A bit OT: Any miners' lamp experts out there?

[Roger Mills]

SWMBO recently bought this lamp from a junk shop for a fiver.

It was pretty grubby, but cleaned up fairly well with Brasso, although bits of the casing are still slightly pitted.

She wonders exactly what it is, and whether it's worth anything.

The oval plate on it

refers to the Hetton Coal and Mining Co. From Google, it appears that there is (or was) a Hetton Colliery in the north east of England, and another one in Australia (New South Wales) - so this could have come from either but the Australian connection doesn't seem that likely.

It has quite a heavy base - presumably to stop it tipping over - which also acts as the container for the paraffin. On the bottom, there's some information telling you to use only paraffin in it, and detailing how to trim the wick, thus:

It doesn't look as if it has ever been used. There's no smell of paraffin and the plate has never been engraved with Colliery No. and Serial No.

Anyone know whether it's a genuine miner's lamp, or just an imitation?

I don't think it's a Davy lamp - because I would expect the flame of that to be surrounded by a metal gauze, whereas this one has a glass tube.

As far as I can see, the only way to light it would be to unscrew the top section, light the wick with a match and then reassemble it.

And presumably the same thing to blow it out. Some similar lamps which I found in Wikipedia seem to have a rod poking out through the bottom which operates a flint for lighting it, but this one has nothing like that.

Any comments?

[Nightjar]

Given that the Hetton Colliery closed in 1959 and the instructions on the base give the height of the wick in millimetres, I would say it is a modern copy.

Colin Bignell

[Bill]

In message , Nightjar writes

Plus the serial plate has no number on it, so no traceability. So I would also imagine a modern copy.

[Lobster]

We had a genuine one at home when I were a lad (for ornamental purposes, not functional) and IIRC the flame was surrounded by glass like this one, but the gauze was contained within the chimney part. You could certainly see it when it was dismantled (which naturally enough happened regularly on my watch...)

[Peter Parry]

Almost certainly a modern imitation. Real colliery lamps were filled and maintained in the above ground lamp room. They were then sealed before being issued for the shift. They could not be easily disassembled by the user. One fill would last 10 hours or more

The giveaway, apart from the absence of gauze and locks, is the instruction to use paraffin. Real mining lamps did not use paraffin but Colzaline (or Solvent40 or SAFSOL 2). These are similar to lighter fuel or Coleman's fuel.

[Roger Mills]

Yes, I noted that in my OP. It's clearly never been issued. It it had been in a store-room ready for issue, but never actually issued, I'm not sure whether or not these details would have been stamped on it, or whether they would have been added at the time of issue.

The wick trimming instructions in mm seemed odd to me too - and would be consistent with being a modern copy *unless* it's Australian (I don't know whether the Aussies are metric and, if so, for how long).

If it's a copy, a copy of *what*? Is this a recognisable design that was actually used in the past?

I think that SWMBO only wants it as an ornament, and not to use in anger. However, if we were to put paraffin in it and light it, what are the chances that it would actually *work*?

[Lobster]

So she's not planning a bit of open-caste mining in the garden then?

[ss]

If you go on to ebay you will find loads of diffrent types, many with explanations ie copy, genuine etc

[Nightjar]

The Australian Hetton Colliery became the Hetton Bellbird Colliery in

1911. By the mid 1920s, that seems to have become simply the Bellbird Colliery. Australia began metrication in the 1970s.

You can see some original lamps here:

I suspect what you have was probably first bought in the shop at a colliery museum.

Given the instructions on the base, I would think very good.

Colin Bignell

[michael adams]

It's a replica. There are always loads on eBay.

There's another one currently on offer at 19.99 with no takers which has 25 minutes left

The instructions on the bottom are for modern purchasers.

As has been pointed out, the lamps were maintained, filled, lit, and handed over above ground by designated employees in no need of instruction. The idea of miners dismantling refilling and re-lighting the lamps underground - presumably using matches or cigarette lighters would rather defeat the object of their being used in the first place.

michael adams

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[Sam Plusnet]

But if it's open cast she wouldn't need a lamp.

Better check who owns the mineral rights before getting out the shovel.

[Sam Plusnet]

Especially as miners were often searched just before they went below - to make sure they didn't have any matches or a lighter on them.

[Bill Wright]

If she got mucky you'd probably think she was half-caste...

Bill

[michael adams]

Presumably that was in the days before changing rooms and baths when they didn't change clothes before going underground. Where slipping over on top of a box of Swan Vestas accidentally left in your pocket might have dire consequences. And not only for your trousers.

michael adams

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[Anon]

Lamps issued to deputies who are effectively in charge of safety underground were always capable of being relit with a steel flat bar with a rack on its edge fitted into a slot on the top of the fuel chamber. This was partly withdrawn and then hit with the palm of the hand to re-ignite, a knurled wheel was rotated by this flat bar and, just like a cigarette lighter, a flint provided the spark to reignite the wick. Despite this feature the lamp was still as safe as a normal miners lamp as everything was enclosed

Can't find a clear picture of a lamp with one fitted but this is the part:

This is it in situ and fully inserted

The reason they were required a relight facility is that the lamps were often accidentally extinguished when checking for gas where you have to adjust the flame height and make observations for a separated or double flame cone. Checking for gas was their primary purpose once electric lighting became commonplace underground.

As for not having serial numbers then the lamp won't have been issued, but having said that the genuine lamps never had instructions on the bottom, maybe a makers stamp or a batch number but often nothing. Also genuine lamps will have some form of locking arrangement for the fuel chamber to the upper section, usually a hinged catch that can have a locking pin inserted.

Like this

[Roger Mills]

The left-hand lamp in the group of 3 looks extremely like it, but that has some extra gubbins round the base for locking it shut, or whatever.

Sadly I can't find that one in their catalogue, to get any further details.

[Roger Mills]

Both of those are extremely similar. The first action is now closed - with no bids - and there aren't yet any bids for the other one, either.

It doesn't look as if we're sitting on a fortune!

Yes indeed and, from what others have said, the ones going underground would have been sealed shut - so ours is clearly unsuitable for that!

[Sam Plusnet]

No. Such things were always verboten & still are checked.

Quote from UK Coal website (i.e. current practice)

"Miners swipe their 'pass cards' before going underground to register their presence in the mine. Before entering the cage to descend into the mine, there is a further check to ensure that no combustible 'contraband' (such as cigarettes, matches or aluminium foil), enters the mine."

Anyone know what special hazard aluminium foil presents?

[michael adams]

There's a similar phenomenon with acetylene and carbide lamps for bicycles.

Seemingly also an endless supply. On eBay at least. They're probably a regular feature at antique/collectors and car-boot sales as well

While it might be nice to think that some of these lamps are simply original lamps which have been adapted for modern day use - its hard to see how this could have happened. How all these lamps were all preserved for years in the hope that someone would put an advert in the paper, or knock on the door or haunt house clearence sales so as to be able to buy up large quantities of old miners or bicycle lamps.

And its doubtful that any genuine lamps kept for sentimental reasons would have been given away for the sort of prices the restorers could afford to pay.

What both the bicyle lamps and the miners lamps have in common is that they both have been "adapted" for presnt day use, there are even spares for the bicycle lamps on eBay, and that presumably they can be sold at a good profit when shipped in by the container load.

michael adams

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[Ericp]

Seems a matter of " Frictional Ignitions" and "light alloys" and "rusty surfaces".

Rust plus ali makes thermite?