Not much progress this weekend...

[SaltwaterServr]

Got out to the mine friday night to camp. Dang ground is heated up enough that you can feel it through the air mattress, which incidentally sprung a leak. A little gorilla tape fixed that wagon up.

Up early Saturday morning. As soon as that sun came up, knew it was going to be a hot one. I read on a few weather sites about 100 for the high. Not horrible, but as long as the breeze is blowing it would be workable.

To hedge my bets, I bought a little 12v battery operated fan with a AC adapter. I cut the adapter head off and spliced on some battery clips to run it off of a 12v lawnmower battery. I figured I'd put it a few feet into the adit and let it blow out the cool air. Here it is in action to start the day.



Turns out the little peckerhead works dang good. One more fan just like it or a bigger one and we'd be in tall cotton.

Well, turns out the air mattress wasn't the only thing springing a leak. Dang wheelbarrow tire went flat too sometime during the week. Now I didn't want to buy a solid tire as the online reviews are pretty bad. Under a heavy load the wheel compresses down on the bottom and makes it a royal Hillary Clinton to push.

Right after I set up the fan, I went back up the hill to the truck to get my 12v air pump. Since I had the lawnmower battery, I could cut the plug off the air pump and run it down at the adit. Got back down, aired up the tire.

10 minutes later, flat again.

Tried to air it up again, no luck. Huh. Well, I took the tire and tube off, hoping to find the hole and patch it. I hooked the tube to the pump and it wouldn't air up even a hair. Turns out the pump is toast which left me with carrying buckets of dirt and rock all day.

I did a little scaling of the rock outside the adit and then some of the bulging rock in the adit itself. Found out that the rock behind the T post at the right side is as brittle as dried spaghetti. This is last week's final photo.


Left it mostly alone and at the end of the day made about 3' of progress. Heat was pretty bad. Not a hint of a breeze for most of the day. Without the fan, it would've been a complete wasted day. I still had to pull up a chair and stop work from 3 until 4:30. The photo is close up because the hole is now deep enough into the adit that the depth of the excavation won't show up without zooming in.



Next week's forecast looks like the low 90's so I'll be at it again, with a fixed wheelbarrow wheel and a dang hand pump at the ready and a few tube patch kits too.

 

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[l337scum]

Bummer, I wish you better luck on your next outing. I am not sure if it is worth it or not but you may be able to get a smaller air pump to run off 12v if the hand/foot pump takes too much time. I had a cheap one that I put in the car that was meant to run off 12v from the cig plug. Maybe something like this to try? BTW nice choice on the Geo Paleo Pick from Estwing. I love that pick and it is probably the best tool for hard rock prospecting I have ever purchased beyond my Estwing 3lb drilling hammer.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

That's what gave out on me this weekend, a little 12v pump. I bought a hand pump so I don't have to worry about electricity to it. The tube on that wheelbarrow is only a 9" one, so it'll take no time at all to air up.

I've got that 3# hammer too. Comes in dang handy. The Paleo pick is a great little tool to have. I usually keep it and my shovel bungy corded together.

 

[l337scum]

That's what gave out on me this weekend, a little 12v pump. I bought a hand pump so I don't have to worry about electricity to it. The tube on that wheelbarrow is only a 9" one, so it'll take no time at all to air up.

I've got that 3# hammer too. Comes in dang handy. The Paleo pick is a great little tool to have. I usually keep it and my shovel bungy corded together.

Sorry! I missed that in the first post that you already had one that died on you. I don't blame you for sticking with the hand one since it has less to fail.

The way I prospect is use two hammer holsters on each hip with the 3# on the right and cold chisel on the left. I carry the pick in my hands which doubles as a mountaineering pick while walking. I also have my day pack on and a hatchet stored in the back of it I can grab from behind my head without taking it off. I attach my GPS to my pack too. The day pack has water/food, flagging tape/flags and of course sample bags. I usually am fully loaded in my pack with samples by the time I get back to my vehicle. Can usually fit a good 5-7 samples in my pack using sample bags. I of course have my gel kneepads on too in case I fall and I have a first aid kit in my pack. Makes for a fun outing to find new mineralization on my property.

 

[N-Lionberger]

I put that green stuff in all my tires it seems to work well especially on the cart that I haul dredge parts on.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Got out to the mine friday night to camp. Dang ground is heated up enough that you can feel it through the air mattress, which incidentally sprung a leak. A little gorilla tape fixed that wagon up.

Up early Saturday morning. As soon as that sun came up, knew it was going to be a hot one. I read on a few weather sites about 100 for the high. Not horrible, but as long as the breeze is blowing it would be workable.

To hedge my bets, I bought a little 12v battery operated fan with a AC adapter. I cut the adapter head off and spliced on some battery clips to run it off of a 12v lawnmower battery. I figured I'd put it a few feet into the adit and let it blow out the cool air. Here it is in action to start the day.

View attachment 1458853

Turns out the little peckerhead works dang good. One more fan just like it or a bigger one and we'd be in tall cotton.

Well, turns out the air mattress wasn't the only thing springing a leak. Dang wheelbarrow tire went flat too sometime during the week. Now I didn't want to buy a solid tire as the online reviews are pretty bad. Under a heavy load the wheel compresses down on the bottom and makes it a royal Hillary Clinton to push.

Right after I set up the fan, I went back up the hill to the truck to get my 12v air pump. Since I had the lawnmower battery, I could cut the plug off the air pump and run it down at the adit. Got back down, aired up the tire.

10 minutes later, flat again.

Tried to air it up again, no luck. Huh. Well, I took the tire and tube off, hoping to find the hole and patch it. I hooked the tube to the pump and it wouldn't air up even a hair. Turns out the pump is toast which left me with carrying buckets of dirt and rock all day.

I did a little scaling of the rock outside the adit and then some of the bulging rock in the adit itself. Found out that the rock behind the T post at the right side is as brittle as dried spaghetti. This is last week's final photo.
View attachment 1458856

Left it mostly alone and at the end of the day made about 3' of progress. Heat was pretty bad. Not a hint of a breeze for most of the day. Without the fan, it would've been a complete wasted day. I still had to pull up a chair and stop work from 3 until 4:30. The photo is close up because the hole is now deep enough into the adit that the depth of the excavation won't show up without zooming in.

View attachment 1458857

Next week's forecast looks like the low 90's so I'll be at it again, with a fixed wheelbarrow wheel and a dang hand pump at the ready and a few tube patch kits too.

No worries. I'll be right there beside you soon enough. Then we'll really get some.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

I put that green stuff in all my tires it seems to work well especially on the cart that I haul dredge parts on.

That's what I ended up doing when I got to the auto parts store and weighed my options. Tire is still holding air fine today after putting it in there last night.

 

[russau]

Why not work at night when its cooler out? Inside the mine you need lights to work anyway! Your troubles are a realistic day in a miners life unlike the T.V. shows! Good luck mucking out your fortune!

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Why not work at night when its cooler out? Inside the mine you need lights to work anyway! Your troubles are a realistic day in a miners life unlike the T.V. shows! Good luck mucking out your fortune!

120 in the day is still 100+ at midnight out here. I thought my uncle was exagerating about that when I moved out here, but nope, it'll be 100 at midnight soon.

If we were in production, it would be a different story.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Why not work at night when its cooler out? Inside the mine you need lights to work anyway! Your troubles are a realistic day in a miners life unlike the T.V. shows! Good luck mucking out your fortune!

Got the lighting g situation figured out. Daisy chained together properly they can cover 6000' on 240 VAC.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Got the lighting g situation figured out. Daisy chained together properly they can cover 6000' on 240 VAC.

More than enough.

I got ventilation knocked out to start. We can use the same plastic tubing that water mitigation companies use for drying out flooded homes. Cheap and comes in various diameters.

Also have a few quote requests out for Eimco 12b's. Looked at Atlas Copco 310s and those are not remotely in our wheelhouse at this time.

Considering the parts that are out there for 12b's, we could dang near build one ourselves.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Yea, a 310 would be nice considering its on rubber tires. No tracks needed. We need a compressor anyhow.

I've never seen a 12b on rubber tires. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

With the price of track and all, I wonder if we wouldn't be better off to bite the bullet and get a 310.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Yea, a 310 would be nice considering its on rubber tires. No tracks needed. We need a compressor anyhow.

I've never seen a 12b on rubber tires. Doesn't mean they don't exist.

With the price of track and all, I wonder if we wouldn't be better off to bite the bullet and get a 310.

I took a look at Trident manufacturing which does the builds in South Africa. They don't list any variant of the 12b or 24b with rubber tires. It makes sense as the parts of that drive system seem to butt up pretty close to the trucks and wouldn't leave much room for the rubber tires. I did see they make an all-electric model though.

A 12b I can find for $5k.

This completely rebuilt 310 below is over $96,000.

http://www.ndcogroup.com/index.php/...pco-cavo-310-mucking-machines-detail?Itemid=0

Or one beat to hell at $15K

https://www.savonaequipment.com/en/atlas-copco-cavo-310-mucking-machine-p106866

Savona Equipment up in Canada has a few that look rebuilt, 12b's that is. A 12b is also a damn sight lighter in weight at 4200 lbs compared to the 310 at 6900lbs.

Really though, it's apples to oranges. I've been looking at 310's which aren't the equivalent of 12b's. 310's have the hydraulic dump bucket on them compared to the 12b's that load into the cars behind it. Copco's LM56H is more like the 12b, but with a larger capacity bucket.

Anyway, two beat up pretty good 12b's sitting in Minnesota.

https://www.mascus.com/construction...or-underground-mining/eimco-12b/dkhn7sft.html

Sent a quote request out on these as well.

EIMCO 12B ROCKER SHOVEL MUCKING MACHINES - New & Used Mining & Mineral Process Equipment For Sale - Nelson Machinery & Equipment Ltd.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

$13750.00 for the 12b that Nelson has, not including shipping. Completely refurbished they're saying too.

 

[barrelroll]

It's been a while since I've been on here but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents if you are looking for equipment.

MES MINING - Division of Mining and Environmental Services in Idaho Springs, Colorado is on my way home from work if you need eyeballs on anything he has. One of the guys on my crew worked for him previously and depending on how long something has been sitting there he might know the history. That guys has a ton of junk that isn't on his web site so it might be worth a phone call.

If you are buying anything form nelson put eyeballs on it before you give them money is what a little birdy told me.

If you are looking at 12B's and 310's is there any chance a small skid steer would fit? We use them for secondary cleanup and they hold up decent. They might be the cheapest option and if you buy the right machine parts should be easy to come by.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

It's been a while since I've been on here but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents if you are looking for equipment.

MES MINING - Division of Mining and Environmental Services in Idaho Springs, Colorado is on my way home from work if you need eyeballs on anything he has. One of the guys on my crew worked for him previously and depending on how long something has been sitting there he might know the history. That guys has a ton of junk that isn't on his web site so it might be worth a phone call.

If you are buying anything form nelson put eyeballs on it before you give them money is what a little birdy told me.

If you are looking at 12B's and 310's is there any chance a small skid steer would fit? We use them for secondary cleanup and they hold up decent. They might be the cheapest option and if you buy the right machine parts should be easy to come by.

Appreciate it hoss. I've run across their site once before and didn't bookmark it. I've been wondering which company it was in Colorado, and you found it for me. I'll have to give them a call on a few things next week. I'd love to have a disassembled Cavo 310 since I have to get it down the hill and down the wash to the portal.

I haven't seen a skid steer small enough to fit in the adit. This one is pretty narrow. At one spot, where I think there's a nugget hiding in the footwall, I can put my shoulder on the footwall and only extend my arm about halfway before I hit the hanging wall.

 

[barrelroll]

No problem, how big of a nightmare would it be to build a road down to the mine?

A quick search found that Bobcat makes a 36" wide skid steer https://www.bobcat.com/loaders/skid-steer-loaders/models/s70/specs-options I know there's a niche market for skid steers that can fit through gates and they are fairly common at rental places.

There's also the dingos and other ride on skid loaders. I think it would have to be a wheel machine and possibly have airless or foam filled tires to survive. I can't see tracks lasting long. This thing might work and is 35" wide on narrow tires https://www.toro.com/en/professional-contractor/compact-utility-loaders/dingo-320-d They do offer a 34.5" wide bucket for it. After looking at what happens to our loaders buckets I'd at least give one a mucker style cutting edge, a bunch of wear plates, and some reinforcement.

This has Cavo Specs on it. Atlas Copco CAVO 310 Underground Mucking LHD Machines | GHIMAC, équipement minier et industriel / Mining equipment & Industrial I don't know enough about them to know if there's a narrow version but it looks like they are 50" wide and around 76" by the time you get a foot plate on them. A quick google search did find a bunch "mentioned" for sale but very few prices or pictures.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Track's will last a lot longer than you think. As for the skid steer, it would be a great idea except for the fact I am not overly fond of internal combustion engines underground.

 

[Gambrinus]

I have some questions. 1. When are you planning on getting back to work at the mine, you guys have me on the edge of my seat waiting for your next update, I hope it is soon for both of us.
2. What is the possibility of using a slusher? I do know that you would be limited to the length you can go, but given the width of the drift that you have, would this be possible at least for now? And if that could work would it also work to remove the stope material?
I hope in no way do you take this as insult to your knowledge because I don't have the experience and I see that you guys do.
I wish you success in your endeavor.

 

[Mad Machinist]

I have some questions. 1. When are you planning on getting back to work at the mine, you guys have me on the edge of my seat waiting for your next update, I hope it is soon for both of us.
2. What is the possibility of using a slusher? I do know that you would be limited to the length you can go, but given the width of the drift that you have, would this be possible at least for now? And if that could work would it also work to remove the stope material?
I hope in no way do you take this as insult to your knowledge because I don't have the experience and I see that you guys do.
I wish you success in your endeavor.

Sometime this fall, weather permitting. The desert is a mean mistress and she has no pity on the foolish. Many have died here pushing there luck in the hunt for gold.

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