Plug and feathers
- Thread starter 2xw
- Start date
Rob
Well-known member
pwhole
Well-known member
I bought 3 sets of the 14mm Bavaria models from Rids Bruners, and they have performed excellently, if a little deformed on one or two feather tops where I mishit in a tight spot. But they're very tough for their size, and all 3 sets and tether cords will fit in a 100mm snapseal box. They were particularly useful for enlarging a vertical squeeze in a mine that was just too tight for safety. But it did mean drilling and hitting pretty much head-first in the foot-wide vein cavity, so it was arduous. But I managed to shave off about 100mm with two 'sessions', using all three in a line. Also dropping them was an issue so I used tether cords with elastic bands, though they don't always work. I found a telescopic magnetic wand with a LED light on the end, and it proved very handy for retrieving a feather from amidst deads on the floor.
They're certainly no effort at all in use, and are more akin to ringing bells or playing the xylophone than smashing rocks. If they used plug and feathers on a penal colony, it would be a pretty easy time. There is a limit to what they can do though, and on certain attempts, it's just resulted in failure - the rock was either too tough (under compression) if bedrock, or just too big (if a boulder) - in that case you either need to scale up or use something else. Trouble is, I think his next size up is 18mm, and whilst fine above ground, drilling 18mm holes underground could prove draining, in every sense.
They're certainly no effort at all in use, and are more akin to ringing bells or playing the xylophone than smashing rocks. If they used plug and feathers on a penal colony, it would be a pretty easy time. There is a limit to what they can do though, and on certain attempts, it's just resulted in failure - the rock was either too tough (under compression) if bedrock, or just too big (if a boulder) - in that case you either need to scale up or use something else. Trouble is, I think his next size up is 18mm, and whilst fine above ground, drilling 18mm holes underground could prove draining, in every sense.
Bottlebank
New member
pwhole said:
I also have three 14mm from Rids Bruners, and three 18mm. Drilling for the 18mm is no problem with a 36V Bosch, you don't need to drill very deep, but is a bit hungry on battery power.
Experience in use pretty much the same as pwhole. To be honest I've reverted to capping, it's far quicker.
2xw
Active member
Thanks for all the advice folks.
Used some plug and feathers the other day - found it to be quit draining on battery power but an 18v Makita did fine with about 6 holes per battery.
Have found plug and feathers needs a little more skill than capping or you just end up wasting drill battery cos you only get little bits off.
I enjoyed it as you seem to have a bit more control over where the rock splits and it doesn't fly everywhere, which I can imagine is quite advantageous if digging near formations etc.
... we did get a lot more moved a lot faster when we capped it though
Used some plug and feathers the other day - found it to be quit draining on battery power but an 18v Makita did fine with about 6 holes per battery.
Have found plug and feathers needs a little more skill than capping or you just end up wasting drill battery cos you only get little bits off.
I enjoyed it as you seem to have a bit more control over where the rock splits and it doesn't fly everywhere, which I can imagine is quite advantageous if digging near formations etc.
... we did get a lot more moved a lot faster when we capped it though
pwhole
Well-known member
Recently a problem came up whereupon a good foot depth of massive calcite crystals had to be removed from a vein-wall. The crystals looked fragile and easily smashed. However, all attempts at chiselling, hammering and even capping failed dismally, removing only fragments rather than chunks. I suspect as the rhomboid crystals were randomly rotated relative to each other (ultimately backed up by a large hill), they were capable of absorbing the shock, rather like a stunt-drop cushion made of cardboard boxes. The rope-grooves left by the old miners which we eventually obliterated were testament to the fact that they couldn't be bothered either, so in that respect we actually showed greater determination than they did - but then they weren't getting paid for calcite. Neither were we, for that matter, but hey, this is a hobby....
We found the best solution was plug and feathers, initially 14mm but eventually 18mm, with holes drilled into the panel sideways to begin with - the only downside to this technique being that you need a 'ledge' to allow both feathers to sit flat. But the outward force generated by the wedge effect effectively isolated sections of crystals from the main body, and opened up the cleavage planes as the bulge was forced into it, either removing it immediately or rendering it so weak and fragile that only gentle whacks from the chisel were then needed to get rid of it. A great lesson in stress mechanics, especially when it's your own body that's wasting the energy previously...
The image shows the crystal face with another ledge being cut for the next wedging-out.
We found the best solution was plug and feathers, initially 14mm but eventually 18mm, with holes drilled into the panel sideways to begin with - the only downside to this technique being that you need a 'ledge' to allow both feathers to sit flat. But the outward force generated by the wedge effect effectively isolated sections of crystals from the main body, and opened up the cleavage planes as the bulge was forced into it, either removing it immediately or rendering it so weak and fragile that only gentle whacks from the chisel were then needed to get rid of it. A great lesson in stress mechanics, especially when it's your own body that's wasting the energy previously...
The image shows the crystal face with another ledge being cut for the next wedging-out.