HELP what is it ????

Hello Alan,

I'm sorry to hear of your troubles.

Think twice before selling up everything. Even with six digits you can still learn new ways to do things, even at 84!

Only sell stuff if you need the money or space! Keep at least one live steamer and spend some tie think about what you might need to operate it single handed, perhaps a lever or hook will let you work things you thought were impossible. Your local REMAP may also be able to advise on gadgets and ideas to make life easier.

Neil

Allan,

It has struck me that the more I look at your model the more I think its an actual model of a derelict mill of some sort.

Martin P

I am thinking of moving the plant into my new shed which is lined with 2" thick polystyrene walls and roof, so will be warmer for me to work on it this winter, it will be a slow job but worth doing, going to make a start on the workshop/ hut next which is quite large and has a furnace with a chain coming down from the roof ,this works a large old air bellows made of metal and leather and sends air down to the furnace. also has a working blacksmiths vice and a old anvil . The large plant will have to be taken apart after many photos ,so I know how to put it all back together . I have never heard of REMAP but I will put it up on the internet.. thank you for all your encouragement ,and help alan

Alan where do you live, i am sure someone local will give you some help with the project. I live near Leicester.

Hi All, Bit of a long shot but the small table at the bottom reminds me of a grease table for catching diamonds.

A property of rough (and cut) diamonds is that they cannot be wet so they will stick to a grease table like the proverbial stuff on a blanket!

Just a thought...

Martin

Today I moved the smaller parts of the plant into our shed to make things easy to work on. 4 more photos of bits taken off today, still not sure what the plant is , but many helpful and very welcome suggestions . I thought that HACKSAW had the answer but I have looked at hundreds of photos of Seaton burn colliery and it is nothing like that at all. several of you have asked where we live, it is TRUSTHORPE which is between MABLETHORPE and SUTTON ON SEA lincs east coast. so if you find yourself in this area then you would be very welcome to come and have a cup of coffee etc and look at this item and my other steam locos etc. the last photo shows an American 5" loco that I have just finished restoring etc. so I can get on with this project now. wishing you all a very happy Christmas, alan & heidi

Why can't I see any image(s)?

Edited By Ian Skeldon 2 on 07/12/2017 20:05:09

Hi, if you go back to my last message [ the one above your message and look under my name alan stammers on the left hand side ,then click on 17 photos underneath my name the pics will come up ok..but have to go out now so will look in the morning for any more messages thank you alan

Thanks Alan, for some reason I just assumed that the photos were embedded into the post and I couldn't see them, all made clear now.

Did some digging into Mining equipment.

The round drum is with holes in it is called a Trommel. It's a common bit of mining equipment used to sort minerals into different sizes. Sorting's done because many later processes such as roasting work on lumps of a particular size. Big lumps are crushed in a mill to reduce their size,while small lumps and powder are agglomerated together.

I don't think Alan's model is for Tin because that process uses a fine powder. Alan's photos suggest ore is sorted by size, not completely crushed.

Many processes involve water like this modern coal plant. It's more elaborate than Alan's model:

Likewise alluvial gold also uses water, so I don't think Alan's model is for gold:

So my guess is a metal like Lead/Silver or Manganese. This machine is for copper.

Dave

Could be just for gravel either for roading or ballast for railway, just part of the gear at a quarry.

Ian S C

I don't think so Ian, as its far to complicated for just sifting stone, with 7 hoppers and 12 outlet chutes, plus 22 pulleys. and other complicated moving parts ,and just found another small sieve for even smaller particles inside the plant.

but a big thank you for your interest. have a great Christmas, alan

There is probably as much, maybe more gravel screened than any other ore, it's required in fairly exact sizes for every thing from railway ballast, to concrete, for base fill for roading, then a different grade in the seal.

Ian S C

I think Ian is correct, its a grading plant for quarry products, there may be 7 hoppers but the range of graded stones is often wider than just 7. You can separate into main groups and then perhaps blend when you need a mixture of "all in" grades, hence the various shutes?

I agree with Alan: it's too complicated for grading gravel. The other clue is that it's not sorting ordinary gravel is that quarry gravel is a cheap high-volume product. The output arrangements on this machine suggest low-volume high-value production. For example I don't think an ordinary gravel sorter would include an expensive fitment like this:

What do you get from gravel in small quantities that's worth all this effort? Quite likely the input is an ore bearing gravel or conglomerate, 'pay dirt'. Many possibilities in 'pay dirt' ranging from Gold and other precious metals like Tellurium through Gemstones to optical grade silica. But it's all guess work without a better understanding of the machine's insides.

Perhaps when Alan gets the model apart he can map out the processes applied at each stage. All we really know so far is that there's a Trommel on top, a couple of largish output chutes (I guess for waste) and many chutes producing not very much. You can tell the outputs are low volume because they're physically small and are accessed manually from a walkway with steps: whatever the machine does, it doesn't produce goodies by the ton.

Dave

Thank you all again for your interest and helpful comments, I think Dave has probably got the best idea so far, I will post photos / progress etc when the weather gets a bit warmer for me to work outside on the big lump of iron work.

have a great Christmas all of you and thanks again....alan

Hello its the "HELP WHAT IS IT ? MAN AGAIN

THE MODEL GOLD MINE COME WHATEVER, HAS NOW HAD A FACE LIFT

I HAVE SPENT ALL WINTER AND BEST PART OF THIS SPRING JUST FREEING UP MOST OF THE MACHINERY ITEMS, AND PAINTING . OVER 400 HOURS / 30 SANDING BLOCKS / 6 CANS OF WD 40 / PLUS PAINT AND RED OXIDE, ALSO VERY SORE HANDS, AND ITS LOOKING A BIT BETTER.ALTHOUGH MOST OF IT WAS DONE WITH MY ONE GOOD HAND.I HAVE TAKEN MANY PHOTOS AS A LOT OF ITEMS HAD TO BE DISMANTLED TO MAKE THEM WORK AGAIN, HOWEVER IT IS NOT A COMPLETE JOB AND WILL NEED A BIT MORE WORK, WHICH I AM UNABLE TO DO MYSELF AS MY 85TH BIRTHDAY IS VERY NEAR.SO I WILL PROBABLY ADVERTISE IT FOR SALE AND RETIRE PROPPER...A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO ALL THAT HAVE SUPORTED ME ON THIS PROJECT I.WILL PUT PHOTOS ON THIS MESSAGE WITH MORE IF NEEDED

Well done Alan, I've looked at your albums and it's incredible how you've changed that great rusty pile into a fantastic model.

Neil

.

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 20/06/2018 20:21:55

What exceptional talent!! Congratulations would be in order for someone in their 50s. As a fellow octogenarian, I am left feeling totally inadequate. That ought to be exhibited as a prime example of skill and application.

rgds

Bill