05/08/2025 - Evening

 05/08/2025 - Evening 2hrs. Alex Randall & George Brooks

Only two people available, and one of them late. Poor show George. 

AR started the session by heading over to Homeclose Hole to retrieve a no longer required steel surface ladder and a couple of bits of conveyor belt which had been liberated from the cave. The intent with the ladder is to use it to support a 45 degree track made of scaffold for the trolley from the lowest ladder to run up, assuming it isn't too wide to fit into the rift above this ladder. GB joined just as AR was finishing packing the car at Home Close.

At Templeton we met Nick and Dave who had just finished a bonus session for stabilisation work in the North Pot. We arrived just in time as they hadn't yet turned the small genny off, which usually refuses to start when hot.

With the drill, conveyor belt and half the ladder loaded into the skip we sent it down, following a quick lesson for GB on how to start the big genny and operate the skip. Once the drill and ladder section were at the bottom of Echo AR went to start drilling and GB headed back to the 166' to collect the conveyor belt.

The aim of the drilling was to remove the two pinch points on the lower ladder that prevent it from being twisted to align with the rift above. If we can get this alignment almost straight we should be able to install another electric hoist at the top of the rift to haul bucket all the way from the bottom of the ladder in one go, leaving the only bit of manual labour being lifting them from the top of the rift up the step into Echo Pot. This ladder turned out to be extremely heavy, so best efforts were made to move it out the blast zone, but it was still fairly close - hopefully it survived.

Meanwhile GB had got the conveyor belt down into Echo Pot, so headed up to get the other half of the ladder. Proving he can listen and learn things occasionally he got the genny going and the skip working and loaded with the ladder, which then got hung up in the shaft. Not realising that it hadn't got to 166' he switched the genny off, and then found the issue. 

By the time he'd sorted this single handed and lowered the ladder down South Pot AR was already there preparing to make the loud noise, so we left the ladder there and made our way to the Hunters, a little behind schedule as it was well past 10pm!

Unlikely to be a session next week with most of the team on some kind of holiday. 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

01/07/2025 - Evening

 01/07/2025 - Alex Randall, Sam Hill, Ed Ford, George Brookes, Hollie London Two big skips surfaced, 2025 total to date: 12 Alex R used a combination of plug and feather and a hammer to remove a lump preventing the lowest ladder from being moved to the left. The aim of this is to align the ladder with the rift above, and install another ladder in the rift to act as a track, so one hoist will be able pull buckets of spoil from the bottom of the ladder to the top of the rift. There are two further lumps that will need removing, but these will require some delicate use of chemicals. The rest of the team worked tirelessly pressing the hoist buttons, with Ed loading the Echo hoist and Sam driving it, and loading the South Pot sled. George and Hollie drove the the South Pot hoist and loaded the big 166' skip. After removing the lump discussed above AR returned to surface, raised the 166' skip and sent it down for refill. Then had to deal with GB inconsiderate parking to empty the dum...
Read more

22/04/2025 - Evening

 22/04/2025 - Alex Randall, Mike Kushy, Hollie London, Sam Hill - 3hrs 4no big skips lifted to surface - 2025 running total 7no. On arrival MK started up the plant and sent the surface skip down. AR arrived and continued trying to turn a beer keg into a larger skip for the Echo Pot hoist (this is using far more grinder discs and batteries than expect and may prove a complete waste of time). MK went down, filled the skip, then came back up, to raise it and empty it. HL now arrived, so MK & HL went back down as AR lowered the skip, and they filled it at the bottom then started hauling with the electric hoists lower down. Meanwhile AR went to visit Wayne, who had just arrived back from holiday, to collect supplies, and returned to site to raise the now full surface skip and send it back down with with 2no drills and other required kit. Late for the second week in a row SH now arrived. AR headed down to the end with the drilling equipment to complete the holes started last week. Th...
Read more

26th March 2025

Image
David Morrison (Tuska), Mike Kushy and Alex Randall. MK and DM did some more work at baby Templeton in the morning. Clearing out run in and shaping the surroundings. AR arrived around 1pm ish and we all set to work on wiring up sockets. 2 x outdoor 13amp double plug socket boxes wired up with braided 2.5mm cable, we decided we'd cut and fit the 16amp connection plugs in situ. Fired up the generator and laid the winches (with 13amp plugs fitted), tools, lights (with 13amp plugs) and drill into the sled. AR and MK headed on down to greet the sled. The first winch bracketed onto the original steel great. AR concentrated on fixing the socket box onto the wall with a wooden backing, whilst MK concentrated on cutting the braided wire to length and fitting the 16amp plug to connect into the existing wiring. Went smoothly and lights/winch worked well. We then lowered the 2nd winch, drill and tools down the South pot sled. The steel runners could do with a cleaning up/rubbing back and greas...
Read more