002.173.Idrija

Idrija Municipal Museum, Prelovčeva 9, SI-5280 Idrija

Public

Municipality of Idrija, Mestni trg 1, SI-5280 Idrija

510:IDR;RZ-412

Mine

The digging hammer is composed of a housing (cylinder), a piston, a tip, a guide and a handle. The cylinder has a screw thread on both sides. A handle is screwed on one side and a guide, with an opening for the tip on the bottom, on the other side. Control channels are in the cylinder walls. The handle has an integrated control for the compressed air. The front has an opening for the tip. The hammer has the round image of a miner on the housing. The hammer has a round drill (2.8 cm in diameter), which has 4-angled sharp tip.

Length 55 cm, width 7.5 cm, height 15.3 cm.

Steel.

First half of the 20th century.

Manufacturer information is not known.

The digging hammer served for the acquisition of softer, brittle material. It was rarely is used in solid rocks, except for making nests in the woodwork industry. Under the pressure of compressed air, a piston struck the tip, at regular intervals, just like a hammer on a chisel. While working, the miner held the handle and pressed the lever, which released compressed air in the hammer. Simultaneously, it was necessary to press the tip into the rock, otherwise the piston strokes were partially transferred to guide and ruined the screw thread. The tip was usually made of round steel, between 30 to 40 cm long and with an approximate weight of 1.25 kg. The tip needed to be sharpened and required heat treatment repeatedly. The main disadvantage of the digging hammer is its relatively low efficiency. The need for increased production therefore led to the development of stronger upstream machines.

The digging hammer is being preserved, secured and presented as important mining heritage of Idrija with exceptional universal values. The digging hammer is stored in the depot of the Idrija Municipal Museum. It can be used for temporary museum exhibitions or for other types of mercury heritage promotions.

Idrija Mercury Mine (miner’s working equipment).

Idrija Municipal Museum, Gewerkenegg Castle (showroom 7).

The object is not complete, since a part of the housing is missing (it is cracked). It was fully conserved. Additional interventions are not necessary. Security of the premises is taken care of.

good

Regular seasonal maintenance.

- Inventory Book of the Idrija Municipal Museum.

Mestni muzej Idrija

Miha Kosmač

6. 3. 2018

Never