Valve Weight
Description
Wooden block, rough octagonal shape, dark brown, evidence of tool, quite roughly made. (from pump non-return valve).
Wooden valve weight. This formed part of the pump head. The pump was an essential piece of equipment on board ship used for emptying the bilges of water. Smaller hand pumps, similar to those used onshore, were placed near the mainmast and used to pump water from the sea for cleaning and firefighting. The pump casing was made from a bored out elm tree and contains a fixed valve box. The simple handle could deliver 25 gallons per minute with a pumping action of around forty strokes a minute. It was a slow and laborious method.
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Object Detail
Width: 75mm
Height: 40mm
Weight: (0.09kg)