Issue Thirty Three: Reinsulator? I Barely Know Her!

Today we have a guest issue from one of my friends in Providence, Ben Sisto. I met Ben through a mutual friend and really enjoy his perspective on research, public events, and collecting things (we’re also both participants in the Rhode Island chapter of an organization called The Awesome Foundation which funds small local projects!) His work has been seen / heard in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Fast Company, Vice, Hyperallergic, i-D, 99% Invisible, Variety, Rolling Stone, and at SXSW. Some collection-based project examples of his include QUERI, The Rhode Island QSL Archive, and Who Let Who Let the Dogs Out Out.

This issue from Ben focuses on his collection of Reinsulator ephemera, which is being exhibited at the Providence Public Library this Saturday, April 20, from 11am–2pm. If you’re in New England, come by!

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Reinsulator is an amateur archive of vintage publications related to the hobby of insulator collection. The collection contains titles like Crown Jewels of the Wire, Drip Points, and Cross Arms, plus a number of one-off DIY zines, guides, and books. In total, Reinsulator has close to 800 unique items including an almost complete-run of Crown Jewels, which has run continuously since 1969. These texts are a rich repository of histories, jokes, photos, price lists, ads, event announcements, and more which, in total, document the rise of a really awesome, friendly, and research-driven folk collector community.

So what’s an insulator hobby zine? Wait. What’s an insulator? Glad you asked! For the unfamiliar, an insulator is a non-conductive object, typically made of glass or porcelain, that is affixed to telephone, telegraph, or power lines to prevent electrical wires from contacting wooden poles (this prevents energy diversion and disruption of signal pathways). While the insulators fell out of use in the 1970s, they are the early unsung heroes of telecom—and for many fans, live on as beautiful sculptures.

Cover of Crown Jewels of the Wire, August 1990

Front and back cover, Rainbow Riders Trading Post, Vol. 4, No. 7: This is how a majority of zines were produced; the back serves as a space for recipient addresses, stamps, etc. The zine was sent in the mail as-is; not inside an envelope.

Show announcement, Crown Jewels of the Wire, February 1980: The 11th Annual National Insulator Association show in New York. I love this one for the hand-drawn NIA logos and highly specific location map.

Cover of Crown Jewels of the Wire, October 1982

Excerpt from a story on a site dig, Crown Jewels of the Wire, August 2000: This spread is one of many pages detailing an excavation. I love this because it shows the level of care and detail collectors put into their work.

Show announcement, Crown Jewels of the Wire, November 1977: A great hand-drawn announcement for the 9th National Show in Reno. This is an era of flyers I love that calls to mind the look of early punk flyers, disco-rap show flyers, and folk concerts.

Cover of Crown Jewels of the Wire, November 1971

Insulator examples, Crown Jewels of the Wire, January 2003: By the 2000s Crown Jewels was in color, which allowed for great photos showing the many color-ways insulators came in.

Cover of Directory of Bottle and Insulator Collectors, 1969: This zine is just a directory of collectors. It’s Vol. 2 from 1969, which shows that the hobby was already well on its way before the 70s.

Cover of Canadian Insulators with owner inscription, date unknown

Mechanical drawings, Crown Jewels of the Wire, February 1980: The community is really into mechanical drawings; this includes a mix of both finding and scanning original patents and also redrawing them by hand from DIY measurements.

Reinsulator: Pop Up Reading Room
with Yankee Pole Cat Insulator Club

Saturday April 20, 2024; 11am–2pm
Providence Public Library, Special Collections’ Reading Room
150 Empire Street, Fl. 3, Providence, RI (Map)

https://www.bensisto.com/projects/reinsulator
https://provlib.libcal.com/event/12300258

This project has been supported in part by a grant from the Rhode Island Council for the Humanities, and is being exhibited in partnership with the Providence Public Library.

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For this issues’s recommended archive, I’d like to suggest a sort of decentralized archive—things that exist in the marketplace (eBay and the like) and which are thus documented, but that I haven’t seen pulled together in a formal collection yet. I’d love to collect these but don’t have the resources right now. Laid Back bucket hats are novelty headwear that call to mind the golden era of Spencers Gifts. They cover topics like fishing, golfing, gardening, and old age, and are quite literally stuffed to the brim with novelty items and gags in a variety of typefaces and color-ways. They feel especially appropriate as we approach 4/20.

Editors note: I’ve long advised folks that some of the best “archives” on the internet are the photos you find on resale marketplaces (search results for syrup labels, Milton Glaser posters, or vintage paper napkins may serve as helpful evidence). Salesmen will always fill the gaps that public resources can’t; we may as well use it to our advantage!