miners lamp FAQ'S

Asbestos Washers in Miners Lamps

2009-05-01T11:31:00.002+01:00

Hi Jon,
with great care!
pre mid 1970's lamps had white asbestos. You certainly should use a mask, and better still dismantle and remove them in a clear plastic bag you can seal and dispose of later.
From the 70's we used asbestos compound which is relatively safe as it does not break up and crumble.
These are a browny orange colour and are unmistakable from the earlier ones.
From around 2001 we used kevlar based washers.
Any more questions let me know.
Regards David
John Howell wrote:

How do replace the seals at top and bottom of glass chimney?

rgds

GR6S Parts Drawing

2009-02-27T12:11:00.004Z

THE PARTS DRAWING IS NOW BEING MADE INTERACTIVE WITH LINKS TO PHOTOGRAPHS OF EACH PART

We have added an exploded parts drawing for the GR6S

2009-02-25T10:29:00.000Z

Want to know what goes where on your Garforth GR6S Deputies Flame Safety Lamp. Then look at the drawing on our web site

Apedale Heritage Centre, mine tour and museum

2008-12-03T12:31:00.001Z

This special attraction was created at the site of Staffordshire's Apedale Mine and is run by a team of dedicated volunteers. Along with the underground mine experience, we have an interesting and informative Museum, and a welcoming café and gift shop.

The centre is set in the unique landscape of Apedale Country Park. The site is also home to the Moseley Railway Trust's collection of narrow gauge industrial locomotives.

We are open every day from 10:30am to 4:00pm, although mine tours are only run at the weekend and Bank Holidays.

help cancer research

2008-12-01T17:01:00.001Z

MINERS LAMPS.NET

2008-11-25T16:01:00.000Z

minerslamps.net

interesting american site

Mine Locomotive Carbide Safety Lamp. Made by Wilhelm Sieppel, Bochum, Germany. Circa 1910. Click photo for more images.

Buy, Sell, or Trade. Will buy one specimen, or entire collection. Free Appraisals

Hello!! My name is Dave Gresko, and welcome to my homepage. I have been buying, selling, trading, and collecting antique miner's lighting devices for the past 25 years. Presently, I mainly focus on rare and unusual miner's safety lamps. Do you have any? If so, I would like to hear about them. Just send me an email with a photo, and I will see if I can provide information on your lamp!

2008-11-25T15:57:00.000Z

minerslamps.net

interesting american site

LAMP HANDLING AND SAFETY

2008-11-14T10:02:00.000Z

hi kevin,
is this connected with the torch relay?
i ask because the results would vary with the type of lamp.
if its a torch relay based on the GR6S; videos of fueling are on you tube and still photos are on our website;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHP9437uaIE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScRi-s4SvR8
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UGDDI8wD37gCgH3ZxhKWfw

fuel;kerosene or paraffin, this helps safety as it can only be lit with a naked flame. (the unmodified GR6S uses relighter spirit which has a very low flashpoint to cope with the lamps spark ignition.)
the lamp base or fuel vessel is packed with felts to absorb the fuel for transfer to the wick. so we recommend filling with fuel to the brim of the filler neck then after is has been soaking for a few minutes turn it upside down so the excess fuel can drain off.
the lamps are very robust as they are designed for use in a coal mine. the glasses are double fired pyrex or similar so are very strong.
it is important that the bung is secured tightly in the glass hole used for flame transfer. the fire resistant rubber seal should be clean,soft and undamaged.
the easiest way to put out a lamp is by dropping it vertically or banging it down on a hard surface . this causes the flame to jump off the wick.
the lamps are designed to burn for between 8 and 24 hours on a small flame. the wick should be turned down as far as possible until the flame nearly goes out and then back up slightly to establish a small but stable flame. the aim is for the fuel to burn just above the wick so it is not burning the wick. so a clean uncoked wick is important so there is a steady fuel flow.
the flame is enclosed within a flame trap so will burn gases within the double gauze enclosure in the top of the lamp but not ignite gases outside of the flame trap.
in other words if you take a lit lamp into an enclosed space with an explosive percentage of methane the lamp will burn the methane and indicate its presence but not cause igntion of the gas.
the normal place for a lit lamp to be carried is on a miners belt, so you can see that they are used to being banged about.
we supply a cradle for fixing the torch relay lamps on board aircraft.
re the boat deck scenario, i don't know as we have not tried it, i suspect the flame would go out as a result of the shock of the fall. thats what usually happens when a lamp is dropped in a coal mine.
if the fuelling has been done as above the fuel would stay in the felts.if it stayed lit it should just keep burning until the fuel runs out.

i hope this is helpful, but please ask if you need more.

regards david mather

Kevin Corson wrote:
David,
If a lit lantern, full of fuel, was placed on it’s side and allowed to roll at will, (think boat deck on a rolling ocean), what happens to the flame and the fuel, please?
Kevin Corson
Astar Air Cargo

Manager, Dangerous Goods Group

Type 6 M & Q Safety Lamps

2008-11-11T09:50:00.001Z

PAUL MARTIN FROM NASHVILLE ASKED ABOUT HIS LAMP;

I live in Nashville, TN. We found one of your lamps in my Dad's attic as we were cleaning it out. It looks like it is all brass. On the stamped brass it says Type 6 M & Q Safety Lamps Approved 8/28
I tried to put some lamp oil into it but it does not seem to go in it. Can you tell us something about it and how we can make it work. Thanks so much.

Paul Martin

the Type 6 or deputies relighter lamp became the main lamp for gas detection from nationalisation of UK mines in 1947.
the GR6S in use today in coal mines and as modified for the olympic torch relays is a development of this.the type 6 was gradually replaced by the gr6s from the early 1970's.
fuel is relighter spirit or colzalene, which has a very low flashpoint so it will light with the spark ignition. it is very similair to lighter fluid and petrol.
lamp oil is kerosene/paraffin based and will only light with a naked flame.
to get it to light soak the vesssel in petrol, make sure the wick is soft and that the striker is producing a spark from the flint.
replacement parts come in our service kit whcih you can buy in our online shop.
http://www.protectorlamp.com/shopdraft.htm

LIGHTING AN SL ??????????? HELP

2008-11-11T09:35:00.000Z

HAS ANYONE OUT THERE DEVELOPED A RIG FOR LIGHTING SL'S?
HERE IS ANDERS PROBLEM;
I'm still strugling with the lighting the lamp with 4 volt (as mentioned in the blog of september 20, 2007). All the batteries I have tried, have not had power enough to heat up the wire, and the 1 Amp power supply just short curcuited. Have you got any idears about lighting the lamp? I'm getting quite desperate :)
On the base there is stamped 53/5291 and E. I recon that the 53 is the production year, does the 5291 or the E say any thing about the lamp type?

USA mines worked in the 60's

2008-11-07T10:07:00.000Z

some photos from mike verdetto who is using a garforth lamp to explore these old workings.

2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games

2008-11-06T10:12:00.000Z

The torch relay for the winter games is being sponsored by DHL and they will be using our torch relay lamps.The lighting ceremony is on the 12th and then the Flame of Hope continues on to 10 Ceremony Stops around the world.

Head Torch

2008-11-04T14:01:00.000Z

you can now see the full range of KSE head torches at protectorlamp.com

IS YOUR DOG RULING YOUR LIFE?

2008-10-22T10:30:00.000+01:00

OUR 18 MONTH OLD BORDER COLLIE MAX WAS UNTIL WE MET MAL.
HAVE A LOOK AT HIS WEB SITE.

HAROLD RILEY - ONE OF SALFORDS FINEST

2008-10-22T10:15:00.000+01:00

JULIE MATHER AND ANTHONY GARRETT WHO BOTH WERE BORN IN ORDSALL MET HAROLD RECENTLY.
WHAT A LOVELY MAN AND A GREAT ARTIST AND OF COURSE A RED THROUGH AND THROUGH.THEY WERE BOTH SPELLBOUND AND HAVE NOT STOPPED TALKING ABOUT IT SINCE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SALFORDS GREATEST LIVING ARTIST VISIT THE RILEY ARCHIVE.

Olympic Torch Relay

2008-08-11T13:56:00.008+01:00

The security lamp mentioned in the article is in fact a modified miners
lamp made by Protector Lamp in Eccles, Manchester.
The unmodified lamp is still used in Coal Mines in the UK and Poland for
gas testing.It is used to carry the flame from Olympus and onto planes
used for transporting the flame.It is the only safe method of carrying a
naked flame on a plane.
Protector Lamps carried the flame for Sydney,Athens and Torino and for
the Special Olympics in Shanghai last year.They have also carried the
flame for the Pan American Games and the Asian Games.
It has always been a great way of bringing people together and informing
them of the games. I was saddened to see the debacle it became this
year with chinese paramilitaries barging people out of the way.
Let us hope that such a great event is not spoiled for the future.

KS-7710 IN USE

2008-06-30T15:46:00.002+01:00

KS-7710 IN USE AT FOSS BARYTES MINE IN PERTHSHIRE

Mystery Mining Lamps

2008-06-30T15:04:00.001+01:00

need help identifying a lamp, then visit the mystery lamp page at namho's web site.

Lamp Fuel

2008-06-27T13:51:00.002+01:00

some helpful hints from the healey hero site on lamp fuel

Lamp Identity

2008-06-27T10:50:00.002+01:00

I have a lamp with your company name on it. Everything about it looks original. I am just trying to find out a little bit about the lantern age--use--value--anything that you can tell me would help. I have attached a couple of pictures.

Thanks

Gwen
its basically an iron topped SL probably from the 1950's, however the centre around the wick is not original, it has been modified.

Helmet City

2008-06-16T11:23:00.002+01:00

for all you bikers out there like me, log onto helmet city for great deals and service on a new lid.
i got a new schuberth from them and they were great to deal with.

ByAnyMeansTV,Charley Boorman

2008-06-16T11:15:00.002+01:00

see charleys latest adventures on you tube

KSE's Cordless LED Cap Lamps New Users

2008-05-09T10:29:00.000+01:00

Following the huge leap in sales in Germany KSE's lamps are now taking off in the UK.
New customers include ITM working on the London Underground,
Cleveland Potash's rescue team and surface mine.
Lanes for Drains sewer relining team,
and Clearwell Caves.
Quite a few cavers have caught the bug to with our non AtEx lamps

KSE's Cordless LED Cap Lamps New Users

2008-05-09T10:20:00.003+01:00

Web Site Llinks

2008-05-09T10:16:00.000+01:00

We are developing our links page and would like to add interesting sites on mining,lamps and the history of mining.
We would welcome your suggestions.