Another, another what's it??

This might not be too hard.

A wine bottle stopper for an old metal bottle of wine?

Looks like a tie down cleat.

Expect a person with the name Mondavi to think of wine.

Actually, I thought of wine too.... but couldn't explain the threads in the "stopper."

My guess is some sort of tie down, but the threads have me puzzled..

I wonder if the tapered part has a hole on one side? And the threaded part is actually a pipe? That would make it a valve for something.

Tater

I didnt think this would be that tough...........sofar no one has even come close.....I'll let it go another day then will give the answer if no one gets it... arent I mean?? ha ha

Its a wotsit, and its usefull for wotever it does
Sean

Okay, I wont tease you folks any longer

It is: a RAMSHORN TELEGRAPH INSULATOR

http://natsulators.com/patents/158868.html

Back in around 1970 while working for Pacific Bell Telephone as a lineman, I found 6 of these mounted on a very rough cut 2x4 piece of timber in a town called Hanford, CA. These were found in an alley, attached to a old building in the old Chinatown district, circa 1850-1900. I had to share with my fellow crew members, as at that time, we all collected insulators. At one time I had over 200 different types; telegraph, telephone, power types. Over the years I have given most away and have only kept the most valuable.

In trying to trace the history of this particular Ramshorn insulator, there is very little know about Isaac Smith, except he was from New York state, and supposedly helped start Bell Telephone with old Alexander. The more common Ramshorn insulator design was made by Brooks and also another called the Mt. Washington Ramshorn, just because it was found on Mt. Washington, NH, from what I am reading.

Since this Smith design is not so well found, it of course is of more value. Basically it is made from cast iron with a Mica skirt and threading. A hole was drilled into whatever, namely a piece of wood, and the insulator was screwed into the hole. The wire just laid in the 2 grooves, but was laid in such as to make an "S", so it would be so-called, "tied in" without actually tying it in with another short piece of wire, as it is done on normal type insulators.

I had always been told that they were used as to prevent the Indians (the true Native Americans) from shooting the insulator to take down the "singing wire", as they called it. This has been unfounded in history, but makes a good story, although in history the glass insulators and wires were torn down by bandits to prevent warnings from one telegraph station to another of possible activity.

So, I hope this explains the history of some sorts of the Ramshorn Telegraph Insulator from the beginning of the telegraph/telephone era.

VERY GOOD.... Im far to young to even guess that one !!

As Paul Harvey would say - "And that's the rest of the story."

Now, don't ask who Paul Harvey was - look it up.

Scruffy and Tater wrote:As Paul Harvey would say - "And that's the rest of the story."

Now, don't ask who Paul Harvey was - look it up.

Use to listen to Paul everyday at lunch time, along with Rush........GOOD DAY !!!

john: that was a good whatsit. i worked for an independent phone company for fourty years and i had no idea. i have never seen anything like it.

It is funny because I was going to say some type of insulator because of the threads that I've seen on other Insulators. My Aunt and Uncle used to collect them I don't know if they still do. They also live in Tulare. At one time when I was a kid living in Hanford my dad was also collecting them.