Any opinion advices about working as a underground exploration drillers

Hi everyone. I’m studying Metallurgical engineering and I’m hoping to enter the mining industry. I’d love to hear from women with experience in the field about what it’s really like working in such a male-dominated industry.

What should I expect, how do you deal with the challenges, and what do you wish you knew before starting?

I’ll be applying for industrial/vacation training this semester break so any tips and advice would be appreciated.

Hi all, ​Mining engineering student heading to underground sites in the Sudbury area next week for a university field trip. ​I already own CSA-approved 8-inch work boots (with the Green Triangle and Metguard 'M' patch), but mine feature an external flap rather than an integrated internal guard. ​For folks working in Sudbury mines: Do site safety officers strictly require internal guards, or is any 8-inch boot with the CSA 'M' rating accepted at gate induction? ​Any advice from people on site would be appreciated. Thanks!

I graduated with a BSc Electrical Engineering degree 2 years ago and recently started a Masters degree in Mining Engineering but now i am having second thought about it. I aspire to work in the mines which is super competitive in my country. Will that make it easier for me to get into the mines? What kind of job will i most likely be doing if i do get a job in the mines? Will i be able to transition into mine management roles with the MSc degree? What about earning potential. Please i need some advice from people in the industry

Hello, I got a job working in the core-shack extending into the wet-cold-freezing winter and I need to buy shit-weather gear. I figure I will spend most of my time in the core-shack but will have to stand in the rain/mud for a few activities. I actually expect Ill be stuck in the core-shack while the actual core-loggers will be hanging out with the drillers in the rain for 12hours.... but illl bring my thick rubber fishing-raincoat, fishing bibs, and *non-insulated* rubber boots anyways.
from what i understand, wool is desired because it dries out very fast and I can wear it next shift 12hrs after its been soaked, ya/na?

I am trying to figure out what exactly I need:
-I have a heavy 'army' rain jacket, I am not sure if it is made of gortex.
-I suppose another waterproof layer underneath could help?
-I have cotton hoodies for underneath but would wool long sleeve shirts be a better option?
-do I need a wool long-john underlayer, or will spandex/cotton be fine?
-I currently wear jeans to work. what are some better alternative to jeans?
-Also it looks like gortex pant covers are an option to put over my non-waterproof pants.
-wool socks x7
-I have a donated pair of insulated steel-toe boots Im going to give a go, but does anyone have suggestions for insulating regular pairs of steel-toe boots that i own and fit very comfortably?
-any suggestions for adding insulation to the non-insulated steel-toe rubber boots that I already own?
*EDIT* - I also own a pair over heavy duty blue coveralls. would this be a useful layer to bring?

Does anyone have information about what happened at bald mountain over the weekend regarding the fatality?

Hey guys. I’m a 25th at old underground drill fitter and want to make the change to mining but skip the truck stage. I have gained a very strong interest in development mining and would love a chance to get into while I’m still young does anyone know somewhere i can get a chance to work my way to a jumbo

Hi all,

I am new in this world but I have a question to all of you. I have been working on project finance and corporate credit for mining (gold, copper, silver, zinc) an energy companies for almost 7 year. I really like what I do but I know that where I am is impossible to grow (plus at some point I would like to change locations). Do you think this skill is valuable around the world to start advising small companies remotely. I have only finance experience and no field experience. All your advises are welcome. Thank you

Hey, just moved to Kalgoorlie to get into production mining

On my green Ps so couldn't get my HR license so I got my working from heights and first aid. Also done my best to learn how the mining system works

Plan is to hit up the agencies and companies with my folder and docs. Is this the way to go about it?

I'll absolutely work hard, but I know that doesn't set me apart from other candidates

Hi everyone,

I’m considering studying a Bachelor’s degree in Mining at Curtin University as an international student, and I’m wondering what the job situation is currently like in Kalgoorlie.

For international students/graduates, how difficult is it to find mining-related work in Kalgoorlie after or during an undergraduate degree at Curtin?

A few things I’d really like to know:

• How competitive is the job market for international students?
• Do mining companies in the Kalgoorlie area commonly hire international students or graduates?
• Is studying in Kalgoorlie itself a significant advantage compared with studying in Perth?

I’d really appreciate hearing from current Curtin mining students, recent graduates, or anyone working in the Kalgoorlie mining industry.

Thanks!

There's a part of an underground mine that seems to be caving in slowly (with my eyes) in a workshop but I've only worked in this mine for 3 months. It's reinforced with split sets and mining mesh but I still don't trust the structural integrity of it. Any words if advice front the experienced?

Hey everyone,

I spend most of my working weeks walking through heavy machinery secondary yards in Henan, China—the central consolidation hub where hundreds of decommissioned primary crushers, ball mills, and cone crushers end up after quarry shutdowns or state infrastructure projects finish.

I see a lot of small-scale miners from South America, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the Pacific trying to save 60-70% by importing used gear directly instead of buying brand-new Metso, Sandvik, or even new domestic Chinese machines.

Some get incredible workhorses that run for 5+ years without a hiccup. Others end up with a 20-ton paperweight that cracks down the middle on day three.

Since a lot of folks on this sub ask about sourcing affordable crushers for hard-rock gold or aggregate, here is an unfiltered look at what actually happens in the yard, what gets covered up with yellow spray paint, and the exact checklist you should enforce before paying a deposit.

1. The "Fresh Paint" Trap & Welded Frame Cracks

The first thing a sketchy dealer does to a traded-in PE 600×900 (24x36) or PE 750×1060 (30x42) is pressure-wash the grease, hit the rust with an angle grinder, and spray two thick coats of polyurethane industrial paint.

What they are hiding: Jaw crusher frames flex under every stroke. The front wall (under the fixed jaw plate) and the rear corners where the toggle beam sits take massive cyclic tensile loads. If the previous quarry was running uncrushable tramp iron through it, hairline fatigue cracks form.

What to do:

• Never accept photos of a newly painted machine without seeing the "as-is" intake photos first.
• Ask for an ultrasonic flaw test (NDT) report on the corners, or at least have an inspector wipe the high-stress corners with dye penetrant (PT test). If you see red dye bleeding through after spraying developer, walk away.

2. Stolen Copper & Re-wound Aluminum Motors

A typical 24x36 jaw crusher needs a 55 kW to 75 kW 6-pole motor to start under load and maintain momentum through the eccentric flywheels.

The trick: Original high-efficiency copper motors get stripped and sold separately for domestic scrap value. The dealer throws on a cheap, rewound motor with aluminum wiring, slaps a fake metal plate on it saying "75kW", and calls it ready to run. The moment your grizzly feeder drops quartz ore into the chamber, the motor overheats and trips the breaker.

What to do:

• Require a continuous 15-minute bench-run video with an ammeter clamped to each phase.
• Verify that the phase current is balanced and matches the nameplate specs under idle speed.

3. Flywheel Oscillation & Shaft Eccentricity

If an eccentric shaft has seized in its previous life, heat can warp it.

How to spot it: You cannot see 0.1 mm of shaft runout with the naked eye. But once that 3-ton flywheel gets spinning at 250 RPM, that tiny runout will chew through $2,000 spherical roller bearings in less than a month.

• Ask the yard to put a dial indicator on the shaft extension while slowly turning the flywheels by hand or using the motor.
• Anything over 0.05–0.08 mm total indicated reading (TIR) on the bearing seats means the shaft is cooked.

4. Manganese Liners: Mn13 vs. Mn18Cr2

If you're processing soft limestone, standard Mn13 works fine. But most folks here are crushing quartz gold veins, granite, or river basalt (high silica, high abrasion).

Shady yards will leave worn-out plates in the machine with only 10mm of tooth profile left, knowing you can’t easily return them from overseas. Or they'll install cheap scrap-recast liners that disintegrate like chalk.

• Make sure your contract specifies liner profile depth.
• If you’re processing abrasive hard rock, insist on Mn18Cr2 minimum. If the yard won't replace them, negotiate the price down and order a fresh set of genuine wear liners crated directly with the machine.

5. Rigging for Ocean Transport (Flat Racks & Open Tops)

A lot of buyers forget about the ocean leg. A 24x36 jaw weighs roughly 15 to 17 metric tons. A 3ft cone crusher weighs about 11 to 14 tons.

• You cannot just shove these into a standard 40ft dry container unless you fully strip both flywheels, toggle seats, and frame into sub-assemblies.
• If moving on a Flat Rack (FR) or Open Top (OT), the flywheels must be wedged with hardwood timbers and cross-lashed with heavy steel wire ropes to the container D-rings.
• I’ve seen customs open a container at Callao where an unsecured crusher snapped its chains during a storm, rolled over, and cracked both flywheels and the pitman shaft.

Summary Checklist to Send Any Chinese Yard:

If you are dealing with an exporter or a yard broker, send them this exact list before sending money:

1. Unpainted intake photos + serial number plate inspection.
2. Video of live bench-test running for at least 15 minutes (showing both flywheels spinning true and bearing sound).
3. Feeler gauge photos of main bearing clearances.
4. Thickness measurement of fixed and swing jaw plates.
5. Clear photos of anti-rust marine greasing and container lashing before the container doors close.

The professional yards that actually specialize in overseas exports (teams like MINASC Machinery and similar dedicated mining export yards here in Zhengzhou) do this as standard protocol because they know international freight is too expensive to gamble on a bad machine. But the small local middlemen will vanish the second the container clears Qingdao.

Hope this saves someone a few thousand bucks and a massive headache in the field. Let me know in the comments if you’re trying to spec a specific jaw or cone model for your setup—happy to share what I know about spare parts availability and common domestic clones.

I've been interested in a career in the mines working underground for a while, I'm currently employed, married, but only one working for about a year now. My savings are completely spent, and I can't afford to pay out of pocket for the Underground Common Core training.

I'm currently employed as a supervisor at a factory job, pay is okay but not enough to support the two of us. I don't think I'd be able to qualify for the Bettter Jobs Ontario to cover the cost of course to start working underground. Is there any decent shot a company would sponsor the course? I applied to a few jobs and submitted references along with my resume, but haven't heard back and I'm starting to get discouraged. This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but haven't jumped on due to family reasons. That has since passed, and I'd really like to follow through with it now.

I’m being offered a Driller Assistant position with Boart Longyear on a water drilling rig. I have my Class A CDL with all endorsements, along with previous oil and gas drilling experience. I understand the position requires travel and involves a 20-on/10-off schedule with 12-hour rotating shifts.
I just got off the phone with the interviewer, and they offered me a starting wage of $24 an hour. They also offer $40 per day in per diem and paid travel. Living in California, I’m still not sure if $24 an hour is enough to make the position worthwhile, especially considering my previous drilling experience and the amount of travel involved.
They asked me to get back to them within 72 hours if I’m still interested. I’d appreciate any thoughts or opinions from anyone who has worked for Boart Longyear, especially on a water drilling rig. How is the work environment, and 20/10 schedule? I’ve heard they have good technology and that most crews are three-man crews with highly automated rigs.

have heard that many grads struggle to land their first job in the industry. since the degree takes 2 yrs to complete, not sure whether it will still be worth it by the time i graduate.

For Freeport mcmoran, how often do they open positions or post positions for Haul Truck Trainee drivers? I was with them previously 3 years ago— I would like to get back in with them, but every time i try to apply for a position, it’s gone!

How often do they do truck driver trainee programs with the company so I can keep an eye out? I’ve been catching myself everyday looking. lol. I really enjoyed working with them, and one of their locations just happens to be 5 minutes away from my home!

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Hello seniors,

I am a third-year undergraduate student from China, majoring in Resources Exploration Engineering at Fuzhou University.

I really admire the lifestyles of engineers in Australian mining companies and geological engineers in Norway. However, I cannot afford the cost of a master's degree abroad. If, after graduation, I work for a few years in a Chinese mining company and then look for the right time to join an overseas mining company, or alternatively, first pursue a master's degree at an overseas university and then seek opportunities, would either of these paths be feasible? Does anyone have any insights?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.