Self Protection - Lead Mines (Nenthead Mines Visit)

[darkplaces]

Hello, I am going to be exploring some lead mines soon and wondered what protection I should use if any relating to lead.

Should I wear breathing filter?
ALWAYS wear gloves?
Stop myself from licking the walls etc?
:weirdo:

That kind of thing.
Thanks

 

[mudmonkey]

I don't know anyone who takes things that far round here, though the temptation to lick walls/drink water is low. The mines up here are quiet damp so there's little dust, lead salts don't go through your skin and aren't all that water soluble in general.

Main issues are as for other old mines - air (or absence of), water, big 'oles, and tonnes of rock held up by long-standing tradition, thin air and a couple of 200-year-old twigs. Where are you thinking of going? Well worth talking to people who know the mines you're going to visit - NAMHO may be a good bet?

It may also be an idea to wash the mud off your kit before it dries to avoid producing lead-contaminated dust, but unless you're breathing it regularly I doubt it'd do you much more harm than regular dust.

HTH

 

[Mine Explorer]

Should I wear breathing filter?

I wouldn't bother

ALWAYS wear gloves?

I do, it keeps my hands dry and warm

Stop myself from licking the walls etc?

If you really want a mouth full of grit you can, but I don't advise it.


The lead occurs as lead sulphide, better known as galena. It's a mineral with cubic crystals that can often be seen sparkling. You aren't going to find any lead dust. When it comes to lunch I'll take my gloves off, then sit & eat my food - I've not gone mad yet and you could hardly call my hands "clean". As for licking the walls, well I suspect lead is the least of your worries, you'll find no end of other mineral deposits which could no doubt give an upset tum, just admire the look of the pretty orange & brown colours, not their taste.

As mud monkey pointed out, there's a lot more to watch out for in lead mines than the lead. The stone mines of Bath are pretty horizontal, lead mines are vertical! The veins usually form just off the vertical (70-80 degrees or so). The mine workings follow this through the ground. The main stope at Snailbeach in Shropshire for example is a vertical gash around 1,500ft deep. Depending on each individual mine you may find false floors have been built across the stope - it's not good news if these give way whilst you're standing on them .

The recent roof fall at Cwmystwyth shows what can happen when the "long standing tradition" changes it's mind (photo on my website)

The other thing to watch is oxygen, or the lack of. Relying on 'deep breathing' is no use - that relies on high CO2 levels. In mines you can find that rotting timber and oxidising iron will just remove the oxygen - first signs of this is usually a little too late. If the atmosphere feels still, stale etc. then try lighting a cigarette lighter, if it won't light then it's time to gently head out. If it will light then you've got >17% O2. I wouldn't worry about the oxygen issue to much, most (although not all) mines with a known problem will have signs, paper notes or obvious barriers across the level in the relevant area. If you're pushing the frontiers then it's a different matter.

As for washing oversuits: Mmmm, I did do that once, don't ask me when! It usually gets washed when I'm wading through deep water . A notable exception would be if you visit Cae Coch sulphur mine. After wading through blood red waist deep highly acidic water it's advisable to rinse your kit through before the stitches rot away!

Which part of the country/mines are you heading to?

 

[darkplaces]

I spent a long weekend up at Nenthead in Cumbria. FANGtastic. Was shown around by one of the members on my forum who had poped down to see Box so I went up to see Nenthead.

The Nenthead lead mines were very wet. Generally it was knee height with the odd dry bit. I used gloves to keep warm and dry and my warmbac provided all the protection I needed. Also I didnt lick a single wall. Too busy looking at it all. The water was a nice red colour or a dirty brown most of the time. We really had a good time.

Discussion and trip details on my forum:
http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1611

Pictures in my Album:
http://www.c**tplaces.co.uk/phpBB2/album_cat.php?cat_id=49
We did Smallcleugh & Rampgill and a couple unknown holes. Met the mineexplorer.com guys. Small world...

Cheers everyone.

 

[Mine Explorer]

I spent a long weekend up at Nenthead in Cumbria.

Yep, it's an amazing place. We're possibly planning a weekend up there in September, then we usually have a week in the area at the end of October.

Although there are known areas of 'bad air' at Nenthead, they aren't in the standard well trodden parts - they're fairly inaccessible to start with and often have a slip of paper nearby!

I like your photographs. The 'unknown entrance' which descends a flight of steps into a concrete lined passage is called "Hodgsons High Level".

The water levels sound about normal - over wellies is the norm., over waist is 'wet' (neck deep is very wet - but can lead to interesting through trips)

{blatent plug}There's a selection of piccies taken up at Nenthead on my website Afraid they're only in Smallcleugh and Rampgill at the moment. Hope to get some more in October.{/blatent plug}

 

[darkplaces]

Cheers Mine Explorer, I'v edited my album.

I have to practice and get more confident with my rope work, then I'll be going back to do some of the shafts and do a though trip.

 

[Mine Explorer]

Cheers Mine Explorer, I'v edited my album.

I have to practice and get more confident with my rope work, then I'll be going back to do some of the shafts and do a though trip.

You can do Smallcleugh to Capelcleugh without ropework - you will need a wetsuit though as the connection involves a reasonable stretch of neck deep, head on it's side, water.

There are various connections between Smallcleugh & Rampgill, they all involve a vertical descent, but some are straightforward "slide down rope to the bottom" type free hanging drops, not too technical.

As I mentioned, we usually have a week up there in October and spend a week there at Easter. I've managed to spend all week underground doing quite long trips well off the 'beaten track' without touching a sit harness. Of course, ropework opens up an awful lot more!


Cheerio!
Mine X.

 

[Mole]

Greetings Mine X,nice to bump into your group at the w/e.
Nenthead really is a mine explorers paradise,I haven't such good trips for years.

Sadly my pano of the Whim turned out a bit misty,by the time I got there and set up,I was steaming like a kettle.I think I've sussed out how to deal with that for when I re-shoot it.

I'll have to find my 30 yr old wetsuit or try gluing my overtrousers to my wellies before my next visit.

cheers

mole

 

[Mine Explorer]

Greetings Mine X,nice to bump into your group at the w/e.

Mmm, a case of mistaken identity methinks! Last weekend was spent picking my way through soft mud at a steam rally on Saturday, then photographing a steam roller on a 36 mile journey on Sunday!

I'm not part of "www.mineexplorer.com" which is run by Roy Fellows (who I have met and is also a member of SCMC), neither am I related to "www.mineexplorer.org.uk" whoose website I have seen and enjoyed.

My "mine explorer" name came about a couple of years ago on a totally non-underground forum, it's just stuck!

Various members of SCMC occasionally travel up for a weekend away at Nenthead. The week long holidays in spring and autumn are a large group affair arranged by John "Mole" Hine from The Forest. A number of "cavers" from across the country journey up to spend the week exploring, digging, photographing, surveying.... etc. you get the idea!

Nenthead really is a mine explorers paradise,I haven't such good trips for years.

Yep, we usually come away with more questions than answers, and a longer list of trips and investigations than we went with.

Sadly my pano of the Whim turned out a bit misty,by the time I got there and set up,I was steaming like a kettle.I think I've sussed out how to deal with that for when I re-shoot it.

I've been impressed by your pano. piccies down at Box. Do you have a panoramic camera, or do you stitch individual frames together?

I've never had a problem of misting up photographs (yet!), but then again, the flash gun is always at least an arm length away from the camera, often more. I'm not totally happy with my photo of the horse gin either, I'll retake it one day!

I'll have to find my 30 yr old wetsuit or try gluing my overtrousers to my wellies before my next visit.

Must admit my idea of torture is putting my wetsuit on - to be avoided at all costs.

The 'water barrier' has protected a lot of interesting artefacts in Capelcleugh, but I haven't put a wetsuit on in Nenthead for about two years now, there's too much to do in a furry & oversuit to consider donning neoprene!


Cheerio,
Mine X.

 

[Mole]

Profound apologies for the mix up !!

I use a digi for the pano shots,mounted on a homebrew nodal point bracket,and a tripod of course.

A 360 deg shot will normally require 20-24 frames,which are then stitched together.
If there are objects near to the camera,I'll rotate it a lesser amount for those frames to reduce distortion.

I've made a bracket to allow me to try and shoot 360 x 360 panos,but I imagine they will take a long time to shoot,and even longer to stitch.

 

[Mine Explorer]

Profound apologies for the mix up !!

No worries!

I've made a bracket to allow me to try and shoot 360 x 360 panos,but I imagine they will take a long time to shoot,and even longer to stitch.

Wow, I look forward to seeing the results!


Cheerio,
Mine X.