This insulator, tho not yet repaired has a very long and interesting story . [id=265335175] to see it's glass platter. Fred Locke was experamenting with various glass formulas for insulators in the 1906-1920's era . . one of which was nearly identical to what became Pyrex glass. Some of these glass formulas have seen use in such places as the windows of the space shuttle etc. These near crystal clear insulators were produced in the late 1910's and early 1920's all with Fred Locke's name and glass patents embossed on them . This insulator was one of a small number of suspension disks hand assembled by Fred Locke in his back yard that were likely sent out as samples for testing. This insulator was likely tested in a facility that was in the same location as the Lockport substation near Niagara falls. The insulator was discarded along with some other sample suspensions in the dump there. Around 1992, Bob Berry found about 1/2 the glass platter to this insulator wile digging the dump with Ken Willick . That glass platter half is the broken glass suspension insulator half shown in Elton's book about Fred Locke in the chapter on Fred Locke's late experimental glass insulators . In 1998 Ken Willick and I were digging in the same dump and another smaller chunk of this insulator was found. This piece was later passed on to Elton Gish who has had it for the last decade. In the summer of 2009 Paul Greaves, Jeff Kaminski, and I were again digging in the same general area and found a third large piece of the platter. FINALLY.... Last month, November of 2009 ,I was on my way back from the Springfield show and dug up the core, (cap and pin pictured above ) to this same insulator. Tho badly damaged, it is now one of the only examples if not THE only example of a nearly complete cemented together Fred Locke experimental suspension insulator ever found. These insulators never saw any widespread use and may have been produced in a very small quantity of as few as 50 specimens. The cast cap and eye bolt are unique and unlike any used by other manufacturers. The plan is to return to the site and dig again for the missing pieces and eventually restore the insulator. For now all the pieces are being shipped back to new york to be reunited with there core . No repair work will be done till next spring or summer . stay tuned...