Jackleg watch fob, some tumbled finds

[diggingthe1]

I went to hunt the kiddie park behind my rental but it was busy so I detected my property again, for about 15 minutes. It's amazing I missed this. There is 650 miles of underground tunnels around me mostly made by these. They would drill a little section ,blast it out and haul it away and repeat. Here is some tumbled finds to beef up the post. I hope you all find time to get out and hunt!!

 

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[against the wind]

Very nice watch fob,,
Congratulations

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[diggingthe1]

Thanks Against the wind and RJ, I sure love the local related stuff!!

 

[Mackaydon]

Ingersoll-Rand Company Mounted Jackhammer Watch Fob
Great save !
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/377106168781012448/

Don.....

 

[tamrock]

More cool mining history finds. I'm thinking that fob or some say those were actually luggage tags given out as swag, that had a leather strap may have been made in the 1960s. IR made that drill the JR300A up into the mid 1970s. Last place I got parts for those was at the Molybdenum mine in Questa, New Mexico and then IR got out of the Jackleg business. The drill was copied by a company called Boart and I was just at the Boart-Longyear facility in Salt Lake last Thursday as I brought some items to return there because we had a company meeting in South Jordan Utah I had to be at. The Boart jackleg drill has a lot of changes on it now from when they first copied it based on the IR design.

 

[ToddsPoint]

That fob is so cool. I used to work for Ingersol Rand in the machine shop. Our plant made asphalt paving machines. They got out of the paving machine business and closed the plant so I retired. Best thing that ever happened to me! Gary

 

[Tnmountains]

That is really cool!

 

[E-Trac-Ohio]

Great looking Fob !

 

[JeffInMass]

Very cool fob- Congrats!

 

[A2coins]

I agree thats a nice fob I like things like that more than most silver coins, looks like theres lots of activity there from the pile of relics in the picture . Great hunt keep em comin.....Tommy

 

[diggingthe1]

Thanks for the link Don!!
Thanks for the information Tamrock. I find drill steel piecies up here and there are a few old drills laying around in people's yards. That new one looks pretty slick. I always enjoy seeing them in action at the mining games. I figured the fob or luggage tag wasn't to old but still a cool find. I love hearing and learning about the industry.
Thanks Toddspoint, I'm glad you made it out of there also!! It doesn't sound like fun work!!
I appreciate the posts Tn, E-track, and Jeff!!
Thanks Tommy, hopefully the ground will keep giving up it's secrets!!!

 

[tamrock]

That picture isn't a new drill. That's about 45-50 years old would be my guess. That is the IR in their IR yellow. I like those pre- WWII machines and I know some collectors who are always interested in what you might have. We rebuilt one old IR in Nevada that was sent from the Mining museum in Carson City. One of the guys called IR and gave the model and serial number on it. It took the IR rep on the phone a little bit of time to tell our guy what he had, but the IR guy first said congratulations as you are now the record holder of a person calling IR who has inquiries of the oldest product to be ever called about. Amazingly they still had records of it and it was a feed drifter drill made in 1919. It had all rotten leather seals and our mechanic replaced those with more modern seals and it was built on almost the function of a steam engine and it sounded like one when we put air to it. The rotation of the drill rod was done by a man and a wrench who was know in the mines as a chuck tender and the lead miner just cranked the feed and decided where all the holes would be drilled. Being there was no tungsten carbide bits in those days it took a state of the art black smith shop of the time on site to keep the miners fill with available drill steel. How they produced all the gold they did in those days is amazing. Of course they were around also when there were a lot more high grade deposits to be had and left none for us. But let's not forget those stories and rumors of the long lost high grade rich gold veins the prospectors of old had just simply forgot where that mine was he found but had to abandon it or die at the hand of savages, but when things cooled down and the savages were no longer a problem he could never again find where that mine was.

 

[cudamark]

Ingersoll-Rand made some great equipment. I still use one of their impact guns in my garage.

 

[tamrock]

Ingersoll-Rand made some great equipment. I still use one of their impact guns in my garage.

They are top of the line when it comes to industrail and construction air power tools.

 

[diggingthe1]

Next time I see my friend I'll ask him about the one laying beside his house. It is just about buried over and could use some attention. Hopefully he will part with it. His Dad worked the mines. Lots of old timers sons or daughters are left in the district. I try to go to the mining related talks and have done some pretty cool intimate tours. When I first moved here I got in pretty good with the locals and I couldn't believe the stories they would tell. I bartended at the local water hole. It's sad that the old old timers are not around. I liked hearing about the Chuck tender!!! Last year or two years ago someone bought a house in Cripple Creek and discovered a large stash of high grade under there house!! Sometimes I will find a piece in an old garden wall or porch that's long gone. I'll try to get a picture of the drill next time I stop over there!! Thanks for more good stuff Tamrock!!
I imagine IR had to make things that lasted. Thanks for the post cudamark!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very cool piece of history, congrats!

 

[diggingthe1]

Thanks Professor!!! Always nice to hear from you!!!