Bottlebank
New member
Agreed, flopjacks are great especially if you have limited water supply, Slug's dig in Lancaster proved the point as well, although it was a bit startling if you heard it go and didn't know what it was!
starting a dig
- Thread starter wildside
- Start date
chrisporcheret
New member
Get some photos up! Be very interesting to see this! 
Chris
Chris
that's twice this year i've heard flopjack mentioned and it's not a name i'd heard of before - google just asks me did i mean 'flapjack'! Does anyone have any pictures of this method in action? We may be looking to find a better solution to the repeatedly emptying a bucket that is catching the drips to save the digger from a good soaking method... Your dig sounds very interesting Wildside, am guessing you'll have had a rush of Mendip diggers offering assistance.
Bottlebank
New member
I don't have any photos, but a flopjack is simply a bucket suspended, perhaps between the passage walls, that fills slowly from whatever water source available. You suspend it so it will tip when it gets near to full, roughly halfway down the bucket. Once you get enough water in it rather than overflowing the whole lot is dumped, either directly onto the dig face or into a pipe via a collector which you can reposition as needed.
You may need a bit of trial and error (easier on the surface) to get the right mounting points and method of suspension.
You may need a bit of trial and error (easier on the surface) to get the right mounting points and method of suspension.
Imagine this at your dig face!
The Tipping Bucket - At Shipwreck Island Waterpark
The Tipping Bucket - At Shipwreck Island Waterpark
Bottlebank
New member
That's the one - the bell is optional.
I would not get away with the flop jack as the hole is right next to a footpath and kids are up in the woods all the time and it would probably attract to much attention. If I or sombody else can get official permission to dig and then it would need the concrete pipe and manhole cover trick to stop anyone falling down it. Its dicey enough as it is as its quite a hole.
I have got pictures but have not got a clue how to load them onto here sorry. Ive been up to the hole again today and it has slumped another foot and there is a hole thats appeared on the rock face side of it that I cannot see the bottom of and When i stand on the mud and leaves with one foot it sinks so next time rope to the nearest tree I reckon. The water flow has slowed down a lot but I can still hear it at the bottom of the fissure. its interesting as cloford quarry caves are only3/4 of a mile away as the crow flies
I have been monitoring this hole closely with all the rain we have been having and the mud has slumped another 8 to 10 inches and has revealed a very small chamber on one side and another hole has appeared where the water is running over the bed rock I have measured it down to 8 feet there is a lotof water going down and dissapearing. It half fills the hole then goes gulp and empties and it then starts the process all over again. not sure what to do from here on it i would love to dig it officially but????
no theres nothing like that. just the surface water running down the gully as a small stream the nearest spring or stream is 100 or so yards away. My next plan of attack is to see if any of the other depressions in the ground nearby and up higher in the woods are connected to it that should be interesting!
The rain has washed a lot of mud away now and the hole is getting bigger by the day. I have dammed the little trickle thats there over night and then let it go in the morning and the results were impressive the water washed the hole from about 6 inches by 6 inches to a foot wide and 4 feet deep and I can now touch the hard base with my digging pole its a shale bed at around ten feet down. The small chamber on the side of the hole is a blank about 2 feet deep. I have walked up through the woods and around 50 to 80 feet above this sink there is an interesting depression that I can hear water trickling in and a line of old sinks moving away from the hole. Im going to dam it again this evening possibly to see what else I can reveal hope its somersets answer to titan eventually!!
Its getting deeper using the wash away teqnique i now have a hole five feet deep and a foot across. so im going to make a wooden channel to send the water to the other side of the hole interesting this morning I walked over to the hole and there was steam issuing from the small fissures and fairly thick as well. (the lad that was with me said strategic steam reserve hidden there silly bugger). The active stream in the woods just sinks away into a mud hole so it could be a hopefull project.
