My parents were from a Northern Michigan Mining Town. My Grand-fathers were Copper Miners.

Although, Battery Lamps had been in use since the 1930's, the local hardware stores in the Keweenaw Peninsula still had old inventory Miner's Lamps into the 1960's.

I've had this stuff for a long time.

My 'Grampa' showed me how to check the 'drip' from the top water tank and clean the 'jet' with a wire. Once assembled with carbide in the bottom tank and the water valve 'ON', you could smell the acetylene gas start.

Cup your hand over the reflector and trap some gas. Quickly swipe the meaty part of your palm across the 'flint-wheel' and 'POP' .... blinding light! Regulate the flame with the water flow valve.

BTW - If you don't use one of these every day, the working parts get very corroded from the caustic slurry in the bottom tank. It is easy to understand why they went out of fashion in 'shooting kits'.
If you want to buy a used one, take off the bottom tank and check the rubber-seal, function of the valve-parts, check for tank cracks and corrosion.

The lamp soot is the ultimate sight-blacking!

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