Shaw backpack drill?

[Ragnor]

Anyone have any experience with one of these or know how much they cost?
I requested a price list, but I figured I'd ask around on here and see if anybody has anything to say about them.
I searched for older posts and did not find any.

I think it's looks awful handy.

 

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[russau]

I haven't used that particular drill BUT when I was working years back I used a drill similar but bigger to core holes and 1 thing I learned was to move the bit up-n-down occasionally to keep the bit from binding even with the water on to help flushing particals and cooling the bit!

 

[goldenIrishman]

First rule of prospecting and mining.... Let the terrain dictate the tools needed to work it. Why pray tell would you even be thinking of one of these? If you're in National Forest, I'm pretty darn sure you'd have to have an approved NOI on file with the district office before you could even use it as it would fall into the realm of power equipment.

 

[Oakview2]

Why would you ever file a NOI for taking one inch core samples. Just asking for a headache, imho

 

[goldenIrishman]

That's going to depend on the district and the rangers working it. While most rangers won't care, there are going to be some that will cite you in a new York heartbeat. In my mind it's a gray area Oak. Some rangers will automatically consider it as "Power Equipment" since it's not something that your typical prospector would be using. That's the nice thing about not working in the National Forests anymore... I don't have to worry about a ranger that's in a bad mood or has a chip on his/her shoulder. One less grubbermental agency I have to worry about.

 

[Oakview2]

Nothing to do with mood or chips, but the rule of law. http://www.icmj.com/userfiles/files/USA v_ Tierney_ORDER.pdfu
The drill requires downward pressure to be effective, rendering it a hand tool. Courts have established a significant disturbance cannot be created with a hand tool.

 

[russau]

Oakview2 that link isn't found. BUT I agree with you ! BUT also we know how them "friggin" wacos think!!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Oak, I know the case you're linking to and already have a copy of the decision in my files. However, Tom is a friend of mine and I've been on his claim several times. No gear like this type of drill was ever used there so the question of if it's "power" equipment or not was never tested in court. While I agree that it shouldn't fall into the category of power equipment we all know that some "friggin waco" as Russ put it with a forest service badge is going to haul people into court if given 1/2 a chance.

Now, this isn't earth moving equipment so it shouldn't be a problem, but it will leave holes in the rocks that a die hard environut would consider as degrading the forest. If you're just prospecting an area and haven't staked or filed a claim a claim on it yet this type of gear isn't called for. After staking, sure, it would/could be considered as part of testing. After all that's why you have 90 days from when you staking to file a formal claim. It gives you a chance to test the ground to make sure if it's worth filing on or not.

 

[Oakview2]

If you are filing a load claim, you must make a signifigant discovery, hence the core samples. It is the fiduicary responsibility of the Forest Circus to foster the exploriation and harvesting of minerals, not willy nilly use either bad temperment or political leanings to deprive miners of the rights assigned to them by the US Conress. Again if all things motorized in the forrest are against the law, then ban the off roaders, the boaters, chain saws, generators, ect.


Not trying to be argumentive, but I expect those charged with enforcing the law, to obey the laws and to fullfill their oath of office. In the counties I work in, we are fortunate to have Constitutional sheriffs, and no LEO will cite me without the county sheriff present.

 

[goldenIrishman]

I'm not trying to argue either Oak. The OP didn't state which type of mining he was planning on doing and I assumed since it was in this section instead of the hard rock mining thread he wanted it for placer mining. I can see it as a needed tool/stage for lode mining but that particular type of drill wouldn't really be much good on a placer deposit.

I agree 100% that those enforcing the laws should also obey them. It's also an unfortunate truth that it's not always the case. Having a Constitutional Sheriff is a good thing as many of them have taken the teeth out of some of the federal agencies that have been running amok in some areas. One problem is that many of the Rangers and EPA people don't even know the laws or which ones they're actually allowed to enforce. I think that if some of them ended up in court for citing people for things that are out of their jurisdiction or agency mandate that they'd all be thinking twice about infringing on our rights to mine. If we don't stand up to these people they will continue to walk over everyone.

 

[Oakview2]

This is what AMRA and a constituitonal sheriff accomplished in Mariposa County

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[Ragnor]

Well the idea is that there are some under explored areas around here. In Washington everything is covered in trees and brush and generous amounts of soil and volcanic debris. It's steep, really damn steep and hard moving. Back in the old days guys could only look at the surface and guess what was down there. If they wanted to know they had to hand jack and blast a hole into the earth. That's allot of work and expense just to run out a little quartz stringer that might not yield anything. A little rust on the surface is hardly worth chasing for $20 oz. These days a little hair line stringer might not be commercially viable. But it might pay wages to a guy willing to do the work.
But only if it goes anywhere and carries values.

Now without getting too far into the mechanized equipment argument. They let them damn motorcycles and atv's run all over the GPNF now. I don't like that a damn bit personally. I do not agree with it. However if they are ok with ATV's out there tearing the place up and poaching all the game. Well then my rock drill should not be an issue from my point of view. Now if some forest agent is gung-ho enough to hike up in them mountains to tell me I'm out of line, well. That is another topic in it's self.

I'm looking at the drill as a hard rock sampling tool, I wasn't sure if I should put it in hard rock forum, but I see it as prospecting rather than mining at this point.
I'm on board with what Rob over at liberty says . Modern equipment is going to revolutionize small mining operations and make formerly unworkable areas profitable to the small miner. (If they hadn't seen me come out of that tunnel with a detector.... the world may have been a different place. )

According to Idaho General mining Co. We are sitting on a 50 mile wide 300 mile long commercial grade pluton of gold,copper, platinum sulphide. All we ever see is just the slightest hint of a surface expression of that ore body. I had begun to suspect this before ever meeting him, Though I thought it was just a few miles wide. I just want to tickle it a little.

 

[Oakview2]

You have the right granted by the US Congress to find and explore for valuable mineral deposits, less fire danger there is nothing in the Forrest Circus handbook that says you cannot use a motorized hand drill for core samples. Drill on...