fredmason Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) I have a summer project going-bury the pool! Only a crazy 65 year old man would be doing this by hand but it must be done. My number one digging tool is the large Hermit pick...strong, pointy pick and a nice scoop works wonders prying rocks a moving the duff...I love my medium hermit pick for prospecting, however, the big jobs call for a king sized pick...the goal is to enlarge the drive way, fill the pool and then build a wall like the first picture...not as exciting as hunting gold but great exercise...hahafred Edited July 8, 2015 by fredmason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Furness Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Freddie ole boy ... you be a diggin fool ... all that wasted energy on the home project when if you really wanted to dig that much material you could have been in gold country with a drywasher! Mike F Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Fred, I'm tried from just looking at the photos!! I can dig like that all day long when looking for and finding gold and not be very worn out by the exertion, but when it's just work it wears me out! I hope you tested some of the "fill" before dumping it in the pool for GOLD!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy dog Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I hope you broke a hole through th bottom of the pool so it could leak out other wise if it rains enough then you get a huge quagmire almost as if it were quick sand mush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Fred: Your nuts! But in a good way.That's a lot of work...lot of exercise too.Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 I said I am crazy not stupid-of course I holed the bottom of the pool! Thanks for the reminder...i only put in about 3 hours a day then recuperate for the next 21 hours...being a drywaller I have always thought hard labor is "fun"...Seriously, I have had several prospecting picks and the Hermit Pick is the most efficient I have found...they are on Bill's Store site...fred 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micro Nugget Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Good job Fred! I've loved my Hermit pick too, albeit the medium one. But then several years ago I snagged one of the last Walco picks for sale in this country. That adjusted my attitude some. I love 'em both! Most recently I applied the Walco to dig up a broken pipe. Too hot for nugget shooting, so puttering in the yard passes the time while waiting for the desert to become a happy place again. See you "out there"when the time is right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Nice digs Fred! The Hermit is an awesome pick, used one for years. I've actually got two of them on hand, one is for garden/yard work the other is backup in case my Apex pick breaks. But that's not likely to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampstomper Al Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I've been looking at these five photos for two days now and it's sorta like looking at jigsaw puzzle pieces while not having the completed picture on the box top..Unless the driveway wall in the first pix either ends before reaching the house or widens out on the lower side, the only way I can see you getting all that dirt and block into the upper-side or back yard is by filling buckets n then either carrying them up or setting 'em on the steps & then filling another wheelbarrow for wheeling n dumping into the pool.. How in the heck are you moving that dirt..?Also, the first shot shows a somewhat steep driveway incline at the joint while the two other front shots show a smoother transition down and around where you're digging out.. Is that actually the case..? Because since you are adding driveway area, which I assume will be where the dirt removal is happening, does that mean all the cement pictured is part of the already existing driveway / parking area, with the sidewalk and little strip of grass between it and the curb behind you out of the pictures..?To me at least, it's really kind of mindbending trying to put together a completed picture of the property.. I'd have to guess the pool is in the upper side / side-back yard, the wooden fence joins to the upper brick wall -- and the back side of the pool shot slopes down to or is walled at an alley running behind the row of homes..And what IS the deal with the lower side yard..? The stone wall gives the impression it's along the edge your property line, but that can only be possible if the heavily sloped piece of driveway is already on your front-side yard, meaning a cemented area already extends beyond the lower corner of your home rather than ending at home's corner (which would the case with unmodified driveways for houses with attached garages..)Inquiring minds want to know -- or at least one does.. Thanks Fred,SA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted July 9, 2015 Author Share Posted July 9, 2015 Al; you must have driven your parents crazy with questions...I will elucidate, hopefully.The pool is in the front yard.The existing wall is on the south side of my driveway...I built that wall 20 years ago when there was still some stud-ly in me.Once I remove all the dirt I will build a new wall to retain the front and to match the driveway wall...this is a design as I go project...we will see.first pic looking up the drivewaysecond pic looking at area of work toward the south driveway wallthird pic from my front window showing part of area of work, my truck and the pool ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pairadiceau Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Claro Fred!Great view....Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Would hate to drop a nut or washer working in front of your garage.....its going a looooong way Tom H. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 Fred, what is going to happen to the pool area once it's filled in, patio, more parking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampstomper Al Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I have to admit I never even considered the pool being in the front yard..The shots from the bottom of the drive & out the front window explain much..Thanks Fred..SA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-2 Charlie Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 My bud wants his pool filled its against the law to just fill it , need permits and more then 15k close to 18k to remove and fill .And how many times have you chased drop items down the driveway comming home with groserys ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 i learned fairly quickly not to drop stuff...I dropped a ball once and never did catch up with it...Taking the rolling-trash cans down the driveway is fun too...fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDdesertman Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Fred, have you ever heard of teenagers? They are perfect for jobs like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Fred, have you ever heard of teenagers? They are perfect for jobs like that! I agree a whole lot of wasted energy there. now all you have to do is work on their attention span. Hmmmmm lets see there's no gold in the bottom of the hole and no keys to a new Corvette. OK never mind, that could end up more work than digging the hole.AzNuggetBob Edited July 11, 2015 by AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 First problem is getting those electronic gadgets out of their hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Fred what your doing is new to me?, I had pools growing up in cal. 3 of them but we never filled one with dirt? is that the latest thing to do with them or are you just making a detector test pit? AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Bob, with respect I don't think you are the judge of how profitable my energy use is, or how I use it........however, it is crazy!If I knew any teenagers that knew how to work I would hire them, most have never done anything but sit around playing games...Running an idiot-spoon and pick is not something you can learn on a video game...At 65 I can still work any teen I know into the ground!We don't use the pool since the grandkids grew up...The cost to water and maintain the pool was @ 100 bucks a month...The cost to pump a sand/peagravel slurry was about 300 a yard...I figure that I am saving about 1/4 oz of gold with every 10 wheelbarrows. I am getting lots of exercise for a worthwhile reason. And when I am finished I will have a wider parking spot that my wife can back into and go out the drive frontways rather than backing into the street.The pool area will either be a vegetable garden or some day parking...And finally I get to use my Hermit Pick...thanksfred Edited July 11, 2015 by fredmason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted July 29, 2015 Author Share Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Hi Guys, I thought I would update my project...First Big Hermit Pick's middle brother is great for the picking out rocks with a little delicacy.However, the real hero of trying to dig on the old concrete and not-decomposed bedrock was ED H and his gas-powered jack hammer.He was kind enough to bring his machine and help me out of the stone age of chisel and single jack...(I would still be throwing rocks if left to my own devices...)He and me-that is we, drilled up a ton of hard rock and he has speeded up my progress by days or weeks. Thank Heaven for people that know and use machines; thank you ED.fred Edited July 29, 2015 by fredmason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Fred,Thank goodness you let Ed help you.You weren't dealing with stone age rock there so the pick was over-matched.Mitchel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank c Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 jUST REMEMBER SONNYBOY WHEN IT HITS A HUNDRED AN YER HOTTER THAN HELL YA CAN'T TAKE A DIP IN THE VEGATABLE GARDEN !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Slim Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 (edited) Good point Frank. Edited July 29, 2015 by Dakota Slim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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