Holman Rock Drills St Ives
Who do you know, with 200 years of experience in any field? It certainly would be amazing if you did. Imagine someone with 200 years of experience in woodwork or metal work. You would take that person’s word on that subject as gospel!
There is in fact a company in the demolition/construction tool industry that have over 200 years of experience. Founded in 1801, John Holman set out to dig deep and set up a ground-breaking company – “Holman Brothers Ltd”. They were mining equipment manufacturers based in Camborne, Cornwall. Holman Brothers even had their own experimental mine where they tested the drilling speed and air consumption
Interestingly during World War 2, Holman Brothers assisted in the construction of the Polish designed 20mm “Polsten” gun. They also produced the “Holman Projector” for the Royal Navy.
Cornish mining is renowned all over the world, and so are their historically solid tools. During the 18th century, Cornwall was the tin mining centre of the world!
Geever tin mine in Pendeen is the largest preserved mining site in Britain and just over half an hour away from that museum you will find A.P Brown Drilling Supplies. There, the team bring the knowledge of Cornish mining up to meet the modern age with current drilling technology and understanding. They supply Holman Rock Drills. St Ives based company have them for hire and new or refurbished models are sold.
For the Holman Brothers, things really started to kick off in 1881. James McCulloch offered the design for a new rock drill which was quickly patented by both Holman brothers. It became the “Cornish Rock Drill” and achieved great commercial success. Holman Rock Drills, St Ives, are still known today, the oldest of which are part of a project named “The History Of Cornwall in 100 Objects”.
In 1882 the rock drill was being used at Dolcoath, South Crofty, East Pool, Tincroft, at Falmouth Docks and in mines in South Wales. A quick spread! But that was only the beginning. Over the next 14 years, by 1896, more than 1000 of the “Cornish Rock Drills” were being used on The South African Rand alone. By 1900, that number had doubled.
Stoping was a process of mining tin. The aim was to extract only a narrow strip of ore-bearing rock, removing as little else as possible. Stopers, in two’s, would drill holes in the roof then explosives were inserted into the holes.
The Holman's Silver 3 stoping drill was a great advancement for the drilling industry. It was much lighter (44kg) and was far more compact than earlier drills. With a telescopic 'air leg' which pushed the drill upwards, it became the “Holman Silver 303 Airleg”. It was powered by compressed air which meant that miners could work a kilometre or more away because the compressed air could be piped to storage tanks and then underground via pipes and hoses.
Do you want one of A.P Brown’s modern powerful Holman Rock Drills? St Ives is the place to go. They deliver to almost all the UK, so give them a call now!
