IF YOU GOWhat: Insulator swap meet.When: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.Where: Dalton Freight Depot, 305 S. Depot St., Dalton, Ga.Admission: Free.Phone: 423-756-4106 or 423-326-9248.Email: wgh@tnaqua.org.
Collectors from at least eight states are expected in Dalton, Ga., Saturday for the Dixie Jewels Insulator Club’s insulator swap meet.
Tables will be filled with these glass and porcelain collectibles, which commonly are seen at the top of power poles with electric wires attached to them. Sometimes several will be mounted on a wooden cross called a crossarm. Their practical purpose, said club president Bill Haley, is to hold the wire away from the power pole or crossarm to prevent electric wires from touching other objects and the electric current from leaking to the ground.
Most are made of porcelain, plastics or composition materials now, he said. Glass, a favorite with modern collectors, was used for many decades but is rarely seen in service these days.
Insulators are prized by collectors for their visual appeal.