Coal Oil Lamps History

An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil based fuel source.

Coal oil lamps history.

Production thrived in scotland. However kerosene or coal oil gave off an unpleasant odor and smoke. Old oil lamps can be a fun addition to your home or a source of a profit depending on the condition and age of your lamps. The best way to get an exact date of manufacture is by having an.

Coal miners were frequently at danger from explosive mixtures of methane gas in the atmosphere of the mine. In 1859 drilling for petroleum oil began and the kerosene a petroleum derivative lamp grew popular first introduced in 1853 in germany. The newer lamps ultimately used kerosene. The oil wick cap lamp issued a bare flame giving off enough light for miners to see what was in front of their face but not much further.

The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and continues to this day although their use is less common in modern times. At the city gas works in dorset street blackfriars three chaldrons of coal were carbonized each day providing the gas equivalent of 9 000 argand lamps. While you can tell what shape the lamp is in by looking at it you probably won t be able to find much manufacturing information on antique oil lamps. In the early 19th century it was discovered that coal oil distilled from cannel coal could be used in lamps as an illuminant although the early coal oil burned with a smokey flame so that it was used only for outdoor lamps.

Using key objects from the collection mark carlyle curator of industry at the national coal mining museum for england offers a visual history of the miners safety lamp. Rock oil had been patented in 1854 by a canadian physician and geologist abraham gesner who named his lamp fuel kerosene. Oil lamps are a form of lighting and were used as an alternative to candles before the use of electric lights. In 1846 abraham pineo gesner invented a substitute for whale oil for lighting distilled from coal.

Around 1850 the oil wick cap lamp was invented in scotland. So 28 chaldrons of coal were carbonized daily and 84 000 lights supplied by those two companies. Coal oil that burned cleanly enough to compete with whale oil as an indoor illuminant was first produced in 1850 on the union canal in scotland by james young who patented the process. As you may know early lamps used animal fats olive oil beeswax or whale oil.

History the first description of a simple lamp using crude mineral oil was provided by persian alchemist al razi rhazes in 9th century baghdad who referred to it as the naffatah in his kitab al asrar book of secrets. At the beginning of the nineteenth century pressure mounted to find an alternative to naked flames that would provide adequate and safe light to enable miners to work underground. By the 1800 s paraffin oil which is inexpensive and smokeless became the lamp oil of choice. Most people called it coal oil.

Oil wick cap lamps were shaped like small kettles a small font that contained oil fueled a wick that was stuffed into the spout. Coal and natural gas lamps were also becoming wide spread. Cleaner burning whale oil was used in indoor lamps.