| Some examples are shown below | |||
Group of stained insulators |
Pink stain & crackle |
purple stain |
Cobalt heat stain |
WARNING FOR NEW COLLECTORS |
For collectors EBAY, antique stores, and flea markets are popular places to find insulators. There are many unscrupulous sellers that will alter the insulator colors to make them more attractive and thus more valuable. There are a number of ways alteration can be done, but one of the most common is to use glass stains to coat the insulator to make it a different color. When done well these stains can look very good and be hard to visually detect. Scratching the glass with a sharp knife or razor will usually show the coating. Many of the sellers actually admit to the staining process but do so in an obtuse way to confuse buyers. Look for the following key phrases:
This Glass Insulator was Finished with a Post Manufacturing Glass Staining Process
Colored using "various chemical names" in a highly technical process. Color is migrated 1 um into the surface of the glass.
This insulator was treated with a heat staining process
Anything in crackle glass is typically altered and not due to lightning or other semi-natural processes
Some do not make any mention of alterations -- these sellers should have no issues refunding your money
| Some examples are shown below | |||
|
Group of stained insulators |
Pink stain & crackle |
purple stain |
Cobalt heat stain |
Key recommendation is to get educated -- there are many excellent books available as well as lots of insulator shows. Shows are a great place to meet other collectors face to face and possibly find a local mentor. There are also some more subtle methods of altering the color of insulators as can be seen in the link below
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