Have you ever seen an antique insulator? The most common varieties come in various hues of blue and crystal clear glass. Their initial use was to protect homes from lighting strikes. As history pushed forward, antique insulators were used for electrical and telephone wiring. The first insulators were smaller, as they only needed to protect one wire. Over time more wires were present, hence creating larger insulators. The peak of insulator production was from 1920-1950, when the Unites States moved to providing more telephone access to outlying farms and homes. In the 1950's most electrical companies switched over to porcelain insulators. I have often seen these and always wondered to ...