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!

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.