In German-speaking countries, the miner's toolset is known as a ''Gezähe'' (derived from ''gizouuun'', zu ''zawen'', ''gezawen'' – to be usable, advantageous
at www.uni-heidelberg.de. Accessed on 19 Aug 2012.) formerly also abbreviated to ''Gezäh''. It is a set of personally-owned mining tools and equipment needed by the

miner A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are two senses in which the term is used. In its narrowest sense, a miner is someone who works at the rock face (mining), face; cutt ...

in his daily work. In coal mining in central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, every miner had his own set of tools. So that they could not be stolen, before the end of his shift they were either locked in a tool chest (''Gezähekiste'') or threaded onto a tool ring (''Gezähering'') which was then locked. To that end, all tools had a hole or eyelet. Tools that were not part of a miner's personal equipment and were only needed now and then, could be issued to the miner in the tool store (''Gezähekammer'' or ''Magazin'') in return for a token (''Gezähemarke''). Most tools were marked with a number, which was either stamped or welded to the tool.

Typical implements

* ''Abbauhammer'' or ''Boxer'': a mechanical pick for mining by hand * ''Bohrgezähe'': blasting or shooting toolsErnst, Dr.-Ing. Richard (1989). ''Wörterbuch der Industriellen Technik'' (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Oscar Brandstetter, p. 155. . and accessories * ''Dicker Hammer'' or ''Bello'' (colloquial): a 20 kg

sledge hammer A sledgehammer is a tool with a large, flat, massive, often metal head, attached to a long wooden or solid handle. The long handle is combined with a heavy head which allows the sledgehammer to pick up momentum during a swing and applying a large ...

* ''Grubenbeil'': miner's hatchet, a special type of

hatchet A hatchet (from the Old French language, Old French , a diminutive form of ''hache'', 'axe' of Germanic origin) is a Tool, single-handed striking tool with a sharp blade on one side used to cut and split wood, and a hammerhead on the other side ...

with a

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

head at the blunt end ** ''Kaukamm'': a hatchet sharpened on one-side * ''Gezähekiste'': lockable tool chest * ''Gezähering'': lockable ring made of a circular iron ring * ''Keilhaue'': a pick (tool) with a single point ** ''Flügeleisen'': a pick with two points, mainly used in historical coal mining to create the undercut and to extract coal ** ''Breithaue'':

mattock A mattock () is a hand tool used for digging, prying, and chopping. Similar to the pickaxe, it has a long handle and a stout head which combines either a vertical axe blade with a horizontal adze (cutter mattock), or a pick and an adze (pick ...

adze or hoe with a wide blade for soft rock like clay or

brown coal Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, Combustion, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered ...

* ''Kratze'' and ''Trog'': paddle and basket or tub. The coal or ore material was shovelled into the basket using the paddle and then transported to the loading point * ''Säge'': historically a mechanical saw, in modern times a compressed air or electric chain saw used to cut wood for

shoring Shoring is the process of temporarily supporting a building, vessel, structure, or trench with shores (Jack post, props) when in danger of collapse or during repairs or alterations. ''Shoring'' comes from ''shore'', a timber or metal prop. Shoring ...

* '' Schlägel und Eisen'': miner's hammer and chisel, also the symbol of mining hammer and pick * ''Seifengabel'': a type of fork, used open-cast tin mining, similar to a pitchfork. A washer (''Seifner'') diverted streams in order to wash out the granules of

tin ore Cassiterite is a tin oxide mineral, SnO2. It is generally opaque, but it is translucent in thin crystals. Its luster and multiple crystal faces produce a desirable gem. Cassiterite was the chief tin ore throughout ancient history and remains t ...

present in surface layers, a process called streaming or

hushing Hushing is an ancient and historic mining method using a flood or torrent of water to reveal mineral veins. The method was applied in several ways, both in prospecting for ores, and for their exploitation. Mineral veins are often hidden bel ...

. The fork was used to throw clumps of earth into the sluice or channel used. The names of the German towns of Seiffen (= "streaming") and Graupen (= "granules") were derived from this activity. *''Schlackengabel'' or ''Firke'': a slag fork, part of a smelter's tool set

Gallery

File:Keilhaue2.jpg, A modern pick File:Fluegeleisen1.jpg, A pick with welded number and eye for the tool ring File:Bello1.jpg, Sledgehammer with welded number File:Kaukamm1.jpg, An atypical ''Kaukamm'', the eye and the nail claw are missing, the original number was ground off

References

Literature

* Walter Bischoff, Heinz Bramann: ''Das kleine Bergbaulexikon.'' Zusammengestellt am Studiengang Bergtechnik der Fachhochschule Bergbau. 7. neu bearbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Verlag Glückauf GmbH, Essen 1988, . * Konrad Wiedemann: ''Deutsches bergmännisches Gezähe von 1500 bis 1850. Aus dem Mittelalter in die Neuzeit. Ein Bericht.'' In: ''Lapis.'' 34, 6, 2009, , pp. 19–24. {{DEFAULTSORT:Gezahe Mining equipment

Typical implements

Gallery

See also

References

Literature