The Misadventures of Mad Machinist

[Mad Machinist]

Been awhile since I posted anything so I'll give an update on my condition. I found my limitations and am dealing with them. Now that my heart function seems to have stabilized, it looks like I am going to possibly start some cardiac rehab in January, pending final decision from the doctor. Hopefully between the medication and some additional work I can get the left ventricle of my heart working again. Normal left ventricle function is 55-75% and mine is at 39%.

On a different note though, has anyone bought any equipment from Mount Baker Mining and Metals, LLC. Jaw Crushers | Hammer Mills | Mt. Baker Mining and Metals I'm really considering doing a setup in a conex box or two or maybe a trailer mounted setup for portability.

 

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[nh.nugget]

We can hook you up to a Die hard LOL! Seriously health comes first. I hear ya on the new truck my 03 Dodge 2500 that I bought new was more than my house! When I my body shop it seemed I was fixing rust on cars and trucks just a few years old. The new stuff is crap.

 

[Mad Machinist]

We can hook you up to a Die hard LOL! Seriously health comes first. I hear ya on the new truck my 03 Dodge 2500 that I bought new was more than my house! When I my body shop it seemed I was fixing rust on cars and trucks just a few years old. The new stuff is crap.

No Die Hards!!!! I'm gonna go straight to 7200 three phase.

Docs tell me even with the cardiac rehab, I'll never be able to do the things I did before on the level I did. So I tell the docs that I'll go heavily mechanized. With the advancements in battery tech, I really do think a lot more can be done as far as modifying equipment to work with a minimal cost and a very good life span of the equipment.

I found some smaller equipment with blow engines that might work rather well. I am wondering and trying to draw up some plane to modify one of the mini-excavators to hold a jack leg to remove the physical requirements of operating one. If you've never seen a jack leg get wild, then you really don't want to. People get seriously hurt that way.

Some of what I am trying to figure out means that an adit would have to be necessarily larger but with mechanized equipment it would be a lot easier especially if it comes to stoping something or bolting the roof and ribs.

 

[Jeff95531]

Been awhile since I posted anything so I'll give an update on my condition. I found my limitations and am dealing with them. Now that my heart function seems to have stabilized, it looks like I am going to possibly start some cardiac rehab in January, pending final decision from the doctor. Hopefully between the medication and some additional work I can get the left ventricle of my heart working again. Normal left ventricle function is 55-75% and mine is at 39%.

On a different note though, has anyone bought any equipment from Mount Baker Mining and Metals, LLC. Jaw Crushers | Hammer Mills | Mt. Baker Mining and Metals I'm really considering doing a setup in a conex box or two or maybe a trailer mounted setup for portability.

It sucks getting older. I call it the "my memories outnumber my abilities" period. I have to call it something because by the time I had reached "middle age", I had already lived right thru it with out even realizing it.

 

[Mad Machinist]

In keeping to a promise made to a friend, after everything he taught me, everything I design is going here to try and make small mining safer, more efficient, and more profitable in order to keep the trade alive. This one's for you, ya old coyote. Jack leg on a modified excavator boom. 360 degrees of rotation on two planes so any position and/or angle is possible. With the proper adapters, bolting is also possible.

 

[nh.nugget]

How big of an excavator? friend of mine owns a scrap yard he has one with a set of shears on the end of the boom have you checked that out for a mount. I know it rotates for different bites might be some thing to help on your jack leg design.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Think small, Real small, like micro excavator size. They make electric ones now, 220/480 volt to run from generators.




Then I ran across this. Need to do some research on this one.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Getting a little more serious about the design of equipment. New toy to play with.

3D CAD/CAM Software for Product Design | Fusion 360

 

[Nitric]

I've used something similar to this on jobs where fences couldn't be taken down or tight yards, where you couldn't get any bigger equipment in. You can change to a hydraulic hammer in seconds. Hammer then unplug lines and put bucket back on. Not sure if this is the type stuff your looking for. But that might be an option too.
It would be more fun to build your own though!

https://youtu.be/SqpZQP5PjFY

I always thought one of these would be awesome if I ever had a small claim. And actually wouldn't be too hard to build.

Concrete Buggy - Using A Concrete Power Buggy To Pour A Concrete Floor.

Added.........I just watched the above video a couple posts up! I should have watched that first I guess! That is way cooler than what I'm talking about!

I've also see a trailer hitch type excavator that mounted on the back of a truck. I'm not sure if it was homemade or not. Basically he was using the truck for weight to dig with. The pump and motor were separate.

 

[Mad Machinist]

You all gotta try the Fusion 360. They have an instruction manual to down load on their forum that basically takes you by the hand and walks you through the whole program from start to finish. You learn by doing with this manual. Here's the link to the manual: PDF User Manual for Fusion 360 [... - Autodesk Community

I was building the hypocycloidal gearbox in about 15 minutes.

I forgot to add that this program also has a Computer Aided Machining module also. Getting a part machined is the cheap part. The design work is what is expensive. And if you set the proper constraints in the program (you are shown how) it automatically changes all the necessary dimensions if you change another dimension.

This CAN and WILL make designing equipment easier for everyone. Gotta lots of learning tomorrow.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Just an update on the machinery. I am waiting for Atlas Copco to get back to me on a piece of equipment.

Diamec 232: Underground core drilling rig for narrow spaces - Atlas Copco Georgia

An electric excavator, a couple of slewing rings and some hydraulic work and we could be in business.

Make an adapter and this could also drive roof bolts.

It's all about making small scale mining easier, faster, and safer.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

Time for the lift and some "up armoring".

Truck is very clean and straight. I almost feel bad for using it as my new "prospecting truck".

 

[KevinInColorado]

Pretty!

 

[Mad Machinist]

Been awhile since I posted anything so here goes.

Per the wifey, I am now a property poor miner. Sale was completed on the property I had on Friday. I had a choice, stay with the big stuff and be divorced or sell it, stay married, and get back to my roots in the small stuff. She said she wasn't going to hang around and watch me kill myself. I am still married so everyone can figure out which I chose.

Anyhow, I was given an old hot water heater to play with and was thinking of what I could make out of it. So what say the hive? My ball mill project, a foundry or something else mining related? There is enough there for two projects. About 16 inches of it is reserved for my kid's forge.

I am leaning towards the ball mill. I have a few ideas on how to line it. Progress will be slow. I have a lot of MSHA compliance training over the next few weeks and the welding supply store here isn't open on the weekends. Need more gas and wire for my MIG.

 

[Mad Machinist]

And the basic shape. I should note that this was a gas fired water heater. One advantage of the gas fired is the flue pipe. Feed the flue pipe through a pillow block and you have your bearings for rotation.

I will pick up some 1/4" plate for the flanges when I get into town in a couple of weeks.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Cool idea MM. Think rod mill instead of ball mill though for best results.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Not exactly sure which one I am going to do. Maybe both, a rod mill feeding a ball mill? According to my research and experience, rod mills seem to be better for busting 2" rock into about 20 mesh minus. Most of the stuff I mess with will need to go finer than that. Probably down to around 100 mesh. Maybe possible with a rod mill but I need to research it a little more. I got time.

Thinking of using the 3" outlet pipe as a classifier too. Cut a few windows in each side then wrap with the mesh screen. The small stuff falls out and the big stuff goes into a bucket to get reprocessed. Might need a small 1/2" spray bar in the "classifier tube" to help it out. Like I said I got time.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Been awhile since I posted anything so here goes. I've been in discussions with some people who want me to come out of my semi-retirement from mining to start closing shafts and portals again. They like the way I do things. If there is nothing recoverable in the mine then the shaft or adit is destroyed and permanently sealed. The last shaft I sealed involved 2000 pounds of water gel and about 75 yards of fill to backfill the depression left. The sides of the shaft were drilled and charged then set of on time delays to collapse the shaft inward to fill the hole. The fill was placed on top and mounded to take care of settling issues.

If there are "recoverable values" in the mine, then the adit or shaft is sealed with concrete with ALOT of rebar tied into it along with a "doorway" formed into the concrete that could be reopened if needed in the future in a few hours with a jack hammer.

The whole reason this comes up is a buddy of mine left it out that I sealed a shaft for him and now some people want me to take care of a "problem" they have on their property. Supposedly all the equipment is left in the mine and would be recoverable with some stabilization work.

I am torn because this type of work has become hard on my body with my heart condition but at the same time would paint us "miners" in a good light as we are taking care of the "toxic legacy" left behind from a bygone era. This is one of the few times in my life I am unsure of exactly how to proceed.

 

[Terry Soloman]

If your gut says let it go, then let this one go.

 

[jere64ca]

If it is economically feasible hire some laborers.