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Welcome to the insulator page of
Bill Winters
Greetings to all! And welcome to my insulator page. I began my "un-official" insulator collecting in the late 1960s. Not really a collector, but rather a gatherer of insulators. My accumulation consisted of only common insulators - I just thought that they were cool and looked great on the fence and in the garden. Everything was just going along so well when this guy that I worked with starting asking me if I had any insulators. I told him that I did have some insulators... and I told him that just so that he would quit asking me about those "stupid" insulators. Little did I know...this just encouraged him to keep asking me about the insulators that I had. I kept putting him off and did not give him much information about these "elusive" insulators. Then the clincher came! He casually told me one day that if a person had more than 2 insulators without telling anyone about them, then they were considered to be a "closet collector." Well....hmmm....I soon lost my "closet collector" status and became an "official" collector in January 1996...and have been actively involved in the insulator hobby since that time.
My insulator interests....
My interests include both glass and porcelain insulators...as well as an occasional wooden, composite or plastic insulator. The history of the hobby fascinates me and I thoroughly enjoy reading the information that is available in the hobby. And I enjoy the "local history" associated with documenting the various types of insulators that were used in our area. My favorite insulators (in my collection) include:
- a Rosenthal patented porcelain
- wooden "EC&M replacement"
- CD151 HGCO in yellow green
- CD145 B in "tiger striped" olive amber
- CD190/191 green Prism
- CD121 WFGCO in lavenflower
- U-186 Purkey Patent
- CD190/191 PRR aqua with cool amber in the dome
Now for a glimpse of my yard...I currently have a nice square pole in my backyard with a few styles of insulators to enjoy...and to allow my neighbors to get used to the idea of insulators. I am currently in the process of putting up about 5 or 6 more poles to display different power, telephone and telegraph insulators. It certainly gives the neighbors something to talk about!! Actually, the response has been very positive! I will provide updates as the work progresses...
Personal stuff...
I am a journeyman electrician (inside wireman), electrical administrator, journeyman meter/relay technician...I currently work as an electrical maintenance procedure writer. Back when I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I grew up (I still don't know and I still have not grown up), I was also a journeyman auto mechanic, carpenter, welder, chemical operator and probably a few other things that I cannot remember or have chosen to forget.My favorite job was working for "free" in Martinez, Argentina, on a church building and school that was being built. Martinez is a suburb of Buenos Airies....together the two towns have more people than all of the state of Washington...and Oregon...and Idaho...and Montana....hey, there are a lot of people there!! The work was hard, but I would not trade the experience for anything in the world!!
At our house, insulators are enjoyed by all...or at least tolerated by all. :-) If you are going to be actively involved in any hobby, it takes the full support of your family to help ensure a positive and healthy and happy experience for everyone. Balance...easy to say...but difficult to do!! I fully enjoy the insulator hobby, but insulators are not the focal point of my life. I have a wonderful and supportive wife and wonderful daughters. They make life worthwhile...not insulators. I did not come to that realization on my own, but rather because of a commitment that I made many years ago - a commitment to follow my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everything else falls into place behind that decision. He has protected me, blessed me, encouraged me, led me and provided my every need.
Contacts...
Thanks for checking out my homepage. If you want more info or have questions or just want to say "hi", please drop me an email at: Bill Winters - email - allbw@aol.com
For more information on the insulator hobby visit the.... Glass Insulators Home Page This site contains lots of links to other insulator - and related - sites....books, pictures, contacts and much, much more!
Thanks again for visiting. Happy collecting!!!
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