'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by JH Naylor

'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor Ltd 'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor Ltd, Wigan c

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor Ltd
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor Ltd, Wigan c
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

'Davy' miner's oil safety lamp made by J.H. Naylor, Wigan, 1860s.

This lamp features a rare octagonal fuel vessel. James Henry Naylor set up in business in Wigan in 1860 as a wire worker and safety lamp maker.

The gauze on a Davy lamp was disigned to disperse the flame, reducing the risk of the hot flame causing an explosion when firedamp (methane and oxygen) was present. Essential ventilation currents in the mine could impinge on the correct functioning of the gause, causing explosions. In the 1830s, it became widely recognised that the Davy had to been protected from air currents. Inicially, shields were introduced surrounding two thirds of the flame as on this example.

Details

Category:
Coal Mining
Collection:
Lancashire Coal Mining Collection
Object Number:
Y2002.19.3.1
Measurements:
Overall: 205 mm 70 mm,
type:
miner's oil safety lamp
credit:
Gift of Salford Museum and Art Gallery