Not really blacksmithing, but I chanced across a supply of glass telegraph insulators with a cool industrial look and was inspired.

 

 

That's a cool idea, maybe dress up the pipe feet though. Do the insulators have holes in the top ends or did you have to drill them?

I have some glass floats packed away somewhere in the connex. Hmmmm.

Frosty The Lucky.

I am sure he had to drill that insulator Frosty.

Mr. Comtois, I am sure that you could sell those - I have all of the parts and must make one for myself, with your permission.

What did you do for finish? VERY nice on THESE eyes!

Robert Taylor

 

How about copper pipe end-caps for the of the feet. It would a lovely color contrast.

Happy thanksgiving day to all the smiths in the North. (Thanksgiving day comes early there because the harvest must be done before winter arrives. There are three million ex-Canadians in California alone.

SLAG.

Awesome design. I have several of these insulators that I've been kicking ideas around for. 

Well Happy Harvest Thanks, SLAG.

I am sitting here with Mrs Taylor having our coffee and reading this thread, and for the ninth time, our newly adopted sprinkler head jumps off the table and bounces across the rug. Sheila says, "I love that thing - it needs to be displayed in a place of beauty." So I say, "How about this?", and show her the picture.

Now imagine this jutting out of a 'Y' fitting at a back-slope, like a peacocks top knot - it would either look really cool, or quite ridiculous. I would be happy with either outcome.

 

Edited October 10, 20169 yr by Anachronist58
improve photo

Yes, I drilled the insulator using a diamond spade bit for glass.  Actually several bits - the 3/8 bit for the final hole was apparently too big to drill through all at once and I broke a couple insulators as soon as it broke through; I had better luck starting with a very tiny bit and then gradually increasing the size of the hole.

I like the copper end cap idea.  I originally used pipe flanges but they looked a little large and cumbersome. 

There is no real finish on this yet - I just used black steel pipe and brushed the heck out of it with a wire wheel.

 

 

Breaking through is always the most dangerous time drilling any hole, almost regardless of the material. You have to really back off the down pressure and feather your way through. Drilling glass isn't much different than drilling agates or ceramics. Heat is a problem if you're not using coolants. You might be able to get away with drilling close to breakthrough, stopping and giving the outside a rap with a small ball pein or the hammer end on a glass cutting scribe. You can clean the edges with emery cloth.

Oh yeah, floor flanges are WAY too clunky.

I really LOVE the idea, I'm seeing wall sconces and maybe chandeliers. LED lights really open things like this up. Very cool to brainstorm, thanks.

Frosty The Lucky.

A diamond-tipped hole saw in a drill press will let you drill the hole in one shot; just go slow and lubricate with lots of water. We used to do this all the time in the art restoration studio, converting vases into lamps. (We would also occasionally repair the holes with special adhesives, if the owner wanted to convert back a lamp back to a vase.)

I'm going to try the hole saw next, if I can figure out a way to use a coolant (water) without making a huge mess.  I'll have to rig a basin under my drill press. 

This being the first one, I used what I had around.  I have  a Home Depot gift card I'm going to go shopping for other types of bulbs and electrical bases to try a few more out.

The wife has already told me she wants a couple of pendant type lights over the island in the kitchen and wall sconces in the four-season room.

'Cause I don't have enough projects on my list....

Remember that saying from the Red Green Show: "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." 

Do you have a Habitat for Humanity ReStore near you?  That's where I have found a lot of neat items cheap on a semi regular basis---sometimes 10 cents on the dollar.  Architectural Salvage places often have ornate gas lamp parts that could be used too.

Glass drilling is a finicky job. May I suggest that you put a dam of wax or clay around the glass spot where the drill bit will bore and put kerosene lubricant in the well. It cools the bit which gets hot.

I surmise that you employed a specialty, glass drill bit, as your "spade bit"

 Drill slowly and as Frosty suggests, back off the pressure and the drill speed as you near penetration. Drill speed should be slow throughout the procedure.

Slow drilling may do the job without having to rap the glass.

If necessary, stop drilling just before penetration and use a Dremel-type rotary tool and a small carbide stone head to wear your through the last bit of glass before penetration.

Again, go slowly during that procedure.

SLAG.

That is a Really Cool Look, Nice Job!!

Check the web before drilling the insulators, as some are worth a LOT of money to collectors.