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October 10, 2002.
Opal Mining Update - No 3 Getting a Tunnel Machine Underground with a Drill, Part 2 |
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Here are 9 more of the photo's on drilling shafts and some of George getting ready to put his Tunneling Machine down the shaft, as you are going to see it takes some effort and help from his friends again.
Starting to lift the machine, to raise it in position for putting over the shaft.  |
Here you can a fellow called Bruno, he is standing on the cutting head as the hydraulics are open and the cutting head is at full extension so George has lowered the machine to the ground while Mario operates the controls to try and get the cutting head hydraulic arm to close up.
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You can see here that as George lifts the machine up again the cutting head has fell open again, so there will have to try again.
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Again Mario try's to close the cutting head hydraulic rams by opening the control as George lowers he machine to force the hydraulic oil back into the tank.
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But again this does not work, so they will have to do it another way, but this give you a very good view of the machine with its tracks that it moves on and of the cutting head itself.
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The problem has been fixed, but they had to put the machine back on the ground on its tracks and hook up the electrical cable from the generator to the tunnel machine and operate the controls under power as this was the only way to get the hydraulic back into the tank, it needed the hydraulic pump working to do this and then the rams would stay shut for this operation.
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Now we are in business, the machine is now being lifted into position ready for lowering it down the shaft although still requires some help from others to keep it steady and from swinging free.
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Here it is just about in position over the center of the shaft ready for lowering.
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This is a better shot from the front as they are positioning it over the center.
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There are another 9 photos in this series and they are in the next Issue, they show you the machine disappearing down the shaft, so all ends well.
Hope you have enjoyed this issue and look forward to the next one, hopefully I will have some more good photos to show you in the next issue and maybe some of Good Looking Opal and lots of it, I am still hoping that this will be a good year for us in mining, so stay with us over the next few months and find out what goes on in our part of the world as far as Opal Mining goes. Stay Tuned for the next Issue, who knows what I will have to report. Until the next issue.........  and wish me lots of LUCK.
Cya Later, Stuart Bird. To return back to the Archived Page for more Updates click, Here! |
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