Wedge and Shims - Stone splitting tools.

[Needle]

Has anyone ever used these tools to Prospect with?

They are called Wedges and shims or (plugs and feathers.)



They would be a good alternative to blasting agents.

http://trowandholden.com/home.html

Click on the on - line catalog, then go to Wedges and Shims.

I ordered 10 - sets for a 1" hole X 6" deep.

I received them from UPS and they look like quality materials.

I can't wait to use them.

I also noticed they have a new tool called - Hand splitting wedges,

these wedges are placed in seams or crevices, then simply hit with a hammer

in a sequence to split the rock, no drilling required, they come in different sizes,

thickness, and lengths.

[djui5]

They work great but require a lot of physical work. Depending on what your doing blasting might be the better option If your working a vein by yourself and don't need a huge hole dug, then sure, they are fantastic. If you need a large amount of rock broken up (100,000 tons) you'll want dynamite.

[Oroblanco]

Ditto to what my amigo Djui5 said - and you will need a drill to make the holes to put the feathers in. A star drill works best (by hand) not sure if you can make out what they look like but they come in different sizes, the end of the bit is not one blade but an "X" that is rotated a quarter-turn (or less) in the hand with each blow of the driving hammer - it will drill a round hole, but is quite slow.

<Star drill>

You can utilize a couple of other very ancient methods of cracking stone too, one is to pound in wooden wedges into pre-drilled holes in a row, then pour water on them. The dry wooden wedges soak up the water and expand, and split the stone. Another ancient method was to build a fire against the rock you want to break, let the stone get very hot then throw either water or vinegar on the hot stone. The stone will react violently (exploding) so wear safety glasses if you try this method, and the vinegar definitely works better than water being a mild acid. (The History channel had an episode on Hannibal crossing the alps, and tried this ancient method, the vinegar actually softens the rock to a surprising degree.)

If you have a lot of stone to break, and can't legally buy dynamite, hire someone licensed to do blasting - it is far faster and much less labor intensive. Good luck and I hope you will keep us posted - maybe a few pix of nice GOLD veins you break out of the rock?
Oroblanco

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI it was posted -->

If you need a large amount of rock broken up (100,000 tons) you'll want
~~~~~~~

Djiucy or Oro naturally. I whole heartedly recommend them for the hard work.
.
Oro you are now on my list, shesh, jumping in while I was still typing in almost the same words regarding Spanish mining methods.

Djiucy just because he is djuicy.

Don Jose de La Mancha

[Oroblanco]

Don Jose', if I may be so informal, I can understand your choice of Randy for the bull work of hand-drilling the holes for the feathers to go in, but me? Randy is young and 'in shape' - I am not quite so young and certainly not 'in shape' - you haven't seen how long it takes me to single jack a hole in stone! (Had to put a three inch hole through a mere eight inches of concrete not long ago, took me the better part of a DAY to get it done.) Of course we could double jack, and I could hold the drill while Randy does the driving, and HOPE that he hasn't gotten ticked at me recently....

Oroblanco

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

ORO, mi second best buddy ( Beth is first) you posted--->

and I could hold the drill
~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have been with those sheep too long. Have you seen how squincy eyed Djuicy is? He probably sees 4 different drills at the same time.. Your head I can understand, but a soft hand?

Don Jose de La Mancha

[Oroblanco]

Don Jose' wrote

You have been with those sheep too long

Well you know WOOL is a great INSULATOR for the cold!

Don Jose' also wrote

Have you seen how squincy eyed Djuicy is? He probably sees 4 different drills at the same time..

Hmm well so long as he could hit the middle ones, or maybe I could find someone who needs to be trained in how to double jack drill? After all holding the drill is the easy part, maybe I could find a volunteer here amongst our fellow treasure hunters?

Don Jose' also wrote

Your head I can understand, but a soft hand?

Sheesh talk about leaving things wide open for a wisecrack! Oh well I won't say it, after all the "soft hand" would also tend to be swollen, mishapen and extremely painful to touch.

Don Jose', you have not mentioned your own particular job description yet? Would it be foreman, task-master, overseer, etc? Or something of a different nature, like perhaps be the MUCKER? There would be a definite need for someone to fill this position after all, and someone with plenty of experience would be best for the job!
Oroblanco

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI ORO mi busom buddy: I am afraid that many in here would unqualifing state that I am a mucker par excellence because of some of my posts, snifff. They are all true honest.

Don Jose de La Mancha

[pippinwhitepaws]

guess that's why it is called hard rock mining.

i saw a piece on the history channel...drill holes in summer...wait for the cold..fill the holes with water...wait for morning freeze...snap. rock falls off in a pile.
i believe they were mining marble.

[djui5]

Djiucy just because he is djuicy.

Don Jose de La Mancha

Hilarious!! Love ya RT