Carbide Cap Lamps/Justrite PAF RSide

Carbide Cap Lamps

Justrite PAF RSide.jpg - JUSTRITE PAF - Hard to find horizontal Justrite cap lamp, early version prior to May 7, 1912, flush-mounted oval water door, marked on left side THE JUSTRITE PAT. APLD. FOR, the PAF refers to an early design patent by Augie Hansen shown in a following pic for an ornamental design of an acetylene lamp (No. 42,460 awarded May 7, 1912). Justrite advertised this lamp as the Justrite model No. 99 cap lamp in 1912. After the patent was awarded, the marking listed patent dates on the side, ex-Steve Loftin collection (Cap braces on the back of carbide lamps were intended to attach to the hard panel of the miners’ hats and keep the lamp rigid on the hat. You’ll notice that the cap braces on this lamp have been bent forward. The miners pushed the cap braces forward like this to get them out of the way. As noted by my friend Neil Tysver, coalminers especially spent a lot of time lying on their sides working coal seams. It works better to have the lamp stay vertical when the miner went horizontal. If the lamp is rigidly attached to the miner’s hat, it too would go horizontal leaking water from the tank. Lamp manufacturers were obviously aware of this since lamps without cap braces were being made even into the late 1920s. In many cases, the miners simply broke off the cap braces which accounts for the number of carbide cap lamps that have broken or altogether missing braces.)

Justrite PAF RSide | JUSTRITE PAF - Hard to find horizontal Justrite cap lamp, early version prior to May 7, 1912, flush-mounted oval water door, marked on left side THE JUSTRITE PAT. APLD. FOR, the PAF refers to an early design patent by Augie Hansen shown in a following pic for an ornamental design of an acetylene lamp (No. 42,460 awarded May 7, 1912). Justrite advertised this lamp as the Justrite model No. 99 cap lamp in 1912. After the patent was awarded, the marking listed patent dates on the side, ex-Steve Loftin collection (Cap braces on the back of carbide lamps were intended to attach to the hard panel of the miners’ hats and keep the lamp rigid on the hat. You’ll notice that the cap braces on this lamp have been bent forward. The miners pushed the cap braces forward like this to get them out of the way. As noted by my friend Neil Tysver, coalminers especially spent a lot of time lying on their sides working coal seams. It works better to have the lamp stay vertical when the miner went horizontal. If the lamp is rigidly attached to the miner’s hat, it too would go horizontal leaking water from the tank. Lamp manufacturers were obviously aware of this since lamps without cap braces were being made even into the late 1920s. In many cases, the miners simply broke off the cap braces which accounts for the number of carbide cap lamps that have broken or altogether missing braces.)

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