Found an adit on my claims that I had no idea existed, video attached...

[Introfiant]

Growing up in Montana I always wanted to mine. Living on the atlantic doesn't pose for much to mine now lol. Have fun and be safe!

 

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[H-2 CHARLIE]

I would like to see some cons panned out

 

[Mad Machinist]

From watching the video again, I'm guessing the mine wasn't abandoned voluntarily. Either these miners ended up dead or were run off. With the adit be purposely backfilled like it was, my guess is they were trying to hide it and planned on returning but never did for some reason or another. The gobbing (hand stacked rocks) indicates a small vein, probably a rich one considering the effort to hand sort the ore and stack rocks. The lack of tailings outside and the small amount of gobbing also indicated that the vein material was sizable and may have been the entire tunnel itself, especially given that the back is as rough as it is.

Given the geology of Arizona, the deposit may be multi-layered and may also open up again in a few feet. Hard to tell without some serious and expensive core drilling and 3d mapping software.

The lack of any ore cart tracks or ore carts indicates that this was probably a one or two man operation, more than likely a solo deal as the miners in those days were not a trusting lot.

Arizona was still a pretty wild place back around the turn of the century and is full of mines like these. If he came into town back then flashing gold, there is a very real possibility he was killed over the location of the mine.

I was planning on picking up a Sierra Blaster this spring anyhow. Maybe it will get used more that i thought. Hell, I would sit down and laugh my butt off if we popped a shot and hit the mother lode. Geology and mining is funny like that.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

From watching the video again, I'm guessing the mine wasn't abandoned voluntarily. Either these miners ended up dead or were run off. With the adit be purposely backfilled like it was, my guess is they were trying to hide it and planned on returning but never did for some reason or another. The gobbing (hand stacked rocks) indicates a small vein, probably a rich one considering the effort to hand sort the ore and stack rocks. The lack of tailings outside and the small amount of gobbing also indicated that the vein material was sizable and may have been the entire tunnel itself, especially given that the back is as rough as it is.

Could be, but there's no equipment anywhere. That arrastra mill I've posted photos of is about a half mile away as the crow flies and there are the overgrown remnants of a half-assed trail too. Then again, that's the only mill around for a few miles in any direction and there are multiple abandoned shafts and old mines with no water within that same area.

It does keep bugging me that they did avoid metal tracks. I can see why though. You go into town and buy a few boards, no big deal. You go into town and start buying ore car track, then you raise some eyebrows.

EDIT: I checked the trails again. One goes to a different dig and the other is a cattle/game trail.

Second EDIT: Been thinking. The original miners might've known someone was trying to find their place, covered up the adit, and took their equipment with them.

Given the geology of Arizona, the deposit may be multi-layered and may also open up again in a few feet. Hard to tell without some serious and expensive core drilling and 3d mapping software.

Are there electric powered drills for this? I've got an old gas powered one, but it's from the 70's.

There are three shafts within a quarter to half mile to the south. Straight inclines, no drifts that we know of on two. The third we didn't explore when we were there because there's a big widow-maker rock that fell in and hung up on a cross timber about 30' down. That is the deepest of the three. Different vein system, about 800' long, trends the same direction. SSW to NNE.

There's also another shaft that I found about a quarter mile closer to the mill shack that I don't know if it has any drifts. Only about 40' deep, collared and timbered as far as I could see down. The dump pile is significant which leads me to believe it might drift.

The lack of any ore cart tracks or ore carts indicates that this was probably a one or two man operation, more than likely a solo deal as the miners in those days were not a trusting lot.

Hell, we're not a trusting lot now. Lol.

Arizona was still a pretty wild place back around the turn of the century and is full of mines like these. If he came into town back then flashing gold, there is a very real possibility he was killed over the location of the mine.

Very well could be true. Someone might've come along and raided the tools out of it at some point then.

I was planning on picking up a Sierra Blaster this spring anyhow. Maybe it will get used more that i thought. Hell, I would sit down and laugh my butt off if we popped a shot and hit the mother lode. Geology and mining is funny like that.

Wouldn't surprise me a bit considering the mineralization along the back and no attempt to cut a raise with a hundred feet of rock overhead.

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Get the aluminum scaling bars. The steel ones won't "make a man out of ya", they'll just tear your rotor cuffs apart.

Good suggestion, got one on the way. Going to have to wait a bit on your space helmet, but man that looks like a good piece of equipment to have.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Core drill: Milwaukee Diamond Coring Rig | Acme Tools

Trying to remember where I seen the coring bits with a built in core breaker. They make extensions for these too.

 

[Mad Machinist]

In case anyone is wondering how to use the core rig in the above post. Drill some holes, set the anchors, bolt the base to the wall and go to town.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r3I2hM0cenY

 

[SaltwaterServr]

Core drill: Milwaukee Diamond Coring Rig | Acme Tools

Trying to remember where I seen the coring bits with a built in core breaker. They make extensions for these too.

I wonder if I can pull the gear set and drive off of the gas motor on my core drill and set it up to run on an electric motor on something like that. It's got 40' of stem to go with it.

This is one of the two core bits that came with it. 15/16" inside diameter if memory serves.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Maybe. I'm betting that the drive is pretty much self contained and has the motor side drilled to adapt to the mount pattern on the motor. The primary drive gear is probably press fit onto the output of the crankshaft or if your really lucky it has a centrifugal clutch setup inside which would make it real easy.

Drill the motor plate to match a c face electric motor and your golden. I would throw a speed controller on it too.

Snap a few pics of it from the side and bottom and I should be able to tell. When converting from gas to electric horsepower, the electric motor only needs to be about 1/2 the size of the gas engine.

 

[SaltwaterServr]

A pic of a portion of the tailings pile. You can sort of see the posts they had for what I'm assuming is the trellis work for the mine car. The color is true, that stuff is burnt orange and full of arsenopyrite too.



A shot looking up the side wash where the adit is hidden, and my girlfriend showing off her biceps. She's a retired fitness model.

Behind her you can see the small pile of stones covered in lichen that was probably the adit claim marker. The portal is about 15 feet behind that and up the hill a little piece.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Looks like a fun place to be! I'd totally be doing some core drilling in the mine, to.
Atlast copco Diamec 232 is quite small and handy.
Atlas machines can be rented here in Sweden, quite handy for exploring new finds, not sure if you can rent them over there?

However, it suggests the mine not to be to remote because at 250-ish Kgs... I'd think an ATV would be nice to haul that thing out there.

 

[kcm]

Hmm...I wonder how many ATV's have hydraulic remotes on them?

Nice looking drill! Things have definitely come a long way in the past 100 years.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Hmm...I wonder how many ATV's have hydraulic remotes on them?

Nice looking drill! Things have definitely come a long way in the past 100 years.

Guess that's my lack of experience in drilling showing. I only ever saw them used in a mine, I think I recall they were electrically driven, as asked.
Just a thought from my side. If rented, I'd guess the control unit to be included. Besides that, diamecs controlpanel is quite small.

 

[kcm]

I don't know much about them either. Depending on what the hydraulic requirements, I suppose it could be powered by a 12v or 120v hydraulic power pack (220v for much of Europe). I'm still a bit amazed at times with how much power my snow plow has using its 12v hyd. power pack - although only for short intervals (meaning not running continuously).

Air would be good, but would have to have one heck of a compressor, and either very large air lines or pumped at extremely high pressure for air.

And then electric. If at all possible, this would be my choice, I think. Much easier to transmit energy from source to tool, though could potentially cause some problems in extreme wet conditions or areas with volatile gases.

...Maybe some out there would still prefer the old-fashioned approach, using a big hammer and LOTS of elbow grease?

 

[Mad Machinist]

Maybe. I'm betting that the drive is pretty much self contained and has the motor side drilled to adapt to the mount pattern on the motor. The primary drive gear is probably press fit onto the output of the crankshaft or if your really lucky it has a centrifugal clutch setup inside which would make it real easy.

Drill the motor plate to match a c face electric motor and your golden. I would throw a speed controller on it too.

Snap a few pics of it from the side and bottom and I should be able to tell. When converting from gas to electric horsepower, the electric motor only needs to be about 1/2 the size of the gas engine.

The core drill in question: www.treasurenet.com/forums/hard-rock-mining/513983-core-drilling-question.html

From watching the video again, this is set up pretty close to what i expected. The drive looks like something from a post hole digger and I am wondering if it was indeed a post hole digger someone converted.

As tour converting it to electric, I don't think it would bed a problem. I'm waiting off my little brother to get back to me on using a DC motor on it as the speed controllers for a DC motor are way cheaper and most of the convert AC to DC right in the speed controller.

 

[Mad Machinist]

I don't know much about them either. Depending on what the hydraulic requirements, I suppose it could be powered by a 12v or 120v hydraulic power pack (220v for much of Europe). I'm still a bit amazed at times with how much power my snow plow has using its 12v hyd. power pack - although only for short intervals (meaning not running continuously).

Air would be good, but would have to have one heck of a compressor, and either very large air lines or pumped at extremely high pressure for air.

And then electric. If at all possible, this would be my choice, I think. Much easier to transmit energy from source to tool, though could potentially cause some problems in extreme wet conditions or areas with volatile gases.

...Maybe some out there would still prefer the old-fashioned approach, using a big hammer and LOTS of elbow grease?

You thinking of a winkie drill?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ayHSoi3wHuM

 

[kcm]

You thinking of a winkie drill?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ayHSoi3wHuM

Nope, was responding to what EU had posted:

Looks like a fun place to be! I'd totally be doing some core drilling in the mine, to.
Atlast copco Diamec 232 is quite small and handy.
Atlas machines can be rented here in Sweden, quite handy for exploring new finds, not sure if you can rent them over there?

However, it suggests the mine not to be to remote because at 250-ish Kgs... I'd think an ATV would be nice to haul that thing out there.

Was just rambling on aimlessly - sorry. Haven't felt very good today, plus had an antique tractor delivered this afternoon that needs some work. Got lots of distractions in my pea-brain thoughts right now!

 

[Eu_citzen]

Nope, was responding to what EU had posted:


Was just rambling on aimlessly - sorry. Haven't felt very good today, plus had an antique tractor delivered this afternoon that needs some work. Got lots of distractions in my pea-brain thoughts right now!

No worries. All good. It made me research drilling more, which I might have to put to use this year.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Nope, was responding to what EU had posted:


Was just rambling on aimlessly - sorry. Haven't felt very good today, plus had an antique tractor delivered this afternoon that needs some work. Got lots of distractions in my pea-brain thoughts right now!

I know how you feel. I'm up to my eyeballs into a drivetrain swap on my Jeep on top of getting over pneumonia. The 258, AX15,and NP231 came out and a small block Chevy, HD TH400, and a NP241HD is going back in its place. No "kit" is made for this one, its all fab work and lots of measuring and thinking.

 

[jason.combe.7]

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Get the aluminum scaling bars. The steel ones won't "make a man out of ya", they'll just tear your rotor cuffs apart.

Could someone get a 8’ piece of rebar and pound the tip into a chisel point?

 

[arizau]

Could someone get a 8’ piece of rebar and pound the tip into a chisel point?

Some leverage is usually necessary for scaling and a long piece of rebar would bend pretty easily under the stress.

Good luck