Hard Level Gill plant June 1977 photo

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Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

Having done a bit of delving and found some information on Swaledale Museum's very useful photo archive, can anyone confirm that the equipment to the right of the Albion lorry is a log washer? I've not found any images that are similar but the annotations indicate that one was on site.

Photograph:

🔗117832[linkphoto]117832[/linkphoto][/link]

The image is only low res so not very clear.

Better still would anyone know what happened to it? It looks quite new in 1977 and doesn't seem to be there in JFM's 1988 photo and Swaledale Mines Limited don't give the impression of a company that would squander money.

Jim

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legendrider
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6 years ago

No, but thanks for sharing the pic.

The van on the left looks to me like a Commer, I'm sure Sinker can confirm the model :thumbup:

Still doing my 'loft safari' searching for more pics!

MARK

festina lente[i]

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

Thanks Mark,

I suspect more nuggets, small or otherwise, will turn up both in the loft and in respect to some of the small scale 1950's - 80's reworking stuff that went on.

According to the photo notes in the museum the Davison jig came from Settlingstones and they got a Lister single cylinder engine, for water supply, from Beever, I may have a photo of remaining bits of that, a crusher from Carrock Fell and possible the log washer was from Greenside Lead mine, what a collection.

As an edit ps the notes do say a Commer Karrier to power the jig as the Albion was too powerful!

Jim

Boy Engineer
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6 years ago

Jim,
The bits on the right look like flotation cells. Am I looking in the correct place?
Nick

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

Hi Nick,

You're looking at the right place.

I've re-read the photo notes and it does seem that they acquired a "4 Denver(?) flotation cell" from Greenside but it also mentions a log washer which, at least superficially, looks like the equipment in the photo. The notes are also low res and difficult to read in places. Do you know how the flotation cell(s) would fit into the processing system?

Am I wrong in thinking, based on BM 100 comments, that the Davison jig would do something similar?

Jim

sinker
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6 years ago

"legendrider" wrote:

The van on the left looks to me like a Commer, I'm sure Sinker can confirm the model :thumbup:

MARK

Cool photo. SUPER cool van with a super cool name.
It's a Commer Walk-Thru. Hard to say which model exactly without seeing the rear wheel/axle but it looks like the heavier duty 3t model. Lovely :wub:

Yma O Hyd....

Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

6 years ago

MARK

Oh the joy of specialist knowledge!

staffordshirechina
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6 years ago

"sinker" wrote:

"legendrider" wrote:

The van on the left looks to me like a Commer, I'm sure Sinker can confirm the model :thumbup:

MARK

Cool photo. SUPER cool van with a super cool name.
It's a Commer Walk-Thru. Hard to say which model exactly without seeing the rear wheel/axle but it looks like the heavier duty 3t model. Lovely :wub:

I know it had a Perkins P4 or 4203 engine, as we looked at it, with a view.... At the time I had a Land Rover that I had fitted the same engine.

Boy Engineer
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6 years ago

Jim,
It’s defo the Denver 4 cell unit then. You can see the impeller drive arrangements above each cell (motor at back generally driving the impeller shaft pulley by multiple vee belts. I’m no mineral processing engineer (wait for confirmatory comments about mining from others) but think the jigs would be handling much larger material. Think the jigs were not so good at splitting minerals with similar densities, whereas the right choice of flotation chemicals could handle this. Best ask a min process eng though for the truth!

John Lawson
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6 years ago

#10

Hi Jim,
Your aquired photo has interested a lot of us!
Thinking back to Force Crag, the last company floated their zinc concentrate off the Barytes, feed stock.
It would be no doubt beneficial if The sphalerite could be separated from the Barytes, hence, in my opinion the potential use of the floatation plant.
Regards, John

Jim MacPherson
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Newbie Topic Starter

6 years ago

#11

"Boy Engineer" wrote:
Jim,
It’s defo the Denver 4 cell unit then. You can see the impeller drive arrangements above each cell (motor at back generally driving the impeller shaft pulley by multiple vee belts. I’m no mineral processing engineer (wait for confirmatory comments about mining from others) but think the jigs would be handling much larger material. Think the jigs were not so good at splitting minerals with similar densities, whereas the right choice of flotation chemicals could handle this. Best ask a min process eng though for the truth!

Thanks Nick,

Suggests it was a bit more sophisticated an operation than the Swaledale Museum notes indicated.

Out of interest do you know a conveniently available process engineer?

Jim

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

#12

"John Lawson" wrote:
Hi Jim,
Your aquired photo has interested a lot of us!
Thinking back to Force Crag, the last company floated their zinc concentrate off the Barytes, feed stock.
It would be no doubt beneficial if The sphalerite could be separated from the Barytes, hence, in my opinion the potential use of the floatation plant.
Regards, John

Hi John,

It's always fascinating what still lurks, mustily, in the corners of museums, estate archives county record offices and libraries. I blame my Dad!!

Jim

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

#13

"staffordshirechina" wrote:

"sinker" wrote:

"legendrider" wrote:

The van on the left looks to me like a Commer, I'm sure Sinker can confirm the model :thumbup:

MARK

Cool photo. SUPER cool van with a super cool name.
It's a Commer Walk-Thru. Hard to say which model exactly without seeing the rear wheel/axle but it looks like the heavier duty 3t model. Lovely :wub:

I know it had a Perkins P4 or 4203 engine, as we looked at it, with a view.... At the time I had a Land Rover that I had fitted the same engine.

Hi Les,

By chance did anyone take a photo or two?

Jim

legendrider
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Newbie

6 years ago

#14

"sinker" wrote:

"legendrider" wrote:

The van on the left looks to me like a Commer, I'm sure Sinker can confirm the model :thumbup:

MARK

Cool photo. SUPER cool van with a super cool name.
It's a Commer Walk-Thru. Hard to say which model exactly without seeing the rear wheel/axle but it looks like the heavier duty 3t model. Lovely :wub:

Walk-Thru - love it! :thumbsup:

The contraption on the RHS does look like a 4-cell flotation bank, whereas log washers are typically long troughs or cylinders.

Edit:

[photo]117833[/photo]

MARK

festina lente[i]

staffordshirechina
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Newbie

6 years ago

#15

"Jim MacPherson" wrote:

Hi Les,

By chance did anyone take a photo or two?

Jim

Hi Jim,

Sadly I wasn't into photos then. I would be surprised if Harry Parker didn't take one? Maybe he never went there.

Les

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

#16

"staffordshirechina" wrote:

"Jim MacPherson" wrote:

Hi Les,

By chance did anyone take a photo or two?

Jim

Hi Jim,

Sadly I wasn't into photos then. I would be surprised if Harry Parker didn't take one? Maybe he never went there.

Les

Thanks Les,

I don't think there were any in the 300 or so photos Dave Williams sent me a couple of years ago but I'll have another look later. I'll also have another look through Raistrick's book on the area as Harry (looking quite svelte - early 1960's perhaps?) took many of them.

Jim

John Lawson
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6 years ago

#17

Hi Les & Jim,
I can categorically tell you Harry knew the Hard Level Gill area very well!
Certainly as far as I know he never went into this mine although I know he went into the nearby Spencer level.
I am pretty sure that I have seen pics by HMP when he showed me some of the area,I would think that if you contact the PDMHS chairman, Mike Luff then he should be able to confirm this fact
On reflection Mike himself might have pictures of this dressing plant. Regards, John

Jim MacPherson
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6 years ago

#18

Hi John,

There is a photo of Harry posing, heroically, outside Spence Level in Raistrick's book and several other Harry snaps of mines in and around Hard Level Gill. I may well ask Mike as I haven't got the companion volume on the smelt mills. Mike did say that Harry's annotations were problematic and it's a very large archive, which was one reason Dave Williams sent me the batch of photos to look through.

Jim