Vintage mining equipment which has of course been superseded by modern lighting technology
Great for that "museum of all things mining"
Oldham and Sons, of Denton, Manchester, United Kingdom was originally a general engineering firm, founded in 1865, but began producing mining products in 1887.
I would make an estimate that this safety lamp is from the 1960 ~ 1980's era and would have been used by a miner at one of the NSW coal mines, most likely.
In the 1990's these were largely superseded by more contemporary technology i.e Lithium batteries with LED lamps
The wet lead-acid battery was made by Enersys (UK) Ltd and they began operations in 1962 so it is unlikely this safety lamp assembly is earlier than the early 1960's
The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney has this safety lamp and a complete set of miners equipment. Go HERE to take a look!
OLDHAM MINING SAFETY LAMP With Battery Pack
Made in United Kingdom
Designed for use in hazardous environments, particularly where Methane gas (highly explosive) may be present
Lamp assembly is Type G
Battery pack is Type T
The battery pack is nominally 4V and it is a wet lead-acid technology. I have attempted to charge the battery a few times but it has given up the ghost - non functioning battery.
I did NOT change the eletrolyte - I think this would be a good start to seeing if the battery can be revived. It has sealed filling caps in the top (see photograph)
Remember to charge this with just over 4V - this is not your normal 6 or 12V battery
I did check the lamp operation - BOTH the pilot lamp and the main lamp operate correctly.
The switch is also fully operational
The helmet clip is in very good condition.
The lamp to battery "umbilical cord" (rubber outer sheath) is in very good condition with no deterioration or cuts/nicks
It is extremely unlikely that anyone would use one of these Oldham's in modern times, there are now far more compact and lightweight alternatives!
