flintgreasewood 38 Report post Posted May 24, 2014 How it all got started is history. The 2014 mining season has begunand my wife, Alethea, and I have big plans to put into play here at Cobbprospect north of Fairbanks, AK. We arrived with half of our possessions,three vehicles and one trailer a week ago after a hassle free 3000 mile journeyfrom our former home in Colorado. I say "former" as we plan tostay put up here for at least 3 years so we can get our claims proved up andeventually sold. I'd like to have the underground mining experience for ayear or two but I'm getting too old to set my sights on 10 or 15 years of arduouswork even if the end result is gold. So the overall plan for the summeris to resume work in the shaft where I ended up last summer...67 feet down intothe permafrost on bed rock. Along the way I'll be getting my oldInternational TD-15 track loader/dozer up and running so it can be used to makeand grade roads and drag around our newly acquired skid mounted BE-21W cabletool drill rig. The drill will be used to put down several water wellsthis summer and then for sampling the claims after the ground is frozen. I'll also be working from time to time on some claims other than my own toprovide some financial help until we can. I'll also be working from time to time on someclaims other than my own to provide some financial help until we can beginproducing gold from our ground. And that isn't going to happen quite as soon as I had planned. Funny how that goes! Doug had prepared me last fall forthe new ice I would find in the shaft. Aheavy late fall rain had nearly filled the shaft and it had, of course, frozenthrough the winter. So the first orderof business was to thaw the ice cap and pump out the entire 60 feet of waterthat remained beneath the ice. Setting upthe steamer was new to me as Doug had done that last summer, but it wasn'tdifficult to figure out. I set thesubmersible pump in the pond and got it filling the 55 gallon drum supported onthe roof of the steam shack [for gravity feed], connected the hoses to thepressure pump and steam coil and placed the fuel line to the burner into thediesel can. When the water reachedcapacity in the drum, the pump was started, the coil filled and the burnerfired up. Within five minutes I had 30lbs of steam pressure, enough to begin melting ice. It didn’t take but a few seconds to punchthrough the cap in the center of the shaft but I could not break through on thesides…not good! I honey combed the capwith holes till I was able to open a large enough hole to get my pumpdown. I set the pump on the bottom andlet her rip. It took about five minutesto fill a 55 gal. drum. After drawingdown the shaft to about 20 feet I shined a light down to check theprogress. To my dismay I could see thatthe ice had built up thick on three of the walls and in some places coveredover the ladder. The opening was barely18” x 40”, not enough to get my bucket up and down. For several hours I lamented my situation andtried to come up with a viable method of removing the heavy glacial buildup.Then it hit me, I didn’t have to remove ALL the ice, just enough to clear theladder and to allow for the free movement of the hoisting bucket. In fact, the encroaching ice would actuallybe a blessing as it would help keep the drifts below colder. Hey, when life serves up lemons…makelemonade! Now I still had a bit of a dilemma…how to remove even a smallamount of ice. A small man lift lookedto be a likely solution and I had all the materials right there to buildit. I designed and built it on the flyand came up with a 16” x 13” plywood platform with 40” side posts made of 2x4’sand a 2x4 rail around the top. 3/16”aircraft cable looped through 4 large eye bolts was brought together three feetabove in a carabineer which was attached to a winch cable. Just for safety I also decided to use a fallarrester and harness attached to a 5/8” climbing rope that ran to the bottom ofthe shaft. To operate the lift I had a remote pendulum switch on a 70’ cord.For illumination I fixed a large LED flood light to the rail. I even attached a lanyard to my rock hammerand tied it to the lift. For anoverhead pulley I simply positioned the self dumping bucket carrier over theshaft and used one of the pulleys in it. To alleviate the bounce in the high line I propped up the cable with aspruce pole and a ladder of convenient height. It all looked good so I put on my rain suit, got in the safety harness,gritted my teeth and looked for a way to get in the contraption. If I could have placed the lift on thedecking next to the abyss it would have been easy to get in, raise the lift andswing out and down. Problem was that Icouldn’t raise the lift high enough before the carabineer ran into the pulley. So I had to enter with the lift suspended. I lowered it just enough so the top rail waseven with the deck. I merely sat on thedeck and slid myself over into the lift. Fortunately I’m of slender build so I just barely squeezed into the liftwith the cables pinning my shoulders. Nosweat! I had to keep pulling slack on mysafety line as I lowered myself to where I could begin chipping the ice. There was not clearance enough for the liftto descend so I had to first reach down and chip down to the platform. When I had the lift free to descend Iconcentrated on clearing the ice from the ladder. I got a couple of rungs done and by then itwas getting late so I called it a day, a successful day at that. I came up, exited the lift with more aplombthan my entry, called my wife to let her know I made it down and up and outwithout incident and would soon be on my way home to a late dinner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dicklaxt 3 Report post Posted May 25, 2014 Interesting flint,,,,,,,you sure are a daring person working by yourself under those conditions,,I wish you the best. dick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gold Seeker 0 Report post Posted May 25, 2014 Thanks for the update, can't wait to see how you make out this year! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flintgreasewood 38 Report post Posted May 25, 2014 I apologize for the multiple repeats on my initial posting. It happened somehow as a result of copying and pasting from a Word file. I think we got it corrected. More to come tonight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flintgreasewood 38 Report post Posted June 12, 2014 The next timedown at the mine I was a bit more adept and confident in my entry into the lift. It had proved itself a trustworthy andfunctional piece of equipment and one that I will probably use from time totime in the near future. When everythingwas fixed in place I began lowering myself to the level at which I ended theprevious time down. For a few feet the shaft ice was thick enoughthat the lift had to be swung over to a place that was just wide enough to passthrough. However, when the openingbecame a bit more spacious the lift would swing and spin when I tried to applypressure with the hammer drill. This wasquite frustrating and a substantial waste of energy so I had to resolve theproblem. I noticed the ladder rungs werenow free of ice so I reached out and placed my right foot on the solid footingof the ladder which forced the lift a foot or so to the opposite side of theshaft where it was held fairly securely. I now had both unobstructed space to work with the lift styles out ofthe way and a good platform from which to chip ice from all directions. It wasn’t long before I had a good system forhitting both side walls, taking off 3 to 4 inches three feet at a pop in just a fewminutes. I was delighted with the speedat which I was able to zip through and by day’s end I had removed almost 40’ ofice. It all lay glistening 15’ below meready to be transformed to liquid by the steam point. Once the steam coil was stabilized atabout 55lb. of pressure I was free to attend to other small jobs that didn’ttake me too far away from the area immediate to the steam shack. There is always house keeping, ie, coilingropes, cords, wire and hose, putting up tools that get spread all over theplace and cleaning up mess of various sorts. But I always must keep my eye on the water level in the supply barreland refill it from the reserve barrels. These also need to be refilled from the pond using the sump pump thatalso fills the supply barrel. So thatrequires shuffling the pump back and forth from barrel to pond along with thehose and power cord. After 4 or 5 hoursof steaming I turned on the submersible pump and pumped out over 200 gallons ofwater. There was still a layer of iceover the cavity created by the pumped out water so I climbed down and stompedon the ice till it crumbled through to the bottom. Then it was back in the lift to do morechipping, followed by another steaming and pumping. I did this two more times till I was finallystanding on the floor of the shaft and able to begin widening the area at theentrance to the iced in drift. To dothis work I had to sit in a combination of ice water, chipped ice and muck. Of course I was wearing my rain suit so Istayed dry, though not very warm. Though the quarters were verycramped, it was rather enjoyable working my way into the drift. But now it was time to get the new hydraulichoist in place. I had brought the340 lb hoist down to a staging area with my pickup but from there it would haveto be transported a half mile in a sled towed behind my four wheeler. I secured it in the little sled as best Icould with ratchet straps but the rough trail I had to negotiate with such acompact mass took its toll on both straps and sled and I had to retie severaltimes. In one particularly boggy section of trail the sled flipped upon hittinga small stump and dumped the hoist, half submerging it in the mud. Fortunately this particular hoist is builtfor the most extreme weather conditions so a little water and mud is of noconcern. With some difficulty I wasable to reload the hoist in the sled but the Polaris, which was also partiallystuck in the bog, could not move the sled. I had to drive ahead to more solid ground and winch the sled free with acome along attached to the hoist as well as the sled. I pulled my load up as close to the place thehoist would be secured as possible and then winched it the remaining distanceusing a small birch to lift it into position. I held the hoist in place with straps around the tree to which I hadalready fixed small logs that the hoist would ultimately be bolted to. The two hydraulic supply hoses were ready toconnect as soon as I swapped out the fittings from my old defunct hoist. The 16 hp engine fired right up, I moved the valve control lever and thedrum turned. I reversed it and thatworked too. But just as I had expected,the engine and pump were set up for a hoist ¼ the size of the new one. I quickly calculated the hoist direction atabout 22 feet per minute and lowering direction at a whopping 15 feet per minute…agonizingly slow! So I’m currently searching for an engine 25hp or larger and working on converting a large hydraulic motor to a pump. But for the time being I’ll just have to livewith slow and steady. Next was toinstall 500 feet of ¼”’ wire rope. Ifirst, unsuccessfully, tried to hang the 60lb spool from a birch stick chainedto a black spruce and spool it off. Next, I grabbed a piece of pipe and held the spool in front of me whileI walked it out through the mossy tundra. The only consolation in that method is that each step made the strain onmy arms a few ounces lighter. It felt sofine to reach the end of the line. Sinceonly 250 feet of that cable would be needed as hoist line I measured off thatmuch in 25’ increments, placed a bit of tape at the proper point and loaded thehoist drum with the remainder. Then Iclimbed the gin pole, fed the cable through the snatch block, then back at theshaft, fed it through the bucket pulley and up into the carrier to where is wasfixed with cable clamps. Though slow,the system worked just like it’s supposed to in the hoist mode. However in descending, the carrier was soslow that there was not enough force to move the latch over the catch pin. A faster moving hoist will solve thatproblem. While operating the carrier I noticedthat the high line was sagging significantly and that even without a load. The line had to be tightened. I went to it’s anchor point and began turning the turnbuckle. Things were going well when suddenly all went slack. Upon investigation I discovered the 3/8” eyebolts I used at the gin pole had pulled the eye straight on the high line sideand almost straight on the opposing guy wire. I’ve now resolved that problem with forged eye bolts. I also took some of the surplus 1/4” cable and replaced the far too short and badly positioned opposing guy wire with one three times aslong and in direct opposition to the high line. Tomorrow I’ll tighten up the high line and see how strong the newsetup is. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eric N 22 Report post Posted June 12, 2014 Amazing how the stresses get out of control so easy and straighten eye-bolts. Welded or forged is the only way to go. Slings are another place to get in trouble with stresses. Don't take chances. Gravity isn't just a good idea, it is the law. For those who need info on rigging (lifting and moving heavy stuff) here is a great resource for that info. http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-5-125-rigging-techniques-procedures-and-applications.shtml You can download by the chapter and save. There are other sources for FM5-125, but I trust the military site to be safer. eric Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dicklaxt 3 Report post Posted August 10, 2014 I have been following this adventure by Flint with much interest. I do have many questions but find that most are answered if I just keep reading. I do have one that I'm really curious about and that is just how large(dimension) of a diameter or cross section is the vertical shaft Flint is working in? I'm 78 years old with the itch but will have to be content to just follow you folks around via this box of rocks called a computer. I'd be there with you if things were different, I guess we all have that bridge to cross as time goes on. dick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flintgreasewood 38 Report post Posted August 11, 2014 Hello, Dick I plan to post another report on progress, or lack thereof, at Cobb prospect soon, but I'll answer your question now. The shaft as originally dug by the old timers was approximately 6'x 3.5' and 67' deep [to bed rock]. My first two summers of work on the shaft were spent mainly removing all the ice that completely filled the shaft and small drifts. Last fall the shaft refilled with rainwater after a big storm and I wasn't there to pump it out. Consequently, it nearly froze completely back but there was barely enough room to lower myself down on a skip so I could chip enough ice out to get a bucket down. So right now the shaft is roughly 4' x 2.5' with one end rounded and the other with the ladder against the wall. Working at the bottom I have a little cavern thawed out that makes it just a bit easier to operate, but with a half of a 55 gal bucket, pump, jackhammer, ladder, and hoisting anchor weight sharing the same space, it's not very roomy. I'll try to post some photos soon. Hope that helps. 1 JR BOI reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dicklaxt 3 Report post Posted August 11, 2014 WOW!!!!!!!! Now that would deal me out of the game quickly, a claustrophobic atmosphere for sure which I couldn't handle. Thanks for the prompt answer. dick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flintgreasewood 38 Report post Posted August 13, 2014 Dick, I don't have a claustrophobia issue but at first I was uncomfortable with the thought of being so far down with barely enough room to turn around. Hard work in a situation like that helps take your mind off those thoughts. Also troubleshooting problems from the ladder 40' or 50' above the bottom, hanging by one arm around a rung is not as difficult as it might seem. One needs to do what needs to be done and you don't let it get to you. 1 JR BOI reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geowizard 122 Report post Posted August 13, 2014 Flint, One needs to do what is safe. Doing things that are or possibly could cause one's own demise on a continual basis will, in fact, eventually catch up. The most difficult part of underground mining is mitigating the risk that surrounds you. The man. The man in the hole could suffer a long list of unexpected injuries. The man over certain age is statistically more vulnerable. The reflex takes longer, usually there are impairments in vision, hearing, and general muscle coordination. Memory loss causes several added issues related to safety. Forgetting that you were going to remember that the bolts needed to have nuts on a structural piece and getting reminded the hard way is an example. It's one thing when your wife reminds you it's worse when a two by four hits you in the head! So, older workers do suffer injury more often. In spite of that, they continue to work at diminished capacity. Working at diminished capacity increases the risk of additional injury. It's a revolving door of added injury until one is incapacitated - unable to work. So, the tweety bird on your shoulder is excused! - Geowizard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geowizard 122 Report post Posted November 27, 2014 Kurt, Just curious. How did things work out? Are you done for the season? - Geowizard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites