW4 (78 months ago | reply)
Very cool! I used to have a couple of blue-tinted ones and never realized they made them in such vibrant colors.
Clio20 (78 months ago | reply)
Un arc en ciel !
especially_today (78 months ago | reply)
this is awesome! i have only ever seen the green and blue ones, and i didn't even know that they were made in other such bright colors!
gwilmore (78 months ago | reply)
You're one step ahead of me, Holly Yvonne, because until yesterday I was unaware that these existed in any kind of catchy colors.
defekto (78 months ago | reply)
My dad was a lineman for many years and he would occasionally bring home the light blue ones. I never knew they came in such a wide range of wonderful colors.
cindyallee (78 months ago | reply)
very nice collection-I have a very deep purple one from my Grandmother
Luke H (78 months ago | reply)
Each and every one of those is rare :) I have a hundred of the plain jane green and clear ones ammassed at home though. They make good door stops ha!
especially_today (78 months ago | reply)
garry, i was just looking, and found out that these are quite collectable! i did a search on ebay, and found that you can get not only all colors, but lots of shapes too! pretty cool!!
Derek93 (78 months ago | reply)
huh, now I know what these are I guess:
my landlady has them all along that stone structure and I was trying to figure them out. thanks!
gwilmore (78 months ago | reply)
Thanks for all the feedback from you folks. I had no idea until now that collecting these things was such a popular hobby!
Luke H (78 months ago | reply)
It's an old man thing.. The sort of guy that storm chases, talks on a ham radio, and has a model train probably has a window sill full of these ;) When I was a kid in the 80's we use to climb up the telephone poles and take them off. At the time they were really numerous (as was the copper wire that is now worth a lot of $$$.)
Most of them were broken because hunters would shoot them off the poles. I was a weird kid though, so I don't think many other kids were shimmying 80 year old poles in search of shiny green glass.
c r i s (78 months ago | reply)
Such a simple thing, yet very nice shot!
Alabamanglican (78 months ago | reply)
My grandfather used to bring the light blue ones home as well. How special to see them!
Lida Rose (78 months ago | reply)
This is gorgeous. I just have blue and green ones.
nyomee wallen (78 months ago | reply)
Look like perfume bottles.
sosidesc (77 months ago | reply)
cool collection...
what a variety of colors!
mella doll (77 months ago | reply)
that's really nice...interesting objects for photography.
insulator245 (64 months ago | reply)
Now those are some beauties! Wish that the cobalt I had was that bright!
gwilmore (64 months ago | reply)
Thank you for the comment. This image has drawn a lot of attention, and has been in Explore the whole time I've had it posted here on Flickr. I'm glad you like it, too.
deueltl (60 months ago | reply)
I haven't seen an insulator collection as colorful as this one before. They are quite lovely!
teacherholly (58 months ago | reply)
So, cool! This brings back wonderful images in my mind from my childhood. My dad did...and still does have a collection of these insulators. This is quite a set!!!
The purple one is my fav!!! How many do you have?!?!?
gwilmore (58 months ago | reply)
@teacherholly: This collection isn't mine, although I do sort of envy it. I was in Tuscon with my kids and a couple who belong to our church congregation, and the insulators belong to that man's father. I saw them, and out came the camera. As you know by now, photography enthusiasts see things quite a bit differently from those who are not, a point recently brought home to me when I tookthis, a picture of one of the most ordinary things imaginable, which ended up on Explore.
t.catalde (57 months ago | reply)
goto www.insulators.com and view the picture gallery (link towards bottom of opage at left) - you will be amazed at the variety and colors!
gwilmore (57 months ago | reply)
Thanks for the tip. I checked out the link, and will visit it again from time to time. Until the day I took this picture, it never even occurred to me that anyone would have such a hobby, but apparently it has enthusiasts all over the world.
woodwork's (34 months ago | reply)
Fantastic colors...I inherited my mothers 52 pc collection...
Photo Nut 2011 (2 months ago | reply)
Cool. I didn't realize they came in so many colors. I only own some in the traditional color.
This photo was invited and added to the Electronics and Computers group.
This photo was invited and added to the Items from 1900-1999 group.
mcudeque (2 months ago | reply)
I love these things but only have them in clear!
monon738 (2 weeks ago | reply)
Nice shot of the great hobby of insulators, nice assortment of colors!