All things hardrock ...

Red_desert

Gold Member
Feb 21, 2008
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Midwest USA
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Once again I'm the odd man out I would just go to the truck grab a sledge and commence to breakin rock.
Getter done ...
Gt.....
A sledge is hard to beet for all terrain grounds. Still like the idea of a stamp mill no matter how small it is if one is working all the time during the week.

I have a miner's hammer made by Estwing, about 4 lb. weight. Right now it only is used to drive garden stakes.
 

Assembler

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May 10, 2017
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Myself, would be hard to trust an old mine.
I have read about bad accidents in my neck of the woods over many years.
Anyone use a ham radio to check in with others on the outside?
 

Assembler

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May 10, 2017
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I have a miner's hammer made by Estwing, about 4 lb. weight. Right now it only is used to drive garden stakes.
Many people will have a hard time swinging a 10 - 14 lb. hammer for more then around 3 hours or more......lol.
 

Assembler

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I'm not a ham radio user yet however when I pass the tests I will be. I'm even thinking of letting search and rescue / Sheriff office know that I will be out from time to time if the radio is needed.
 

Red_desert

Gold Member
Feb 21, 2008
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Midwest USA
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Just got done searching, Estwing has a 3 lb. but bought my hammer mid or late 1990s. Probably 4-5 lb. weight which is easy yet effective to swing.
 

Assembler

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May 10, 2017
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Just got done searching, Estwing has a 3 lb. but bought my hammer mid or late 1990s. Probably 4-5 lb. weight which is easy yet effective to swing.
As far as breaking rocks goes a 3-4 lb. sledge works well. The heaver sledge will produce more rock per hour etc..
Many people can not swing a large sledge for more then a hour with out lots of resting.
 

Assembler

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Getting a 2 ton hoist can make moving the rocks around a lot easier in order to sledge out the rock you want.

What types of lifts/ hoists do you use?
 

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
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I also like the idea of a small lift / chair lift mover to move bags of rocks you can not pick up to swing the rocks around as needed.
Anyone use a lift of some kind on rough grounds?
I asked my father a very wise man, he said it would be very unsafe to use chair lift on a 60 degree slope.

Suggested you use a tethered balloon like they used for balloon logging.

 

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
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As far as breaking rocks goes a 3-4 lb. sledge works well. The heaver sledge will produce more rock per hour etc..
Many people can not swing a large sledge for more then a hour with out lots of resting.

A sledge is hard to beet for all terrain grounds. Still like the idea of a stamp mill no matter how small it is if one is working all the time during the week.
circumlocution

  1. The use of unnecessarily wordy language, especially in being vague or evasive.
  2. A roundabout or evasive expression.
  3. A roundabout way of speaking; an indirect mode of statement; particularly, a studied indirectness or evasiveness of language in speaking or writing.
 

Assembler

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May 10, 2017
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I asked my father a very wise man, he said it would be very unsafe to use chair lift on a 60 degree slope.

Suggested you use a tethered balloon like they used for balloon logging.


Don't think you will find anyone mining with balloons.
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,161
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circumlocution

  1. The use of unnecessarily wordy language, especially in being vague or evasive.
  2. A roundabout or evasive expression.
  3. A roundabout way of speaking; an indirect mode of statement; particularly, a studied indirectness or evasiveness of language in speaking or writing.
The use of a sledge hammer is rather specific and not being vague.
 

BlasterJ

Full Member
Apr 2, 2020
209
340
Southern California
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I have read about bad accidents in my neck of the woods over many years.
Anyone use a ham radio to check in with others on the outside?
The only radio I have ever used that worked underground was a low-frequency device with a big loop of Copper wire. We used it to match up the underground survey of a cave with a point on the surface.

I have many times used radios to keep in touch from the outside.
 

alloy_II

Hero Member
Dec 24, 2021
629
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Then this is a useful item to use.
Purchased the $25.00 book which included the cost of the test, one Saturday morning, read the book over Sunday then wrote the test on Monday.

That was 30 years ago, and I've never owned or purchased a Ham radio.

At the time I had in mind to do packet radio.

Packet radio is the software package used to allow a ham radio to transmit and receive digital data via the ham radio.

Same idea as your cell phone, access the Intenret, web pages and email but without the need of cell towers or data restrictions.
 

OP
OP
G

gold tramp

Bronze Member
Dec 30, 2012
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I no longer have a use for this thread or treasure net.....
What a waste of time...
 

Chilli

Hero Member
Feb 10, 2022
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OZ (Down Under)
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Hi, I just saw this thread, good one!
Went to take a picture of my heavy duty dolly pot I had made for me about 27 yrs ago, weighs all up the pot and two handed hammer about 40 kilos. Smashes everything. We are moving right now, or about to, and its behind some stuff. My backs not great right now so I'll show you guys later, she's a beast. You'll see I owned and used various machines, not all listed, but just recently downscaled dramatically due to a severe back problem. Hoping to get out at least for some more goes till im totally done when I feel a bit better.
Not long ago my wife said "hey, what is all this?" It was a box of quartz and some in a back pack (the back pack was from about 18 yrs ago using a VLF) id forgotten about. I looked and thought "seriously, I forgot about this stuff!?"
I got out Dolly and went to it over a few days, yrs ago it would have been 1 day. I got this, enough to get some nice new alloys on my car, gave her some to go nuts shopping too. Happy wife happy life!
I was never a hard rock miner by a long shot but loved specie hunting.
That was my crush result.
20210615_130428_(1)_(1)_(1).jpg
 

Chilli

Hero Member
Feb 10, 2022
922
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OZ (Down Under)
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Xterra 705
Garrett 24k
AlgoForce E1500
Found a picture of my Dolly Pot. Its still hidden under too much stuff to take a new picture to give scale.
The pot section is around 2 1/2 feet deep. Nothing bounces out.
The hammer a bit over 3 1/2 foot high.
Im just guessing as Iv never really measured it.
The picture doesn't give a good idea really as it makes the pot look smaller than it is the the handle higher.
Great bit of gear.
crios2.jpg
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,161
1,239
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Whites, Fisher, Garrett, and Falcon.
Primary Interest:
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Found a picture of my Dolly Pot. Its still hidden under too much stuff to take a new picture to give scale.
The pot section is around 2 1/2 feet deep. Nothing bounces out.
The hammer a bit over 3 1/2 foot high.
Im just guessing as Iv never really measured it.
The picture doesn't give a good idea really as it makes the pot look smaller than it is the the handle higher.
Great bit of gear.
View attachment 2013038
Nothing is as fast to sample as a stamp mill of some kind. Good concept that has stand though out times. Very portable as well.
 

Assembler

Silver Member
May 10, 2017
3,161
1,239
Detector(s) used
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Primary Interest:
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I'm surprised that there is not more interest in people making engine stamp mills of many different sizes.
 

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