EDIT: Well this mill REALLY caught my interest, so after much research, it seems that the rather complicated mystery secondary building is in fact ... drum roll... a Dense Media Separator plant, otherwise known as a "sink-float process". What this plant does is it adds ferrosilicate slurry to the ore to achieve a liquid mixture of desired specific gravity. The basic principle is if you have a liquid with a specific gravity of for instance 2.5, anything you add to that liquid with a specific gravity lower than 2.5 will float, and anything higher than 2.5 will sink, so you're basically creating a liquid that makes the gangue "buoyant". In this plant what looks like a ball mill is actually a Wemco drum, which has lifting flights inside that catch the heavier sinking ore and deposit it into a central launder, while the floating gangue overflows the end. The "floats" and "sinks" are then deposited on different parts of the vibratory screen in front of the Wemco. This screen has 5 discharges, floating gangue to waste, "sink" product to mill, water to wash sump, dilute media to dilute sump, circulating media to densifier (the spiral classifier to the right of the vibratory screen). The densifier further splits off the circulating media into thickened media and more dilute media. The sumps are the boxy hopper looking things you encountered on the ground floor. The circulating media from the densifier simply gets sent from its sump right back to the Wemco, but the dilute media is sent through a magnetic separator (possibly the big box thing that you first saw to your right as you came in) which recovers the rest of the ferrosilicate, which then goes through a demagnetizing coil before rejoining the rest of the media at the Wemco. About one pound of media is lost for every ton of ore processed. On the platform at the very top where the conveyors come in from the crushed ore bin are a set of water washed vibratory screens, but these are before the ferrosilicate is added and I think what these were doing is simply sizing out ore from gangue. I'm not 100% sure, but I think because Galena is quite a "friable" ore, it probably arrived at the DMS plant slightly smaller than some of the gangue, so this larger gangue got separated out first. The gangue then drops into the spiral classifier below to dewater it before sending it out on the conveyor to the waste pile. Meanwhile the ore that "passes" the screen feeds into the Wemco. The DMS process is basically the modern successor to the jig, in that it achieves the purpose of separating out some of the waste material from the higher grade ore, but is obviously considerably more sophisticated. I don't know if you noticed the big permanent magnets over the feed conveyor, but the reason for those is to catch tramp metal from the crusher, because they didn't want that stuff ending up damaging the magnetic separator. The shelving full of random nuts and bolts, and even a ball mill ball, is I think actually all tramp metal that was "recovered"... the ball would've been spat out of the dry ball mill in the crushing plant, and made it through the tertiary jaw crusher, probably destroyed the face plates on it. The Italian labels on the motor control panels, "separatore magnetico" = magnetic separator, "addensatore ferro silicio" = ferrosilicate densifier, "bobina demagnetizzante" = demagnetizer coil, "pompa di ricupero" = recovery pump, "pompa verticale" = vertical pump, was what helped put things together, so thank you for taking the extra time to film some of that! Edited to update: Also on second evaluation that crushing plant is quite a bit more complex than I'd previously noticed. There's a jaw crusher, a gyratory crusher (which seems to be disconnected from the circuit, so probably from an older configuration), a cone crusher, a hammer mill (I actually recognize this one, a Loro & Parisini M66), a dry ball mill, and a secondary jaw crusher, so, 6 types of crusher, basically a crusher emporium! I think originally there would've been a vertical bucket conveyor taking ore from the Dillon screen up to the gyratory crusher, which would've fed back onto the screen, but this was superseded by a more modern cone crusher that they installed outside. The flow process in the crushing section goes: Bin -> grizzly -> oversize into jaw crusher -> dry ball mill --------------------¬ |----> undersize into log-washer ------------------> | Dillon triple deck screen | | |-------> top screen -----------------------------------------------------------------------> tertiary jaw crusher -¬ |----> wash to thickener |-------> middle screen -----------------------------> hammer mill ------¬ | |-------> bottom screen ----------> cone crusher ---------¬ | | | | |-------------------------> vibratory screen | | under | | over |------> pass-through into bottom hopper ----------> high grade conveyor to bin low grade conveyor to bin Evidently they were REALLY serious about not over-treating the ore, it seems they wanted to make absolutely sure that each particle size fraction was separated out and went through the exact most efficient crusher type for the size, and then that ONLY high grade ore went through the mill with as little gangue as physically possible. I'm actually not sure if all this sophistication is evidence of a highly profitable operation, or the necessities of declining ore quality. Whatever the case, "huge" is definitely the correct adjective, I'd estimate easily 1000 tons per day. This is an extremely impressive mill that it seems is still technologically "current", minus computerization of course.
Christ on a bike, thats a deep dive into the subject you researched and typed out for everyone elses benefit.. not seeing any likes or comments to your shit here so let me be the first to say thanks for the time and effort you put into explaining all that shit. Its hella intriguing and interesting how all that motherfuckin shit works, all cool as fuck innovation and ingenuity from a bunch of mining ass motherfuckers.. Glad for the miners gettin their mine on for the holes they leave for everyone else to explore later and speculate until someone comes along to dispel all the speculation with some really detailed and factual info.. Thanks again, random dude on the internet for the time and effort you spent breakin this crazy ass shit down for curious motherfuckers like me, I appreciate it even if no one else does.
I know I am 5 years late to the party, but I just had to say thank you. This is one amazing explore. What a time capsule you documented. Love your stuff. Again, thank you!
I'm still amazed how intact things are. Great to see! Maybe there were plans of starting it back up at some point that has long passed. It's nice to see you got it before things really started falling apart. Another Great Video! Nice Work!
Wow Just amazing how much equipment is left at this mine. The scrap value of it alone must be in the 7 figures! Loved seeing this. Thanks for sharing another awesome mine exploration video. The heard of sheep was really cool as was seeing the old jeep!
I just discovered this video and it looked familiar but the advantage of being my age is that memory isn't as good as it once was so all of your videos are new to me once again especially if I fail to check the 'like' thumbs up. Pretty cool tour. Now I'll see which other videos I've forgotten. I don't have to wait until Wednesday to see something new!
As a self-employed welder/fabricator (among other things) i look at all those old trucks and just dream of rebuilding the engines and getting them going again, perhaps modding them into portable cranes or whatever. The conveyors and support structure represent a huge resource of c-channel, angle iron, sheet steel, steel boxes, etc to use to build new stuff. And with a good plasma cutter alot of the rusting otherwise useless structure could be cut away and scrapped. The solid buildings repurposed into workshops, etc.
As I raise Suri alpacas, I was particularly interested in the sheep, wondering their breed, to have that sort of fleece on them. I also LOVED all the sheep bells jingling.
The sheep breed is literally called "Sardinian" and they're primarily kept for their milk. Interesting to note, the lambs are given smaller bells making a slightly higher pitched ring, so as to differentiate them from the ewes.
Mind blowing how much equipment was left behind there, even back then in used and better condition, surely it would have been worth money to sell on again rather than leave to rust away. Seems such a waste to me :( great bit of exploring, loved watching it, thanks for sharing it with us all!
Thank you. Yes, as we've discussed before, we are frequently stunned by some of the equipment that is left behind. In this case, it seems even more exceptional as this is not in some remote location where it would be difficult to remove the equipment, but very close to a main road. Most of the equipment could have easily been driven out of there.
I think in many cases these mines were never really "closed for good" but rather mothballed during a slump. This particular mine closed in 88 which is right after a pretty substantial commodities crash, so they were probably hoping for the prices to recover, but they didn't come back up until about the early 2000s. By that time, the mine and mill would've become an expensive restoration project to return to production, so it's likely the owners simply lacked the capital to get it going again, or underground reserves were not in a quantity sufficient to justify the cost. So at that point really the only thing to do is sell the property, and the scrap value of the mill would probably be worth keeping in place to "sweeten the deal" or maybe to hold in reserve to liquidate in future.
@@bulletz9280 I think those are all reasonable assumptions and I actually appreciate your speculation as it helped me understand how something like this happens.. Thanks for the insight and interesting perspective. Good shit there.
You could be correct about the adits leading to a large underground operation, the pit size doesn't seem to justify the expenditure even as large as it is. They weren't mining high value products like gold, which would cover the costs easily. There must be alot underground that you just couldn't get too.
the front end loaders all appear to be Caterpillar 966 Models. The cement mixer at 31:15 looks vary similar to a model that Mack Trucks used to make what's unique about that one is that it has a pump equipped to it to pump cement up to higher platforms on construction sights. I would almost have a feeling that this plant may have not only been a mine but also a cement plant as well being that Florid is added to cement as a binder.
The two shown at 21:16 look to be Fiat-Allis with what's left of a Cat next to them. Perhaps a smaller older model. The "half cab" truck at the end looks a lot like a CCC (Crane Carrier) design, perhaps licensed by Astra.
@@diecastmania the half cab could have been anything I suppose a crane, drilling rig, or a gradual?? Like wise remember Mack Trucks producing a similar truck in the 70's early 80's with an 8 yard mixing drum on them. I worked for a company that had 2 or 3 of them up in their bone yard being used as parts donors for R model Mack's. We also had a few old Mack B's in the bone yard as well.
Hey Justin. That mine is like an abandon city, huge. Throughout the video, the constant bird songs in the background kept stopping me from paying attention. It was so nice. There aren't to many birds here in eastern Maryland. The birds bring me back to my families farms in Oregon Thank you for the very nice video, I really enjoyed it. Ody Slim
Yes, it is more like a small community than a mine! I didn't notice the birds in the background when I was there, but I enjoyed hearing them when I was editing the video.
Another great video. Thanks for showing us another interesting place that we otherwise would never see. I was going to say that the mill at 25:15 is probably a rod mill (based on its shape)..........but then I saw what appears to be a ball from a ball mill (that you pointed out) on the far side of the gaping rust hole in the floor at 27:07.....
I wondered about all the green grass around the mine sight as it is unusual to see any green around a mine out in the desert but after seeing the flooded adits right on the surface, I see why. What a neat place. It must be a fairly hidden place as so much equipment is still there. Great video, as usual.
Yes, those adits were putting out a lot of water, to be sure. Also, Sardinia has the Mediterranean climate, so it gets a lot of rain in the winter. The island itself is not heavily populated and so I think that helps protect a lot of these sites (unlike abandoned mines in Southern California, for example).
Another great video, thanks for sharing. Just an FYI, at the start of the video that is a track loader / crawler loader, depending on what you want to call it, not a bulldozer. Appears to be a mid 80's Fiat-Allis FL6, could be wrong as the undercarriage appears to be wrong for that model. Betting that would still run as they did put a can over the exhaust to keep rain out.
Wow I'm amazed all the dumpers trucks muckers machinerary wasn't sold scraped wen this mine finished up. Just sitting there to rot. As said in last video the Italians don't have that scrapper mentality or were they that profitable they just walked away. But there something beautiful watching nature take back wat man made cool explore as usual look forward to nxt adventure.👍☘🇮🇪
I was pretty surprised to see it all there too. For our sake, I'm glad they don't have the scrapper mentality and that the owners didn't sell off the equipment though... As you know, it isn't often one would come across a site like this elsewhere.
I'm actually inclined to think that it went the other way round, they started out mining underground and then stoped through to the surface, forming a gunnis. Cross cuts likely revealed that the mineralisation in this area was a rich stockwork, not unusual in this kind of metamorphosed sedimentary rock, so they simply opened the gunnis out into a quarry. That would imply that almost the entirety of the opened out area here was basically paydirt, which is pretty incredible.
Looked like a Cone Crusher before you showed the big Jaw Crusher... this was one heck of an operation that you found. Good Job i really enjoy your Videos ! Next time your in the Mohave County AZ area hit me up i know of some old mines.
Thank you. Yes, I was thinking it was probably a cone crusher, but I usually avoid speculating so that I don't look foolish in front of a knowledgeable audience. Given the complexity of mining and mining equipment, it is easy to be wrong! I appreciate the offer.
Looks as if a major highway was built near by and this facility made the concrete to build the highway with the cement trucks are there. Just a thought. Be safe exploring!!
So cute the sheep. LOL You can’t go but what others say. I was told that on one of the islands 🌴 they had real rude people in the stores. So, I went in and didn’t talk. Just smiled. Omg, they were so friendly. I felt bad I judged someone by what someone else said.
The sheep were a nice touch! I've learned that other people's impressions very rarely match my own. That's something I see a lot with my work in war zones too. The impression we get from reading the papers or watching the news is often very different from the reality on the ground. I've seen reporters wildly sensationalize events I covered as well and you'd think we were talking about different planets.
That was a very big operation ! Probably employed hundreds of people ! Like so many others here I think about how much of a waste there is at this place, but you have to consider that the main bean counters figured it would cost more to do anything with it than they could get out of it ! Still seems a shame to see so much stuff just rusting away ! If I was the one walking around there...... would probably be a few tears in my eyes thinking about all the things that could be reused....... and are not ! Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍 👍
I would bring a battery with me and try to turn over the starter motors of some of these trucks. With a bit of care i think the ones in best condition could run again. What i dont understand is why all that steel is not cut up and recycled. Probably thousands of € in scrap value.
Yes, we're frequently amazed by how much equipment is left behind. It's not like this is some remote location where it would be incredibly difficult to remove the equipment. Much of it could have been easily driven away from this mine! And, yes, this was a large operation. I believe your estimate of hundreds of people is exactly right.
The "trommel" you saw at the end of the big mill is a vacuum separator the dewatering the concentrate before they dump it in those round storage bins. Also they arent silos. Silos are only for silage.
The apparatus that you showed at 28:36 is a pair of shaker table classifiers. The crushed material is washed over the perforated tables as they're mechanically shook. You can see the spring mountings, allowing the tables to move. The size of the holes in the tables determines what's classified out.
Always amazing how they left behind so much valuable equipment ... just walked away mid crush. What happened? Did the bottom fall out of the market and intentions were to come back but never did. Lots of money invested and lost. Sad.
Laurie James totally agree, to think of how much $ went into just building the infrastructure of this operation! But.. if a corporation puts that much $ into it I’m sure they got the $ back out of it! And all that stuff left behind would cost the corporation more money to sell off or recycle you can try to imagine how much $ they made off the mine! I imagine that if I was to be losing $ and not made back my investment, I would be selling things off all I could to make my $ back... as long as it doesn’t cost me more then to just junk it... economics... an intricate maze I don’t understand
Yes, we're frequently amazed by how much equipment is left behind. It's not like this is some remote location where it would be incredibly difficult to remove the equipment. Much of it could have been easily driven away! I'm not sure why this particular mine closed down as I was unable to find much on the history of it (the Italians still don't post a lot of documents online). However, yes, I suspect that commodity prices fell too low or perhaps the deposits were simply worked out.
Given that that big machine was beside a ball mill i beleive it is a torit type extractor. They are specialized in dealing with extremely fine dust. The dust settles to the bottom of the chutes and it quite common to see them double banked like that.
are you in sardinia ? as a native i think that i have recognized the place :D. at 0:50 it's a FIAT "campagnola" that was the jeep of Italian armed forces in the past, there was a version equipped with 105mm recoilless cannon too. my dad use this during the service in police in the '60, they use them to patrol the mountains against kidnapping gangs.. bad times !
@@TVRExploring A bulldozer has a blade for cutting and pushing material. The operator can set blade elevation, angle, and tilt - I'm not a dozer operator, so I'm not familiar with the control scheme. A loader has a bucket with a cutting edge or teeth (for loose material and shot rock respectively), and is intended to dig, carry, and load material. Controls are limited to boom up/down, and bucket curl/uncurl. I'm partial to 4-in-1/joystick loader controls, but some operators prefer twin levers. Joysticks are more common on utility equipment like skid-steer loaders and CAT 924-size wheel loaders, that are used for utility tasks. Big stuff in the CAT 990 or Komatsu WA600 size range tends to use levers; it only loads trucks so ultra-precise bucket control is not as necessary. Precision is the name of the game when cleaning up around belts and mill equipment! I've worked at mines with wheel loaders, tracked dozers, track loaders, and wheel dozers. The last two are much less common, but are still seen quite a bit.
A Bulldozer has a blade almost purely for pushing. It can have tracks or wheels. That track loader has a bucket and was originally designed for loading material into, say, a truck. As an aside, if it has tracks and its power goes mainly into traction, it's a (track-type) tractor, whether it has a blade or not.
I have no idea what all the things are. Super cool stuff though. Look, look, look, what's that? Look a row of muck things. I didn't comment when this one came out. Hubby has seen me watch all your videos. He saw this one come up as next on the TV. We have Netflix and I'm not logged in to RUclips on the TV. So he hit play. I heard you start talking. Next thing I know, we're both standing at the TV looking at the Fiat things. Thanks for another video!! And taking us along.
Haha, yes, I don't know how much of it worked either or what it is called, but I still thought it was interesting too! Thank you for coming along on this one as well. I appreciate the comment and the support.
Your CCD has dust on it. I’ve noticed this in several of your daytime videos. There are two specs of dust in the bottom right quadrant of your CCD. If your mirrorless camera lets you pull the lens, you can clean it using some special CCD cleaner. There are a ton of them out there if you search for it. I’ve had to do that with my cameras from time to time. Makes a huge difference.
Thank you. The model I use for exploring mines doesn't allow me to pull the lens. Given the destruction rate on cameras in abandoned mines, there is no way I am using my fancy mirrorless camera in the mud, wet and dust of abandoned mines. So, I use the Sony RX100s at a rate of about one per season. The camera that I shot this video with died a watery death a long time ago after we (the camera and I) took a dunking in a mine.
There must have been a huge number of people running this place in its hay day. I don't think I've ever seen an operation that big before. If that were in the US, the scrappers would have stripped that place to the foundations by now, amazing that doesn't happen there. I wonder, have you ever considered going to a fully operational mine and getting a tour just so we can see how it all works in real time. That would certainly be an interesting video.
Yes, this place was enormous, to be sure. And, yes, in the U.S., there would be practically nothing left of it. If you go back a couple of videos to the "Rogue Miner's Mine" you'll see a tour of a working mine by the miner that owns it...
TVR discovers a Fiat Drill at 1:30 ! My older brother was in the U.S Air Force during the Cold War . He was stationed in Italy for 18 months , he did some traveling on his days off . He saw a lot of stuff and brought back many 35mm Photos . He had pictures of old Italian Jet Fighters . Yes you guessed it . He was excited when he told me the Jets were Fiats ! ....... 9:25 The Bones from Monty + the Holy Grail ?. I bet you wished that you had a Holy Hand grenade with you right about then ? Another great video
History channel attempted making another reality TV program/show (Edge of Alaska)about McCarthy and the mines. Someone not from McCarthy wanted to open the mines and bring in tourists.
I wonder what kind of compressor arrangement was used with the drill on the track loader. It wouldn't surprise me if they just trailered a diesel compressor behind it. Any air systems on the loader would not have supplied anywhere near enough flow to run the drill, even if the pressure was sufficient.
I found an old welded up deep freezer in the root cellar of an old farm house in rural NW Colorado back in the early 2000s. I never got an oppourtunity to open it.
You are the 1st person I have ever heard pronounce Fiat as Fee-It. I have always heard it pronounced like Fee-Ott. I had a little blue Fiat 500 I called Blau Punkt (Blue Dot in German). Only car of my 81 vehicles I ever named.
The "proper" Italian pronunciation sounds like a hybrid of "Fee-It" and "Fi-Ott." I can't possibly replicate it despite my Italian exposure. "Fee-Ott" is probably closer to the right way to say it, but I was feeling ambitious that day. The Fiat 500s are awesome little cars. 81 vehicles is a hell of a collection...
20:09 that is a cone crusher. They are typically used in secondary or tertiary crushing applications, before either milling, in metal operations, or screening/washing, in aggregates. I'm responsible for three of them.
I thought that was a cone crusher, but I've learned to not speculate as, invariably, I will be mistaken about whatever it is I am discussing. I know you will come in and drop the facts, so I leave the expertise up to you!
Do you speak some Italian to be able to communicate with the shepherd? Or did he speak English? That was a little scary when that whole flock was headed straight toward you. I guess they know where the water is though, in front of that portal, and just came for a drink. Do you know any other languages? -- My uneducated guess would be the mining operation started out with the adits. Then maybe they realized the ground was too unstable and dangerous, prone to collapse, so switched to quarry mining, and dug out that valley. On video those crystals looked soft and fuzzy :> It looks like besides mining the minerals they also ran a concrete operation there, which might have been an addition after they started quarry mining. Isn't that what is still in operation across the way, a construction aggregate or concrete plant?
Haha, it wasn't the smoothest conversation. He didn't speak any English and my Italian is pretty rough, but between that and a lot of hand gestures, we were able to communicate reasonably well. Fortunately, he didn't start talking about particle physics. Then we would have had a problem. Yes, I also had the impression that the adits came first and were followed by the open pit method when that type of work became more economical. And, yes, that was indeed an aggregates operation nearby. They exist solely off of the waste rock from the mine.
Wow, that first vehicle you show at 0:17 is a Fiat Campagnola. Its an Italian military vehicle made from 1951-73. I wonder what a military vehicle is doing at the mine?
Where is this my located and what part of the world or state or country it just doesn't look like it's anywhere in the United States maybe you can shed some light on this beautiful country the surroundings
Well, I've become a fan of them. I'm assuming Henri was in the military and, if so, he must have some very interesting stories if he was in Algeria fighting the FLN...
We've got operating equipment at our mine that doesn't look much better. Replace the belts and hoses, top off fluids, and inspect wiring for rodent damage, and it will probably run just fine.
Good work, please keep a eye out for a good looking geologist sidekick that could articulate the processes and mineral types. Not to take anything from your endeavor, I really enjoy!
Shawn Hammack Was going to mention the same thing, and the reason the distinction is important is because a track loader lifts much higher then a bulldozer which would making using the drill understandable because of the hight being able to be obtained when using the loader
Have you still to go into that flooded adit? The one at the end of the last video? Or is that still to come? Do you ever travel to the UK? Love your work, man. Keep it up.
No, I could see that it was crushed down about one hundred feet back or so... This is the last video in this series for now. I wouldn't mind coming back to this site though as there was more stuff over the ridge and - if I had some time and some help - it would be nice to drain that flooded adit we came across in the first video enough to get in. Given the size of the operation, it must be enormous. I do travel to the UK and lived there for several years. I even have British citizenship since my mother was born in the UK. However, I have not explored any mines yet in the UK. I'd love to meet up with Cornish Mine Explorer or some other locals to do so, but it just hasn't happened yet. My impression is that the UK would be a difficult one to do alone as local knowledge of sites seems essential.
TVR Exploring ah yes I see now. You showed the collapse in this video. Well I am in Scotland near Glasgow, so if you're ever around here to visit mines, I would love to tag along if that's ok.
You are great at filming, you’ve got a great voice for it . And you don’t move to fast. Thank you
Thank you!
Agree 100%! 👍👍👍
EDIT: Well this mill REALLY caught my interest, so after much research, it seems that the rather complicated mystery secondary building is in fact ... drum roll... a Dense Media Separator plant, otherwise known as a "sink-float process". What this plant does is it adds ferrosilicate slurry to the ore to achieve a liquid mixture of desired specific gravity. The basic principle is if you have a liquid with a specific gravity of for instance 2.5, anything you add to that liquid with a specific gravity lower than 2.5 will float, and anything higher than 2.5 will sink, so you're basically creating a liquid that makes the gangue "buoyant". In this plant what looks like a ball mill is actually a Wemco drum, which has lifting flights inside that catch the heavier sinking ore and deposit it into a central launder, while the floating gangue overflows the end. The "floats" and "sinks" are then deposited on different parts of the vibratory screen in front of the Wemco. This screen has 5 discharges, floating gangue to waste, "sink" product to mill, water to wash sump, dilute media to dilute sump, circulating media to densifier (the spiral classifier to the right of the vibratory screen). The densifier further splits off the circulating media into thickened media and more dilute media. The sumps are the boxy hopper looking things you encountered on the ground floor. The circulating media from the densifier simply gets sent from its sump right back to the Wemco, but the dilute media is sent through a magnetic separator (possibly the big box thing that you first saw to your right as you came in) which recovers the rest of the ferrosilicate, which then goes through a demagnetizing coil before rejoining the rest of the media at the Wemco. About one pound of media is lost for every ton of ore processed.
On the platform at the very top where the conveyors come in from the crushed ore bin are a set of water washed vibratory screens, but these are before the ferrosilicate is added and I think what these were doing is simply sizing out ore from gangue. I'm not 100% sure, but I think because Galena is quite a "friable" ore, it probably arrived at the DMS plant slightly smaller than some of the gangue, so this larger gangue got separated out first. The gangue then drops into the spiral classifier below to dewater it before sending it out on the conveyor to the waste pile. Meanwhile the ore that "passes" the screen feeds into the Wemco.
The DMS process is basically the modern successor to the jig, in that it achieves the purpose of separating out some of the waste material from the higher grade ore, but is obviously considerably more sophisticated. I don't know if you noticed the big permanent magnets over the feed conveyor, but the reason for those is to catch tramp metal from the crusher, because they didn't want that stuff ending up damaging the magnetic separator. The shelving full of random nuts and bolts, and even a ball mill ball, is I think actually all tramp metal that was "recovered"... the ball would've been spat out of the dry ball mill in the crushing plant, and made it through the tertiary jaw crusher, probably destroyed the face plates on it.
The Italian labels on the motor control panels, "separatore magnetico" = magnetic separator, "addensatore ferro silicio" = ferrosilicate densifier, "bobina demagnetizzante" = demagnetizer coil, "pompa di ricupero" = recovery pump, "pompa verticale" = vertical pump, was what helped put things together, so thank you for taking the extra time to film some of that!
Edited to update: Also on second evaluation that crushing plant is quite a bit more complex than I'd previously noticed. There's a jaw crusher, a gyratory crusher (which seems to be disconnected from the circuit, so probably from an older configuration), a cone crusher, a hammer mill (I actually recognize this one, a Loro & Parisini M66), a dry ball mill, and a secondary jaw crusher, so, 6 types of crusher, basically a crusher emporium! I think originally there would've been a vertical bucket conveyor taking ore from the Dillon screen up to the gyratory crusher, which would've fed back onto the screen, but this was superseded by a more modern cone crusher that they installed outside.
The flow process in the crushing section goes:
Bin -> grizzly -> oversize into jaw crusher -> dry ball mill --------------------¬
|----> undersize into log-washer ------------------> | Dillon triple deck screen |
| |-------> top screen -----------------------------------------------------------------------> tertiary jaw crusher -¬
|----> wash to thickener |-------> middle screen -----------------------------> hammer mill ------¬ |
|-------> bottom screen ----------> cone crusher ---------¬ | |
| | |-------------------------> vibratory screen
| | under | | over
|------> pass-through into bottom hopper ----------> high grade conveyor to bin low grade conveyor to bin
Evidently they were REALLY serious about not over-treating the ore, it seems they wanted to make absolutely sure that each particle size fraction was separated out and went through the exact most efficient crusher type for the size, and then that ONLY high grade ore went through the mill with as little gangue as physically possible. I'm actually not sure if all this sophistication is evidence of a highly profitable operation, or the necessities of declining ore quality. Whatever the case, "huge" is definitely the correct adjective, I'd estimate easily 1000 tons per day. This is an extremely impressive mill that it seems is still technologically "current", minus computerization of course.
Christ on a bike, thats a deep dive into the subject you researched and typed out for everyone elses benefit.. not seeing any likes or comments to your shit here so let me be the first to say thanks for the time and effort you put into explaining all that shit. Its hella intriguing and interesting how all that motherfuckin shit works, all cool as fuck innovation and ingenuity from a bunch of mining ass motherfuckers.. Glad for the miners gettin their mine on for the holes they leave for everyone else to explore later and speculate until someone comes along to dispel all the speculation with some really detailed and factual info.. Thanks again, random dude on the internet for the time and effort you spent breakin this crazy ass shit down for curious motherfuckers like me, I appreciate it even if no one else does.
I know I am 5 years late to the party, but I just had to say thank you. This is one amazing explore. What a time capsule you documented. Love your stuff. Again, thank you!
Its amazing the mines u find glad u make these videos another great work as always stay safe and keep them coming
Thank you!
Enjoyed the continuation of this explore! Loved the sheep parade!! Thanks for taking us along!!
Thank you for coming along. Haha, yes, the sheep parade was a nice bonus.
Love seeing the sheep come running up and stop right in front of him
I'm still amazed how intact things are. Great to see! Maybe there were plans of starting it back up at some point that has long passed. It's nice to see you got it before things really started falling apart. Another Great Video! Nice Work!
Wow Just amazing how much equipment is left at this mine. The scrap value of it alone must be in the 7 figures! Loved seeing this. Thanks for sharing another awesome mine exploration video. The heard of sheep was really cool as was seeing the old jeep!
Yes, I am blown away by how much stuff is at the Italian mines. Haha, yeah, I thought the sheep were an interesting touch...
I have serious doubts theres anywhere near 7 figures there but msbe the higher extremeties of 5 figures perhaps
I just discovered this video and it looked familiar but the advantage of being my age is that memory isn't as good as it once was so all of your videos are new to me once again especially if I fail to check the 'like' thumbs up. Pretty cool tour. Now I'll see which other videos I've forgotten. I don't have to wait until Wednesday to see something new!
Haha, I'm glad you can enjoy the videos all over again!
As a self-employed welder/fabricator (among other things) i look at all those old trucks and just dream of rebuilding the engines and getting them going again, perhaps modding them into portable cranes or whatever. The conveyors and support structure represent a huge resource of c-channel, angle iron, sheet steel, steel boxes, etc to use to build new stuff. And with a good plasma cutter alot of the rusting otherwise useless structure could be cut away and scrapped. The solid buildings repurposed into workshops, etc.
Kind of amazing to see it all just sitting there and rusting away, huh? I'm surprised nothing was done with all of that as well.
Loved the musical sheep!
What a bonus!
Haha, yes, that was a pleasant surprise.
Your assessment of the overall flow of the mill is pretty well spot-on.
Ha, that's a first!
WOW! The crystals!! That skeleton has been there for a long long time. That mill is huuuuggggeeee! Really fascinating.
As I raise Suri alpacas, I was particularly interested in the sheep, wondering their breed, to have that sort of fleece on them. I also LOVED all the sheep bells jingling.
Haha, that was unexpected, but, I loved that experience too!
The sheep breed is literally called "Sardinian" and they're primarily kept for their milk.
Interesting to note, the lambs are given smaller bells making a slightly higher pitched ring, so as to differentiate them from the ewes.
Mind blowing how much equipment was left behind there, even back then in used and better condition, surely it would have been worth money to sell on again rather than leave to rust away. Seems such a waste to me :( great bit of exploring, loved watching it, thanks for sharing it with us all!
Thank you. Yes, as we've discussed before, we are frequently stunned by some of the equipment that is left behind. In this case, it seems even more exceptional as this is not in some remote location where it would be difficult to remove the equipment, but very close to a main road. Most of the equipment could have easily been driven out of there.
I think in many cases these mines were never really "closed for good" but rather mothballed during a slump. This particular mine closed in 88 which is right after a pretty substantial commodities crash, so they were probably hoping for the prices to recover, but they didn't come back up until about the early 2000s. By that time, the mine and mill would've become an expensive restoration project to return to production, so it's likely the owners simply lacked the capital to get it going again, or underground reserves were not in a quantity sufficient to justify the cost. So at that point really the only thing to do is sell the property, and the scrap value of the mill would probably be worth keeping in place to "sweeten the deal" or maybe to hold in reserve to liquidate in future.
@@bulletz9280 I think those are all reasonable assumptions and I actually appreciate your speculation as it helped me understand how something like this happens.. Thanks for the insight and interesting perspective. Good shit there.
The size of that mill and the equipment shows how much was mined there, I'm surprised you haven't found more mining operations to go with it.
Well, I think those adits we found went in quite a way originally. Also, there was that huge open pit component.
You could be correct about the adits leading to a large underground operation, the pit size doesn't seem to justify the expenditure even as large as it is. They weren't mining high value products like gold, which would cover the costs easily. There must be alot underground that you just couldn't get too.
New subscriber. Way cool keep up the videos. Much enjoyed. Thank you for a glimpse into yesteryear.
Thank you for the comment and for coming along!
the front end loaders all appear to be Caterpillar 966 Models. The cement mixer at 31:15 looks vary similar to a model that Mack Trucks used to make what's unique about that one is that it has a pump equipped to it to pump cement up to higher platforms on construction sights. I would almost have a feeling that this plant may have not only been a mine but also a cement plant as well being that Florid is added to cement as a binder.
The two shown at 21:16 look to be Fiat-Allis with what's left of a Cat next to them. Perhaps a smaller older model. The "half cab" truck at the end looks a lot like a CCC (Crane Carrier) design, perhaps licensed by Astra.
@@diecastmania the half cab could have been anything I suppose a crane, drilling rig, or a gradual?? Like wise remember Mack Trucks producing a similar truck in the 70's early 80's with an 8 yard mixing drum on them. I worked for a company that had 2 or 3 of them up in their bone yard being used as parts donors for R model Mack's. We also had a few old Mack B's in the bone yard as well.
Hey Justin. That mine is like an abandon city, huge. Throughout the video, the constant bird songs
in the background kept stopping me from paying attention. It was so nice. There aren't to many
birds here in eastern Maryland. The birds bring me back to my families farms in Oregon
Thank you for the very nice video, I really enjoyed it. Ody Slim
Yes, it is more like a small community than a mine! I didn't notice the birds in the background when I was there, but I enjoyed hearing them when I was editing the video.
The birds here are so lost. Their chirp sounds like car alarms!
Thank you for sharing your adventures!
I really enjoyed this tour with you and you move your camera slow to follow so exciting
Another great video. Thanks for showing us another interesting place that we otherwise would never see. I was going to say that the mill at 25:15 is probably a rod mill (based on its shape)..........but then I saw what appears to be a ball from a ball mill (that you pointed out) on the far side of the gaping rust hole in the floor at 27:07.....
I wondered about all the green grass around the mine sight as it is unusual to see any green around a mine out in the desert but after seeing the flooded adits right on the surface, I see why. What a neat place. It must be a fairly hidden place as so much equipment is still there. Great video, as usual.
Yes, those adits were putting out a lot of water, to be sure. Also, Sardinia has the Mediterranean climate, so it gets a lot of rain in the winter. The island itself is not heavily populated and so I think that helps protect a lot of these sites (unlike abandoned mines in Southern California, for example).
Another great video, thanks for sharing.
Just an FYI, at the start of the video that is a track loader / crawler loader, depending on what you want to call it, not a bulldozer. Appears to be a mid 80's Fiat-Allis FL6, could be wrong as the undercarriage appears to be wrong for that model. Betting that would still run as they did put a can over the exhaust to keep rain out.
Thank you.
Wow I'm amazed all the dumpers trucks muckers machinerary wasn't sold scraped wen this mine finished up. Just sitting there to rot. As said in last video the Italians don't have that scrapper mentality or were they that profitable they just walked away. But there something beautiful watching nature take back wat man made cool explore as usual look forward to nxt adventure.👍☘🇮🇪
I was pretty surprised to see it all there too. For our sake, I'm glad they don't have the scrapper mentality and that the owners didn't sell off the equipment though... As you know, it isn't often one would come across a site like this elsewhere.
I'm actually inclined to think that it went the other way round, they started out mining underground and then stoped through to the surface, forming a gunnis. Cross cuts likely revealed that the mineralisation in this area was a rich stockwork, not unusual in this kind of metamorphosed sedimentary rock, so they simply opened the gunnis out into a quarry. That would imply that almost the entirety of the opened out area here was basically paydirt, which is pretty incredible.
Looked like a Cone Crusher before you showed the big Jaw Crusher... this was one heck of an operation that you found. Good Job i really enjoy your Videos ! Next time your in the Mohave County AZ area hit me up i know of some old mines.
Thank you. Yes, I was thinking it was probably a cone crusher, but I usually avoid speculating so that I don't look foolish in front of a knowledgeable audience. Given the complexity of mining and mining equipment, it is easy to be wrong! I appreciate the offer.
Looks as if a major highway was built near by and this facility made the concrete to build the highway with the cement trucks are there. Just a thought.
Be safe exploring!!
Your content is awesome! Keep it up and stay safe! 👍👍
Thank you!
Thanks TVR for the excellent treks and placing yourself in harms way, for our viewing pleasure. How you say?........Felice Halloweenie?
I appreciate the support. Thanks for coming along with me! Haha, I'm not sure about "Happy Halloween" in Italian. I'll have to ask my wife...
That Fiat in the beginning is an old Fiat Campagnola. Great sturdy armed service vehicles made from 1950's through the 70's iirc.
Thank you. I thought that was pretty awesome...
So much stuff left. Does someone still own the property and stuff. ??
So cute the sheep. LOL You can’t go but what others say. I was told that on one of the islands 🌴 they had real rude people in the stores. So, I went in and didn’t talk. Just smiled. Omg, they were so friendly. I felt bad I judged someone by what someone else said.
The sheep were a nice touch! I've learned that other people's impressions very rarely match my own. That's something I see a lot with my work in war zones too. The impression we get from reading the papers or watching the news is often very different from the reality on the ground. I've seen reporters wildly sensationalize events I covered as well and you'd think we were talking about different planets.
Where did they get the power to run all that equipment, and how did they get all that equipment up there to begin with.
When those Woolies came streaming down the hill... 😄
That was an awesome moment.
Very cool. One massive operation. Looks to be a concrete plant operation on the back of a mining operation?
Yes, there is an aggregates/concrete operation behind the mill that exists solely off of the waste rock from the mine.
That was a very big operation ! Probably employed hundreds of people !
Like so many others here I think about how much of a waste there is at this place, but you have to consider that the main bean counters figured it would cost more to do anything with it than they could get out of it ! Still seems a shame to see so much stuff just rusting away ! If I was the one walking around there...... would probably be a few tears in my eyes thinking about all the things that could be reused....... and are not !
Thanks for sharing and take care. 👍 👍
I would bring a battery with me and try to turn over the starter motors of some of these trucks. With a bit of care i think the ones in best condition could run again.
What i dont understand is why all that steel is not cut up and recycled. Probably thousands of € in scrap value.
Yes, we're frequently amazed by how much equipment is left behind. It's not like this is some remote location where it would be incredibly difficult to remove the equipment. Much of it could have been easily driven away from this mine! And, yes, this was a large operation. I believe your estimate of hundreds of people is exactly right.
Simon Tay I had the same impression. I think at least several of those could be fired up again.
The "trommel" you saw at the end of the big mill is a vacuum separator the dewatering the concentrate before they dump it in those round storage bins. Also they arent silos. Silos are only for silage.
The screws are oversize classifiers to send the stuff that isnt ground enough back into the ball mill.
The apparatus that you showed at 28:36 is a pair of shaker table classifiers. The crushed material is washed over the perforated tables as they're mechanically shook. You can see the spring mountings, allowing the tables to move. The size of the holes in the tables determines what's classified out.
Thanks for adding that detail. There was so much going on there that I'm sure I missed a ton of stuff.
Always amazing how they left behind so much valuable equipment ... just walked away mid crush. What happened? Did the bottom fall out of the market and intentions were to come back but never did. Lots of money invested and lost. Sad.
Laurie James totally agree, to think of how much $ went into just building the infrastructure of this operation! But.. if a corporation puts that much $ into it I’m sure they got the $ back out of it! And all that stuff left behind would cost the corporation more money to sell off or recycle you can try to imagine how much $ they made off the mine! I imagine that if I was to be losing $ and not made back my investment, I would be selling things off all I could to make my $ back... as long as it doesn’t cost me more then to just junk it... economics... an intricate maze I don’t understand
Yes, we're frequently amazed by how much equipment is left behind. It's not like this is some remote location where it would be incredibly difficult to remove the equipment. Much of it could have been easily driven away! I'm not sure why this particular mine closed down as I was unable to find much on the history of it (the Italians still don't post a lot of documents online). However, yes, I suspect that commodity prices fell too low or perhaps the deposits were simply worked out.
Maybe the boss died and either there was no one to continue operations, or they fought about the ownership until it all rusted away.
24:50 those are v-belts. They're used to connect conveyor head drive motors to the gear reducer boxes that drive the head pulley itself.
nice rock. Looks good a nuff to rework
Can you imagine what that mill complex must have cost to build and what it took to put it together? Wow!
Oh, man, it must have cost an absolute fortune...
Given that that big machine was beside a ball mill i beleive it is a torit type extractor. They are specialized in dealing with extremely fine dust. The dust settles to the bottom of the chutes and it quite common to see them double banked like that.
That Bulldozer setup looks like a crude early version of a Tunneling Jumbo.
the crystals are probably some form of gypsum.
I bet that was a very loud place to work ,lol . Thanks for all the great videos , I am so jealous of you , BE SAFE .
Thank you. Haha, yes, I would imagine that this was an EXTREMELY noiy place to work!
It's vuggy quartz with manganese stain, this is where you find your gold.
Nice to see for the second time I am like you to use the bulldozer for two uses. Can you think how much trouble 🤔 it would be just to replace a belt
Seems like way more trouble than it's worth...
was waking from my nap when i heard the Sheep 🔔 and seen them walking down the trail, thought i woke up in the promise land 🙂
are you in sardinia ? as a native i think that i have recognized the place :D. at 0:50 it's a FIAT "campagnola" that was the jeep of Italian armed forces in the past, there was a version equipped with 105mm recoilless cannon too. my dad use this during the service in police in the '60, they use them to patrol the mountains against kidnapping gangs.. bad times !
Not a bulldozer. A “ track loader” if it had wheels it would be a wheel loader
I second that. It's A track loader!
@@Imageloading... I don't think you have any mobile equipment experience.
Thank you for the correction. So, what's a bulldozer then? And I'm asking sincerely, not being snarky.
@@TVRExploring A bulldozer has a blade for cutting and pushing material. The operator can set blade elevation, angle, and tilt - I'm not a dozer operator, so I'm not familiar with the control scheme. A loader has a bucket with a cutting edge or teeth (for loose material and shot rock respectively), and is intended to dig, carry, and load material. Controls are limited to boom up/down, and bucket curl/uncurl. I'm partial to 4-in-1/joystick loader controls, but some operators prefer twin levers. Joysticks are more common on utility equipment like skid-steer loaders and CAT 924-size wheel loaders, that are used for utility tasks. Big stuff in the CAT 990 or Komatsu WA600 size range tends to use levers; it only loads trucks so ultra-precise bucket control is not as necessary. Precision is the name of the game when cleaning up around belts and mill equipment!
I've worked at mines with wheel loaders, tracked dozers, track loaders, and wheel dozers. The last two are much less common, but are still seen quite a bit.
A Bulldozer has a blade almost purely for pushing. It can have tracks or wheels. That track loader has a bucket and was originally designed for loading material into, say, a truck. As an aside, if it has tracks and its power goes mainly into traction, it's a (track-type) tractor, whether it has a blade or not.
I have no idea what all the things are. Super cool stuff though. Look, look, look, what's that? Look a row of muck things.
I didn't comment when this one came out. Hubby has seen me watch all your videos. He saw this one come up as next on the TV. We have Netflix and I'm not logged in to RUclips on the TV. So he hit play. I heard you start talking. Next thing I know, we're both standing at the TV looking at the Fiat things.
Thanks for another video!! And taking us along.
Haha, yes, I don't know how much of it worked either or what it is called, but I still thought it was interesting too! Thank you for coming along on this one as well. I appreciate the comment and the support.
Your CCD has dust on it. I’ve noticed this in several of your daytime videos. There are two specs of dust in the bottom right quadrant of your CCD.
If your mirrorless camera lets you pull the lens, you can clean it using some special CCD cleaner. There are a ton of them out there if you search for it.
I’ve had to do that with my cameras from time to time. Makes a huge difference.
Thank you. The model I use for exploring mines doesn't allow me to pull the lens. Given the destruction rate on cameras in abandoned mines, there is no way I am using my fancy mirrorless camera in the mud, wet and dust of abandoned mines. So, I use the Sony RX100s at a rate of about one per season. The camera that I shot this video with died a watery death a long time ago after we (the camera and I) took a dunking in a mine.
TVR Exploring I’ve noticed that the newish ones don’t have that dust in them.
I guess a camera every year is the cost of the hobby... :-)
I love it. The first sheep stops and looks like"Who the hell are you?"
Haha! Yeah, I thought that was pretty funny too. "Who the hell's this guy? This isn't part of the routine."
There must have been a huge number of people running this place in its hay day. I don't think I've ever seen an operation that big before. If that were in the US, the scrappers would have stripped that place to the foundations by now, amazing that doesn't happen there. I wonder, have you ever considered going to a fully operational mine and getting a tour just so we can see how it all works in real time. That would certainly be an interesting video.
Yes, this place was enormous, to be sure. And, yes, in the U.S., there would be practically nothing left of it. If you go back a couple of videos to the "Rogue Miner's Mine" you'll see a tour of a working mine by the miner that owns it...
Those sheep were surprised to see you there. LOL
LOL! Yes, they were! To be fair, I was surprised too...
TVR discovers a Fiat Drill at 1:30 ! My older brother was in the U.S Air Force during the Cold War . He was stationed in Italy for 18 months , he did some traveling on his days off . He saw a lot of stuff and brought back many 35mm Photos . He had pictures of old Italian Jet Fighters . Yes you guessed it . He was excited when he told me the Jets were Fiats ! ....... 9:25 The Bones from Monty + the Holy Grail ?. I bet you wished that you had a Holy Hand grenade with you right about then ? Another great video
I didn't know that Fiat made jets. I would definitely share your brother's enthusiasm on that one.
Another awsome video, cant belive all that iron goes to waiste.
Yes, I was blown away by how much stuff was there...
I found one of those those trucks (Astra BM 304 F) for sale online as a 1983 model, so I would guess the mine operated until around that time
History channel attempted making another reality TV program/show (Edge of Alaska)about McCarthy and the mines.
Someone not from McCarthy wanted to open the mines and bring in tourists.
Awesome clips!!!
I wonder what kind of compressor arrangement was used with the drill on the track loader. It wouldn't surprise me if they just trailered a diesel compressor behind it. Any air systems on the loader would not have supplied anywhere near enough flow to run the drill, even if the pressure was sufficient.
I was wondering that too. Whatever they did, it must have been a somewhat awkward arrangement...
Seeing how that's a remote part of Italy I would not want to look to close as to what is in those barrels or whom is in those barrels.
Indeed, sometimes it is better to not look into things TOO carefully.
I found an old welded up deep freezer in the root cellar of an old farm house in rural NW Colorado back in the early 2000s. I never got an oppourtunity to open it.
I was a sheep shearer in a previous career, so I was a little disappointed in your lack of coverage of the sheep angle! Lol
How terribly inconsiderate of me to neglect the pro-sheep demographic in my audience...
Thank you,Fantastic.73s
You are the 1st person I have ever heard pronounce Fiat as Fee-It. I have always heard it pronounced like Fee-Ott. I had a little blue Fiat 500 I called Blau Punkt (Blue Dot in German). Only car of my 81 vehicles I ever named.
The "proper" Italian pronunciation sounds like a hybrid of "Fee-It" and "Fi-Ott." I can't possibly replicate it despite my Italian exposure. "Fee-Ott" is probably closer to the right way to say it, but I was feeling ambitious that day. The Fiat 500s are awesome little cars. 81 vehicles is a hell of a collection...
20:09 that is a cone crusher. They are typically used in secondary or tertiary crushing applications, before either milling, in metal operations, or screening/washing, in aggregates. I'm responsible for three of them.
I thought that was a cone crusher, but I've learned to not speculate as, invariably, I will be mistaken about whatever it is I am discussing. I know you will come in and drop the facts, so I leave the expertise up to you!
About to check their mine looks like that Dozer could have fit inside of it with that drill on the side of it
Amazing amount of scrap iron needing recycling.
Where is the mine? How did you not include the location in all that text
I bet that crusher made some noise.. Probably deafening.. Great video
I can't imagine how loud that would have been.
Hard to believe so many large vehicles and pieces of equipment are just left setting there.
I've seen that at almost all of the mines in Italy. They just don't seem to have the culture of "collectors" or scrappers taking stuff...
Do you speak some Italian to be able to communicate with the shepherd? Or did he speak English? That was a little scary when that whole flock was headed straight toward you. I guess they know where the water is though, in front of that portal, and just came for a drink. Do you know any other languages? -- My uneducated guess would be the mining operation started out with the adits. Then maybe they realized the ground was too unstable and dangerous, prone to collapse, so switched to quarry mining, and dug out that valley. On video those crystals looked soft and fuzzy :> It looks like besides mining the minerals they also ran a concrete operation there, which might have been an addition after they started quarry mining. Isn't that what is still in operation across the way, a construction aggregate or concrete plant?
Haha, it wasn't the smoothest conversation. He didn't speak any English and my Italian is pretty rough, but between that and a lot of hand gestures, we were able to communicate reasonably well. Fortunately, he didn't start talking about particle physics. Then we would have had a problem. Yes, I also had the impression that the adits came first and were followed by the open pit method when that type of work became more economical. And, yes, that was indeed an aggregates operation nearby. They exist solely off of the waste rock from the mine.
Wow, that first vehicle you show at 0:17 is a Fiat Campagnola. Its an Italian military vehicle made from 1951-73. I wonder what a military vehicle is doing at the mine?
What kind of camera are you using ?
If you look in the description below the video, I've got a link to all of the equipment I use.
Where is this my located and what part of the world or state or country it just doesn't look like it's anywhere in the United States maybe you can shed some light on this beautiful country the surroundings
This is on the island of Sardinia in Italy.
That a WWII Fiat? haha thought it was a cobbled together old Dodge I love old Iron.. Another good video...
Thank you. Haha, I loved that old Fiat...
The drive mechanism For the drill is hydraulic not pneumatic
The Fiat "Jeep" was the 60's Italian army version of the US army M38a1 - M151 type military jeep called a Fiat Campqgnola, produced from 1951-1973.
My uncle Henri had one in Algeria.
Well, I've become a fan of them. I'm assuming Henri was in the military and, if so, he must have some very interesting stories if he was in Algeria fighting the FLN...
I would need a week there
The Sheep with The Golden Fleece!
I wonder if that track loader is salvageable. It wouldn't surprise me, it doesn't seem too bad a shape
We've got operating equipment at our mine that doesn't look much better. Replace the belts and hoses, top off fluids, and inspect wiring for rodent damage, and it will probably run just fine.
It wouldn't surprise me either. I have the impression that a lot of that equipment is still salvageable.
@@TVRExploring if you know the land owner, ask him if you can tinker with some of the machines. It might actually get you some $😄
when was this shut down? all the tires have air in them
I don't know exactly. Some locals suggested the 1990s.
Where is this or where about? Good lookin area
This is in Sardinia.
May have started as a mine site, they then turned it into a "batch plant" for making concrete.
True... That is likely what happened.
Good work, please keep a eye out for a good looking geologist sidekick that could articulate the processes and mineral types. Not to take anything from your endeavor, I really enjoy!
If you find any candidates, send 'em my way!
That mechine is actually called a Track Loader
But ya that is really wierd having a drill attached to the side of it.
Shawn Hammack
Was going to mention the same thing, and the reason the distinction is important is because a track loader lifts much higher then a bulldozer which would making using the drill understandable because of the hight being able to be obtained when using the loader
Interesting crystals
Pretty unique for my limited experience...
Amazing 👍
I just wanna make it all run again!!!
That would be awesome to see it all running again.
Have you still to go into that flooded adit? The one at the end of the last video? Or is that still to come? Do you ever travel to the UK? Love your work, man. Keep it up.
No, I could see that it was crushed down about one hundred feet back or so... This is the last video in this series for now. I wouldn't mind coming back to this site though as there was more stuff over the ridge and - if I had some time and some help - it would be nice to drain that flooded adit we came across in the first video enough to get in. Given the size of the operation, it must be enormous. I do travel to the UK and lived there for several years. I even have British citizenship since my mother was born in the UK. However, I have not explored any mines yet in the UK. I'd love to meet up with Cornish Mine Explorer or some other locals to do so, but it just hasn't happened yet. My impression is that the UK would be a difficult one to do alone as local knowledge of sites seems essential.
TVR Exploring ah yes I see now. You showed the collapse in this video. Well I am in Scotland near Glasgow, so if you're ever around here to visit mines, I would love to tag along if that's ok.
That black band through that quartz is probably hematite. It's commonly referred to as gossan.
Thank you.
Wow how neat
Why did the mine close for
Wild heard
Is this in USA??
Sardinia.
That jeep is a Fiat Campagnola. Really cool off road vehicle that was inspired by willy's. A later version would be used as the pope mobile.
I would love to have one...
That dozer is like a old jumbo drill
Yes, it really is...
Exactly at 9:33 look at the bottom left inside what looks to be a skull maybe a rat or something its eyes shined against the light
It's a Traskivator ?? not a Bulldozer, love your vids how many $ would you think is laying around there even as scrap unbelievable waste
Oh, I have no idea how much $ the abandoned equipment is worth, but certainly a fair amount!
"Traxcavator" was a brand name originally owned by International Harvester for their models of track loaders.
FIAT FIX IT AGAIN TONY!!!