Lest there be any doubt that one can still purchase electrical insulators off the shelf, here is a brand new porcelain strain that my brother picked up off the shelf with others a few days ago at Hussey's General Store in Windsor, Maine, which, at 30,000 square feet, bills itself as Maine's largest general store. The store has a sign out front that advertises "Wedding Gowns/Shotguns/Beer" in that order. Their motto is, "If you can't find it at Hussey's . . . you don't need it . . . and if you absolutely need it, we can find it for you."

http://husseysgeneralstore.com/

It is 2-1/8" tall by 1-1/2" wide at the widest. Does anyone here know what the purpose is of the "sand" at the one end? [id=404765380] I've seen that stuff on individual shells of multipart insulators, and I understood that is was to add strength to the bond between the multiple shells, but I have no clue as to why it was added to one end of this strain. Anyone?

Thanks to Rick S., my question was answered in moments: "The sand is so the glaze on the sanded side of the insulator doesn't stick to the floor of the kiln when the insulator is fired. It is sometimes called a sand rest as opposed to other unglazed surfaces that you find on porcelain insulators."