May 30, 2004 Opal Mining Update - No 35 Repairs are coming along Nicely

Site Map Home Page Archived Pages Contact Guest Book

This week I went down or I should say I walked down into a Tourist Mine here in Coober Pedy, this is a very old mine that was just recently taken over by a new owner and he decided to make it better and far easier for the Tourist to get in to it, so the first thing he did was to get a round tunnel machine in to make the tunnels you see here.

There are more tunnels than you can see here, but this is how they start off making the tunnels so people can walk into the mine, as you may have seen last update, the normal round tunnel machine cuts a 6 foot round tunnel and as it leave some dirt on the floor to make it flat, this makes the tunnel small in height, so you have to crouch down when walking through them, I myself banged my head in Bruno's 6 times as I am not used to bending over when walking underground. So what they have done here is to get a square tunnel machine in after the round one has done its job so it can cut a flat floor and make the tunnel a lot higher for the public so they do not bang there head like me, so it gives the tunnel that dome affect and is very impressive when you walk down them.

Here is a close up look of the square machine, I would have loved one of these machines but could not have afforded one of them, plus I would have had a bigger blower as these machines work faster that the round ones and move more dirt in a shorter time.

The tunnel or drive is 6 foot wide when finished to match the width of the round tunnel machine drive, this is plenty of width for people to walk up and down in safety.

This is just about the finished job, the wiring has to finished then it has to inspected by a mining engineer from Adelaide at a cost of $4000.00 as it is for the public and has to be made safe, not that any of us poor old opal miners get this luxury in looking for opal.

Here is the entrance to the mine, which goes a long way back to the left, they are drilling some post holes to fence off the entrance and I would think put a gate there that can be locked, I will take a photo of this later on, remember that this is a walk in mine and it is a sloping ramp just in front of the post hole digger, the dumps in the background is the dirt from the tunnels you have seen above, the guy with the blue shirt on the left is Noel the owner of the mine.

Here is the rigs for running the tunnel machines, the one in the background is the elevators that belong to the round tunnel machine, these are the cheapest to run of all tunnel machines as it only uses one diesel engine to run it, the other ring in front belongs to Noel who has the square tunnel machine, it has the generator on it and the blower is right at the back of the photo, you can just see the hopper at the back of the elevators sticking up, this like mine (when I get it running) takes to diesel engines to run it, one for the blower and one that is with the generator, but the round tunnel machine is still cheaper to run that the square one because it does not require a big blower or I should say a bigger diesel engine on the blower to pull the dirt, so use less fuel per hour.

Now we are back with Bruno, today when we went down Bruno was positioning the machine to start a drive right next to the telescope and when he applied the brake on the right side of the machine to move it to the right a bolt broke under the brake handle, so he has to pull part of the machine apart to get to the problem and as he built this machine some 8 years ago and has never been in here before as it is part of the original base that came with the tracks on, this is of no use to me as information as my machine is a completely different machine, built a different way.

He has had to grind some weld off the side of a plate that holds the electrical stop start boxes you can see here, now he has to remove the plate that is on top of the gearbox as this is where the brakes are.

Here you can see the gears, I think that these are a lot stronger than mine as the base is from a different machine and you can see the brake bolt, this is attached to a brake belt that goes around a drum, there is another on the side at the bottom of the photo, these have to come out and be replaced.

Here Bruno is forcing off the brake belt which has a hook set up on the other end of where the bolt is attached and then he has to undo a split pin and remove a small shaft.

Here Bruno is back in action the next morning and ready to start a new drive next to the telescope and the arrows show you the brake handles, which he pulls up to activate the brake he wants to use, so if he wants to go to the left, he would lift up the left brake leaver this would lock the left hand track from turning and the machine would grab on the right track and slowly turn left.

Now you can see the machine from the back and how he has set it up so the dirt is sucked up the pipes to the hopper up top, I have to buy some of this flexible rubber hose for my machine, cannot work the tunnel machine without this hose and as you get into the drive and straighten up  one of these will come off and a pipe will be put on.

Now he is getting a bit further into the drive and has put a small telescope on and as he goes further in he will put a black plastic pipe on the telescope and then a 10 foot pipe.

Now he is well on his way as you can see by the pipe, now all he has to do is keep adding pipes as he gets further in and he is also going up hill here to the next level, this is where I leave Bruno as Ross is back on Monday and I will be back at the workshop working on my tunnel machine, but tomorrow I will go out to my claim and pull a bit of dirt.

Well here we are back in my claim, not as nice as Bruno's to look at is it, I still have to finish pulling the dirt from the last shot yet, so today I will get rid of some of it, but as I have been off work for 4 months this year, I will have to take it easy with the back.

What you can see here is alanite and gypsum from the roof, there is dirt from the shot underneath this lot, if you remember this in front is the last drive I did and then put 2 shots on ether side of it to get ready for the tunnel machine to continue the drives when I get it down here, today I will try and clean all of this in front of this drive.

I did not get finished what I wanted above as the back did start to get a bit sore, so I went to have a rest by having a pick in the wall for about 10 minutes or so then I would have gone back to work, but as I was walking past the telescope on the ground the bag I had in my hand got sucked up the pipe, so I had to stop the blower very quickly as the bag normally gets caught in the fan and can throw it out of balance. So I was not happy that I had done this, now I would have to pull the fan housing apart and take the bag out, so I sat down and picked a bit of potch out of the level for a while and then went up top, I climbed the dump and as I have just moved the blower forward 4 foot when I put the new elbow on I could just reach the hopper door and there was the bag caught on a sharp corner just inside the door, lucky me for a change. Here we are back in the workshop Monday morning, I have welded up holes in the arms that hold the bearings housings on and I will now grind the weld flat and the holes round to just have enough clearance on the shaft but not enough to let a lot of dirt in against the bearings which will help to wear them out quicker, not that I can stop some small dirt or dust getting there, but with greasing them ever week they should last 3 or more.

Here is the finished product and the bearing and housing is next to it, not a bad job if I say so myself as this is done with a small 4 inch hand grinder, the same one that bit my finger in the last update, took a bit more care this time.

Here Ross is welding up the cutters where we had to cut them off with the oxy torch, this I do but got Ross to do this bit so I could take the photo, this type of welding is done with MIG which is a wire feed machine, completely different for the ARC welding which is done with a rod in a hand piece.

This is the end result looks like, I will not dress this up as it does not matter what it looks like when we start working underground, now we have to attach a bar so we can check where the cutters are cutting, they are supposed to be spaced out even so they cut about 3/4 of an inch apart or somewhere around that, but I already know I have to put more cutters on here as there is big gaps in the middle where no cutters are at all, also there are cutters on the wrong side of the scroll as you can see below.

Here is the whole cutter now we have put it back together and checked where it is cutting and where it is not, now I have to fix up what is wrong with it, so it cuts even all the way across at regular intervals this puts less strain on the chain and sprockets, not to mention is does a better job on the floor.

Again the whole cutter now I have finished putting the teeth in the right place, you can see by the bar in front and the chalk marks on it that the spacing between the teeth is fairly even and I have added the 12 extra teeth, now there are 50 teeth here at a cost of $450.00, (thankfully I have only put 12 on) now I have to cut the back of the teeth off to give the them clearance when they are cutting as they are set up now, including the new ones I have put on, the back of most of the teeth will rub on the dirt causing drag, so below I will show you how I fix this problem so they cut smooth with no drag.

Here is a close up of the left hand side of the cutters, (from the front) this and the right hand side do most of the work cutting the floor and the middle does very little, as the tunnel is round so there is not much on the floor in the middle, but when I want to make the machine go down I make the cutters go lower with the help of 2 hydraulic rams or if I want to go up I will raise the cutters as the tracks run on the floor these cutters have left, this is the simple way we control the machine to follow the level up or down, then we can go up a level or down a level.

This is the right hand side cutters, I have cut 7 off here, used 3 of the old ones and put 5 new ones on and bent (with heat) 3 of the end ones in as all 5 (have cut one off and left it off) were cutting in a 1/4 inch area (stupid), as you can above as the cutters come over the back side of the cutter is sticking out because the cutter is on a angle so as the front has cut the back drags on the dirt, these end cutters on put on at a angle, this cannot be helped as they are welded to a scroll and must in this case have the back sticking out, there is a way to fix this problem but the guy who built this machine did not do it, but then again he did a lot of things wrong on the cutting head which I have fixed up, this is why I have spent more time on this job than planned, but at least it is right now.

Here is a side view of the cutters with the backs cut back on a angle so they will not cause any drag or interfere with the cutting action of the teeth, this job is now finished, thankfully I was starting to get sick of it, the metal dust from the welding and grinding was getting a bit much.

My next job is to do the same to the outside cutters on the head, as I have cut 4 of the teeth off at this stage, this is a experiment to see if I can get away with 4 and cut the dirt into slightly bigger pieces, if this does not work out I will have to remove this cutter underground and bring it back in and weld 4 new teeth back on, but the guy who make this head put to much welding and material on so I have had extra work to do removing the 4 teeth. The hydraulic drive motor that I sent away to be fixed should be back within the next week to 10 days then all I have to do is bolt it back on (the one on the right) and that job is done, but in the meantime I have to modify the center cutter of the machine, which means that I have to cut off the a big nut you can see in the middle, then I have to weld another one on and make up a plate with 2 or 3 cutters on it, then weld the plate to a bolt with the head removed so I can unscrew these cutters and repair or replace if necessary. As it is or was it had a big, huge in fact single cutter on there that was a permanent fixture, if I was to hit hard ground or Gypsum in the center where this cutter was, (more like a big drill bit it was) as this single cutter stood out 1 and a half inches in front of the other cutters this would tend to stop the machine or at least slow it down from going forward, so I will modify it to my requirements which I think will do the job better.

This photo was taken before I took off the floor cutters, as I have to repair a brake (inside the gearbox where the arrow is) in the back of the machine these cutters will not be going back on until the job is done as behind the cutters is a metal tube or funnel (where the pipes fit on) that the dirt gets sucked through as the floor cutter sends it back there, this has to be removed so you will see all of this in the next update.

I also have to remove and replace all of the hydraulic controls that are hidden in this photo as they are in front of the 2 electric motors and behind the electric switch box which will also be moved, so there is still a lot more work ahead on this machine not to mention that I have the generator probably turning up next week, so I have to finish getting the dirt out from underground so I can bring in the blower. Here is the outside cutter on the head of the machine, you can see I have cut 4 teeth off it in the hope that it will now cut the dirt in larger pieces, therefore making it easy to suck them up the pipe, But I also hope that it does not affect the cutting action, this I will not know until I try it underground, I have also taken the back of the teeth off on a angle, just like the floor cutters, this is to stop drag on the teeth in the cutting action, this should have been done before, but the guy who built it must not have understood the cutting action of tools like this, as I am a Fitter and Turner by trade, all cutting tools must have relieve behind them so they can do there job properly with no interference.

Here is the floor cutter hanging around waiting for me to take it outside, as there is no rush to put this back on the machine right now and as long as the hoist is not required I will leave it hanging here as it is out of the way, I will push it back to the left where it is nobody's way, now I am waiting for the generator to arrive and get fitted to the blower along with the cable being put together etc so I can get power to the tunnel machine before I can do any more to the machine.

My flexible hose arrived today or I should say I picked it up today (Wednesday) the white one at the front is the dearest at $89.00 per meter this is the one that will be used the most, just like on Bruno's it will right at the back of the machine all or most of the time.

Here Ross is building the ends for the flexible hose, there are 8 of them altogether, 4 for the 8 inch hose (the U shape at the back above) and 4 for the 9 inch hose, the white hose will be cut in half and have 2 of these flanges fitted and the black hose will be cut in half and have 2 fitted also, I will then put the 2 half's without any flanges away and keep them for spares, the 2 with the flanges will then be ready to take underground when the machine is ready, I will have these finished tomorrow.

These are now finished being welded, when they have all been done (8 of them) and are cool enough to handle I will take them over to the other bench and clean them up.

I have now cleaned them up with a small grinder and have put a metal primer undercoat on them, there are 2 size here, the back row is for 8 inch hose and the front row is for 9 inch hose, now I have to cut the hose up into sections and then put it on the sleeves.

Here is the finished product, now they are ready for work underground, the white one is the one I will the most when I get going and the other 2 when I am in a tight spot, they will last a while but will wear out as the black ones are only rubber with a wire insert, the white one is made from tough plastic also with a wire insert in the middle of the plastic. The white hose I have cut in half and the 9 inch black hose also cut in half, the 8 inch I cut 1/3 off the rest that is left I have put in the shed for later when it is needed.

Here at last is the generator, packed on the truck pretty well, wouldn't think it weighs in at 1300 kilo's or almost 1 and a half tons.

I was here taking this photo at 7.50 this morning (Saturday) and was told to come back in a hour as they did not want to unload it right then, the big box behind it has a load of glass in it and they were frightened if they moved the generator it might fall over, so I would have to came back around 9.30 am.

Here it has been taken off the truck by the forklift from the Miners Store, who's transport it came up on and will be put on my friend Boro's truck.

Here we are at last, now it is my possession, from here Boro will take it down to Ross's yard where I will put it next to the tunnel machine, then I will bring the blower in right next to it and we will fit it on sometime next week I hope.

This the fuel tank that came with it, the size of this tank is 10 inches high x 18 inches wide x 5 and a half foot long, it looks like it will hold about 196 liters of fuel, I was hoping for over 200 but will have to do with this for now, I have to make a modification to this before I can use, I have to put a measuring tube in it, so I know how much fuel I am using and when I have to fill it up.

I have been out to the blower and brought 2 pipes and 2 telescopes and the 90 degree elbow from underground so I can repair the 2 telescopes and modify one, I have to modify the 2 pipes and the elbow with flanges so I can use clamps on them. My back went out this morning (Thursday) so I will be off work for a few days until it gets better, I have the blower all ready for bringing in which will be next week now, as of today my back has sore for 4 days and looks like another couple at least before I can get back to work. The first thing I have to do is to arrange with somebody to help me bring in the blower and by that I mean that I need someone to come with me so they can bring the truck back in, they follow me in just in case I have any problems the blower truck, then I have to make a couple of small repairs to it plus Oxy cut and grind some steel off it, then I will be just about ready to fit the generator and fuel tank to it. 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!

Top

Index Page | Site Map | Opals | Black Opals | Gold Pendants | Inlay Rings | About Our Opals | Earrings Opal Rough | Triplets | Doublets | Inlaid Opal Pieces | Wire Wrapped Opals | Valuing Opals | Opal Glossary