Drills and Digging

[andymorgan]

How about those air powered drills, that the Axbridge have used at Carcass Cave in Somerset. Only an air line runs throught the cave and not an electric cable.

 

[AndyF]

How about those air powered drills, that the Axbridge have used at Carcass Cave in Somerset. Only an air line runs throught the cave and not an electric cable.

A suitable air line would be very much larger than a cable.

Air lines have a "resovoir" effect - if you use one on a very long line with a tool that uses a lot of air, then the compressor can't refill the line quickly enough. You probably need 6 inch diameter over 1km!!


The pumping project I have in mind is Merlins 8 in the Summer when the stream stops...

 

[andymorgan]

But didn't you say it was 300m in your original post, or has your cave suddenly grown??

 

[AndyF]

But didn't you say it was 300m in your original post, or has your cave suddenly grown??

The distance to Rising Damp in Waterways is 300m.

The Merlins 8 thing is a new idea I had, which is probably about the same distance.

When we pumped Rising Damp last year, we got a howling gale through it, but it was over a gap above a gravel bank. We were about to start digging when a rock rolled in the hole and broke someones ribs. We had to retreat and will return to this when the weather is more stable. It would not be nice down there in flood....

 

[Fred]

The longest cable run I personally know of is about 1 mile. A cable was laid all the way from the entrance to the camp in Otter Hole when Sid Perou made his film their (1984?).

The cable was run in 200m lengths and joined underground. It also runs through lots and lots of tidal mud and through the the tidal sump (it must be salty - good electrolyte).

I know they ran the over ran the generator to get a usable voltage at the camp where they used it to charge lamps and filming batteries.

 

[truescrumpy]

I know that the generator should be kept on the surface but has anyone tried using it underground with an extended exhaust pipe back to the surface??

 

[whitelackington]

I am thinking of buying a            HiltiTe6A-Li

It seems you can only buy Hilti stuff from Hilti.

This is a fairly light 36volt lithium battery rock drill, with two batteries capable of drilling 20mm holes in rock with an unconditional two year guarentee.

Hilti have quoted me a price of £565.47


Anyone yet bought one? :doubt:

 

[cap n chris]

Apparently Tim F has got one; I'm looking at getting one too so let me know what you think of it if you go ahead and get one....

 

[whitelackington]

Not quite true Cap'Chris.

Tim Francis has indeed purchased a 36 volt lithium rock drill but his is a Bosch.
Very pleased with it he is too.
With that drill he has engineered a route into The New Monster Passage in Upper Flood Swallet.
Although the Hilti is more expensive, as Lithium batteries have had some failures, it is Hiltis fantastic guarentee that has probably sold me.

These drills btw would be corking for "P" bolting.

The Hilti, perhaps more so as slightly less heavy and batteries 2.4
as against Bosch 2.0

 

[cap n chris]

Thanks for correcting me, W; does this mean that if we get a Bosch instead of a Hilti we are guaranteed to find stonking great new passages?....

Owning a drill doesn't mean we need to start putting bolts in everything, surely?

 

[whitelackington]

You could use it for making the holes for your plug and feathers Chris

 

[Brains]

Nowt wrong with plugs and feathers - had some great results with them, just need a little skill to get them made right and used right...