Cleaning Glass Insulators
Recently on the hunt for supplies to use in my Steampunk art, I ran across a man who began collecting glass insulators 60 years ago. He had over one hundred insulators. He labeled most of them with the year he found it and what railroad it was associated with. One example (picture) was an insulator from the C N&W, Green Petticoat Insulator from 11/29/68 that he found in Omaha. Not surprisingly, most of the insulators I find are covered in years and years of soot. Once back in my shop, the first thing I need to do is clean them. I have discovered using a cleaner you can find in most kitchens works best. I use Bar Keepers Friend powder and soft cleanser. In the video below I walk you through the steps I take to clean pieces of the past so I can use them to light the future.
Supplies:
Water
Bar Keepers Friend
https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/
Toothbrush
Steel brush
steel wool
Brillo pad
Searching For Vintage Insulators
Before I can begin making one of my lamps, I have to have all the needed supplies. For my glass insulator lamps, that means beautiful, vintage, unbroken glass insulators. I am constantly on the hunt to find just the right pieces for my art. I went on a hunt a couple of months ago and found some beautiful glass. You can come along by watching the video below. Several of the insulators I found that day have been transformed into beautiful lamps. You can see those under the Steampunk Lamp tab here at thevintageaddict.com. Now through November 30th, if you use promo code GLASS at check out, you’ll receive a 25% discount on all my insulator lamps. Oh, and I used my pet name for Hemingray glass in the video. I like to call it Hemingway. Yeah, that’s me. Thanks for watching.
