Has anyone tried a Siligun?

[aricooperdavis]

A friend sent me a video yesterday of some CNCC anchoring work. Crammed into a tight rift at the pitch head the installer wrestles with the caulk gun, struggling to get the mixing nozzle into the anchor hole... and snaps it off!

I've found myself a few times in the exact same position, struggling with the length of a caulk gun in narrow passages, so did a bit of googling and found the Siligun: https://www.siligun.co.uk/shop?store-page=SILIGUN-Compact-4-p670909126

This is essentially a miniature caulk gun - shorter than the tube of resin itself, so should be easier to use in narrow spaces, and fit in a tackle sack.

Has anyone tried using one of these underground, or with firm resin rather than nice soft caulk? I appreciate it won't work with Hilti resin, or other resin that requires its own specialist applicator, but it may be worth a go for users of more traditionally packaged chemical anchors.

If nobody has any experience with the Siligun then I'll buy one and review it for underground use.

 

[tim.rose2]

Stick a short length of tubing (15cm ish) on the mixing nozzle. You can then use the gun at any angle. Have put in many bolts in tight rifts like this. Of course the next problem is whether the drill fits!

 

[aricooperdavis]

Great tip - thanks Tim!

 

[topcat]

A bit worrying that a CNCC anchor jockey didn't know that. Might explain the occasional sub-optimal anchor placements!

 

[Ian P]

Hi Ari

That looks like a really neat bit of kit. If used with a part empty tube and the tube cut down, it would certainly be compact.
As you mentioned, this wouldn’t work with the “2 part tubes”.

Regarding the nozzle snapping off the resin tube in the video you saw, surprisingly a bit of “artistic impression” is in play as to how “tight” this is.
I am ABSOLUTELY NOT the “tight hole” specialist in the installer team.
For tight spaces, using a short length of tube and/or a resin tube with only a small amount of resin in are all “tools” in the installers skill set.

The issue we had was either:
• A damaged/ cracked resin tube
• A less than normal flexible nozzle
• An installer error in angle and “force” of insertion.
(Probably a combination of all 3)

Either way, no animals or children were hurt in the process and the work will be completed in due course.

However, please do not let this factual account stop anyone from giving their opinion based on whatever agenda they wish to push (bad anchor placements, incompetent installers/ jockeys etc) that is after all what the internet and the keyboard in front of some people is for .

Thanks again Ari, I will probably purchase one of those for my proper work.

Ian

 

[tim.rose2]

Buggered mixing nozzles - had this a few times too, generally from getting broken on route rather than in use, but regardless it's annoying. Take spare nozzles - I wrap mine in a towel (also used to clean up the mess). Worse still is when the threaded bit the nozzle attaches to on the bottom of the resin tube gets damaged, only had this once, but that rendered half a tube unusable, an annoying mess to clear up and a repeat trip to finish the job. All part of the fun.

The tubing trick really does make life much easier though.

 

[Ian P]

Buggered mixing nozzles - had this a few times too, generally from getting broken on route rather than in use, but regardless it's annoying. Take spare nozzles - I wrap mine in a towel (also used to clean up the mess). Worse still is when the threaded bit the nozzle attaches to on the bottom of the resin tube gets damaged, only had this once, but that rendered half a tube unusable, an annoying mess to clear up and a repeat trip to finish the job. All part of the fun.

The tubing trick really does make life much easier though.

This was a tube damage issue rather than the nozzle . (I always carry spare nozzles).
As you say “all part of the fun”

Hopefully we will put together a video for “public release” of the trip, some people maybe interested in what is involved and what can “scupper” an installation trip despite hours of preparation and work.

 

[aricooperdavis]

Sorry Ian, I didn't mean to criticize your technique - quite the opposite, I'm grateful for your hard work and sympathize with the challenges! Thanks for the tips - I'll buy one of these and let you know my experiences!

 

[Ian P]

No apology necessary Ari

Open and positive discussions are a really healthy aspect of the internet, particularly on technical matters like this.
Hopefully you have picked up a tip regarding a short length of flexible pipe and I have about the ”silgun” for something completely unrelated .

Thinking a bit more about my resin tube breaking “incident”. This was the same tube that I used 2 days earlier in High Hull Pot.
This involved a good number of (cold) hours underground, with a lot of time swinging around on ropes, including having to position with “Sky Hooks” (which failed a couple of times resulting in entertaining swings).
With all my installation kit hanging off me, there is a chance the tube suffered some “trauma”.

I have dug the tube out of the bin and attached a picture.

Either: Slightly damaged tube from previous trip and a poor insertion angle.
Or: Just a poor/ rough insertion angle. Either way I get to enjoy another trip down Rumbling Hole.

The are so many variables that can prevent a successful anchor installation, e.g dropping a drill bit, forgetting a critical item, water ingress into drills etc etc

My assistant on the trip said it was like doing “A Space Walk”.

 

[BigDyl]

Looks cool, but the amazon reviews dont look promising .

 

[flydash8]

 

[AKuhlmann]

Great video!

That broke so easily and comically it's almost like you staged it for the filming! That looks like some bad luck with a stress fracture - the tube must've cushioned some of you aforementioned skyhook pendulums. Thanks for making me chuckle at a bolting video!

 

[aricooperdavis]

My verdict is in! It's almost entirely useless, don't waste your money (and I went for the "pro" metal version hoping it would be more robust). Ah well, lesson learned!