If someone else claims to have used it first, I will drop the "Fellows" bit.
I have been pondering on Talybont Mine. Since stripping out all of the timber, well almost all, and concreting it all, the dry rot is a non issue. But ladders!

I have done some work which entailed stripping out 2 short ladders, one of which was dismantled with light karate such was the extent of the rot, and replacing them with steel honeycomb steps and a short ladder made up from angle.

Very simple, the rungs were 12mm all thread with steel tube, actually cut from old galvanised tent poles, as spacers. I was so impressed I decided to use the same methodology for longer ladders of 10 feet designed to bolt together.

I have just made one up and assembled it at home. Although designed to be fixed in situ with brackets which will add extra support, it easily takes my weight without.

I deliberately used overlong all thread lengths as it is to fit into a corner and I can use this to give standoff or attach brackets.

Below is the ladder disassembled.

🔗112126[linkphoto]112126[/linkphoto][/link]

Assembled

🔗112128[linkphoto]112128[/linkphoto][/link]

And with me on it. Disregard the Health and Safety work boots.

🔗112127[linkphoto]112127[/linkphoto][/link]

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Was there last Sunday. The steps and ladder are a joy - brilliant work. :thumbsup:

Not a bad design, easy to assemble in situ and pretty light for carrying. The angle probably flexes a little in use, T section would be stronger but twice the price I expect

Thanks for kind remarks.
Owt, the second ladder is rotten at the bottom on the right, this is the one next to the big area of mesh. This is what I will replace tomorrow.. You probably noticed fresh bits of concrete as well where I deepened the shaft slightly and also made up some new steps.

Somersetminer, I can climb the ladder and it flexes slightly, but I usually support ladders in the middle as well by brackets. That will take any flex out. I doubt if I will have it finished tomorrow though, as I will need to measure up for any extra supports and wont be able to do this until its in.

To be honest, I suppose that I have a bit of a hobby with the place, as with other places. I like messing underground, its fun.

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I snake charmer + 1 SRT rope, belays to a sky hook?
:lol:

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Roy

It's a smart home you've got! I hope that cladding is fireproof.

Jon

Its the 'outbuilding'.
Used to be a haulage contractors which I bought along with the bungalow.
Plenty room to store junk
:lol:

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Don't think they'd hold my weight too well - at a dainty 20st!!
Very similar ones were used by the Red Rose in the 40's, during the early exploration of the Lancaster Easegill system.
They had some very hairy moments, with them bending under load.
See Jim Eyre "The Cave Explorers" page 37 - 40.

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It will be supported in the middle by brackets, read what I say.
Oh dear

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I did read it.
I was merely pointing out that it was not an original idea.

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Looks very smart Roy!

I did build something myself that looks broadly similar (m12 thread run through pipe to make rungs with angle sides) and have seen the same again in Milwr. This is good because it proves the design! But not original I'm afraid. Not seen one as neat as yours though 🙂

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One of them is 🙂

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For what it's worth I do fixed ladders at work (mostly access systems for pipelay ships) with angle. A tad more brutal as I use 70x70x10 angle and the rungs are 25mm square bar welded in, but when you are 50m above the deck of a ship brutal is comforting. :)
My biggest worry would be the speed of the corrosion of the angle, worth giving it a coat of cold galvanising paint (proper stuff, not the dross you get at Halfrauds) in my humble opinion.

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Roy & gNick,
Your ladder looks not dissimilar to the welded ladders made by our friend, the engineer, behind the West Pasture entrance, Robert Bunting.
He knocked up a fair number of these lightweight affairs, the last one I can remember seeing was at the entrance to Bog Shaft, on Longcleugh Vein.
Where they were used to access it, from the stope below.

John I remember them well.

Anyway, the ladder is in and so current work in the shaft is completed with nothing else to see requiring any attention. The remaining two wooden ladders are sound, especially the one that was pre-treated.

"A dry, dusty old place" as one of the original digging team described it, I have no concerns about corrosion. Steel brackets put in in 2004-5 show no sign of rust. The bottom ladder though will have to be wooden as water comes down the footwall in that area and corrosion would certainly be an issue.

🔗112143[linkphoto]112143[/linkphoto][/link]

Note the fixing brackets, they are top, bottom, and central.

🔗112142[linkphoto]112142[/linkphoto][/link]

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Roy & gNick,
Your ladder looks not dissimilar to the welded ladders made by our friend, the engineer, behind the West Pasture entrance, Robert Bunting.
He knocked up a fair number of these lightweight affairs, the last one I can remember seeing was at the entrance to Bog Shaft, on Longcleugh Vein.
Where they were used to access it, from the stope below.

the Bunting ladders are still there, re-purposed after the stope ran in, blocking the route; the new route spans the void over the stope, reaching a large collapse chamber in Bogg Shaft with 2 huge pipes; a higher pipe tunnel off Bogg Shaft rejoins the original route via a SRT pitch.

[photo]29420[/photo]

Nice work, Roy, before I get too far off-topic!

MARK

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Thanks Mark.
Its very unusual for anywhere underground to be as dry as this place, many of you will be able to see it in 2019.
;D

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I had a go at making an electron ladder once by the 'pin and resin' method. My first attempt I must have not mixed the resin correctly as if you stood on one rung for long enough you could use it as a sort of slow descender. The second attempt was much better :)

Looks very good Roy.

the Bunting ladders are still there, re-purposed after the stope ran in, blocking the route; the new route spans the void over the stope, reaching a large collapse chamber in Bogg Shaft with 2 huge pipes; a higher pipe tunnel off Bogg Shaft rejoins the original route via a SRT pitch.


Nice work, Roy, before I get too far off-topic!

MARK

:offtopic: but...
Alas the Bunting ladders haven't been there for a couple of years, you could see a bit of one sticking through the collapse that brought them down but I don't remember seeing it the last time I was there. There is now a rebar pin traverse across the stope that was put in for NAMHO.

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