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nakigara
location:
ca desert
Gender: Male
 |  |  | mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
< on 9/20/2003 12:23 AM >
|  | | | been reading a lot of backposts lately, and all the warnings not to open manhole covers from below for fear of decapitation/amputation by moving vehicle.
the other day i was in an autozone or some similar store, and they got those little magnets on an extendable wand type thingy-well, they also had little dental-type mirrors on those want thingies.
anyone ever use one of these(or some other mirror/periscope/fiberoptic/whatever) to look up and out through the wholes in an manhole cover?
or are most of your covers solid, and completely lacking holes?
i may be trying some minor draining tomorrow, if i can, ill grab one of these on the way there.
yogurt and beer. mmmm...... |
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MacGyver
location:
St Paul, Minnesota
Gender: Male
"Someone go find me a paperclip, a D-cell battery, and a cheese grater"
| | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 1 on 9/20/2003 6:11 PM >
| | | | I've wanted to try that for a while now. Especially back when my entrance to the steam tunnels was a swiss-cheese manhole cover at a semi-populated street corner. I remember exiting one night: I lifted one side of the lid and peeked out, just in time to see a campus police cruiser gliding to a stop at the corner. I quietly closed the lid and stood there on the ladder, just waiting for the bright flashlight to shine in the top of the cover. After a minute or two, nothing had happened. I did it again, and lucked out. Nobody around. I slid out, closed it, and ran off. If I had a mirror small enough to reach through the 3/4 to 1" holes in the lid, I could have periscoped out to see if the coast was clear first.
My main problem is that I'm too lazy to go out and buy stuff, and I also wondered how I would carry a little inspection mirror on me while crawling and thrashing through tunnels. It'd be smashed and bent by the time I was ready to head back out.
Like a fiend with his dope / a drunkard his wine / a man will have lust for the lure of the mine
"If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent." |
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NotHere
location:
NorthSouth Ontario
Gender: Male
| | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 2 on 9/20/2003 9:30 PM >
| | | | I think that if you were to try this, it'd have to be a periscope of some sort. I'd imagine that trying to simultaniously balance on the ladder, hold a mirror out out of the hole, and peer out of said hole at the same time would be rather difficult. Now if you could get yourself a bit of square tubing....
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nakigara
location:
ca desert
Gender: Male
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 3 on 9/21/2003 7:42 PM >
| | | | thanx for the replies.
was going to go draining yesterday, went to my friends, got sidetracked, lost in traffic, cd and comic book shopping, and then went to see underworld(bleh) and never even really made it to the 'looking' step of finding a drain.
i think the only way im going to get any exploring done is by going solo.
but i was looking at a lot of manhole covers yesterday, and most didnt have many holes in them, aside from one or two for the opener-type tool. and i think those are too small for what i want.
i think i was thinking less of a manhole cover, and more of a grate-type thingy.
constructing a mini-periscope might be a decent idea...ill keep it in mind.
yogurt and beer. mmmm...... |
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Mark
    
Very Noble Donor
location:
South Carolina
Gender: Male
What is a lion, king of the savannah, when hes at the south pole?
| | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 4 on 9/21/2003 10:33 PM >
|  | | | Another two problems I see is some manhole covers like the ones at USC south carolina dont have a hole to stick a mirror out of. The other problem is the exstendable mirrors I have seen are way to large to fit through. When doing paintball room clearing stuff I just took a stiff think piece of black wire and apoxyed a piece of mirror I cut with a glass cutter to a small rectangle. That may be more useful. Also I assume most of you tunnel rats got harnesses so just clip of of the ladder if possible.
"If the threat level goes up its probably because of me." "I am looking for a girl who enjoys headbutting beltbuckles" |
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nakigara
location:
ca desert
Gender: Male
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 5 on 9/22/2003 10:58 AM >
| | | | yeah, since ive thought of the mirror bit, ive been paying more attention to manhole covers, and it doesnt look like most of them even have holes, let alone holes that would fit a mirror.
guess i shoulda thought that one through a bit more before posting.
im not too worried about positioning, i would only need one hand to hold a mirror/periscope type thingy, and that would still give me two legs and an arm to clamp on to whatever sorta ladder/wedge myself in whatever sorta tube. i fit in wierd places.
thanx all for the advice. at some point ill actually get to try *something* out, even if its a aluminumfoil-superstraw mini-periscope.
if i try anything that actually works, ill let everyone know...
yogurt and beer. mmmm...... |
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mox25
Noble Donor
location:
Austin, tx
Gender: Male
Picture of my cat
| |  | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 6 on 9/22/2003 10:35 PM >
| | | | One problem with that is it might reflect light back in the direction of people and give you away. But if you still wanted to use it, your going to have to find a hard caring case to put it in. Like a tooth brush holders or some hard sun glass's case.
But they do sell them at AutoZone for $6.00.
Space for rent |
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Mochi
 
location:
West Jordan, Utah
Gender: Male
Stare deep into a kitty's nose.
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 7 on 9/22/2003 11:51 PM >
| | | | I have a small rectangular mirror with me on all my missions. It's about 2"x3" and I use it to look around corners when I hear people up ahead of me (usually just construction workers). I've wanted to start using it to signal crewmembers, but I don't really see how that would work on moonless or overcast nights. (We just blink photons at each other in code. One means "yes" or "good, and two means "no". Most people probably think they're car lights or aliens!! ALIENS!!!! (Director's cut out soon in theatres!)
>_< Mochi, I have a tongue with a little mouth on it.
JESUS SAVES!!!
(And then he redeems his tickets for free prizes!) |
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stealthy
You got a problem bro?
| | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 8 on 9/23/2003 3:53 PM >
| | | | i saw a specially designed mirror in Norther Tool& Equipment (http://www.northerntool.com a type of mirror where you put it into a hole, like in a wall, and you can see inside the wall! it'd be great for manhole covers, etc. heres the link
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Greysand
Noble Donor
location:
USA - California
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 9 on 9/23/2003 6:17 PM >
| | | | I haven't seen too much on the market that would do for looking through such a small hole.. The best I could come up with was this thing:
Called the "Sports Scope" Good name huh? Basically a small periscope that sells for about $60.USD. Thou I don't know if I would trust any of the companies selling it.. None of them can even manage to get a picture of the thing onto the web. I had to google image search just to get this one..
Making a little periscope isn't hard.. You just need a straw, a knife, and some plastic mirror bits. But you end up with e really tiny image through the straw. The real trick is getting some lenses into the project. And getting them in the right places. Thou if you built it onto the end of a cheap monoculars body.. Who knows.
I don't mind Drain fog... I like to see what I breathe. |
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Freak
location:
Usually Alaska, now MSP.
Gender: Male
Hypocrite
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 10 on 9/27/2003 5:47 AM >
| | | | When I was a kid we had some little plastic toy periscopes, they were probably too big to fit through a hole in a manhole cover (about an inch and a half in diameter), but maybe you could find something smaller.
I looked for them online, no luck.
Turn off the internet and go play outside.
http://spamusement...hp/comics/view/137 |
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ReAct
location:
Northern Jersey... For now.
Gender: Male
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 11 on 9/29/2003 5:51 AM >
| | | | Build a periscope! I imagine it'd be relatively easy to do with some 1/2" PVC pipe and properly placed mirrors. Hold everything together with epoxy and PVC glue. Hell, you could even put in male and female threaded-couplings to allow you break the thing down into carrying size or add extension sections as needed.
-ReAct
"'13.2V...' Thirteen volts. It's thirteen volts? Jesus, I could practically be made of salt water and this wouldn't hurt me."
"That says '13.2kV.'"
"Ohhhh... Thirteen-thousand volts... I suppose that's a little different...." |
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nakigara
location:
ca desert
Gender: Male
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 12 on 9/29/2003 7:00 AM >
| | | |
I think it will be a while before i get around to this, too much other stuff to do(work, classes, work, finding a new job, finding a new dwelling, classes, work)right now. but im keeping an eye out for wierd things that might work/be useable for something like this. if/when i try to make a periscope, i might see if i can do it a little smaller then 1/2" diameter-i know it wont leave much of a field of view.
i figure i dont need to do much with it besides verify that the manhole is/isnt in a road-if its in a road ill find another cover, and if it isnt in the road, i can open it to take a direct peek.
if i ever get around to completing(or even starting...)ill let you guys know how it turns out(but dont expect anything within this calender year)
...too bad being a professional procrastinator isnt a viable career option...
yogurt and beer. mmmm...... |
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Viper
location:
Vancouver, BC Canada
Gender: Male
Trespassing On!
| | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 13 on 2/11/2004 6:08 AM >
|  | | | A couple suggestions. First, depending on where you find a man hole in the street try and park your or a friends car right in front of or behind the man hole cover. This will eliminate losing your melon or another appendage if the sewer monster CHUD is after you and you have to exit the sewers quickly but don't have time to unfold/unpack/charge this mystery periscope to check for cars. "Was that a bump?" Also your car could provide you with cover when entering/exiting the man hole and would prevent someone else from parking right on top of the hole. My second suggestion is cutting and joining two pieces of mirror with tape. Then you could attach a couple sticks or something to spread the mirrors to one flat surface when you stick it out the hole. The mirrors would be folded when not in use, then unfold them when you stick it outside the man hole. This way it will fit through the hole while doubling the reflection when the mirror is on the other side of the man hole cover and is spread open. Is it P.C. to call them "man holes" or should they be called "person holes"? Hmmm...
Earth, the world's most dangerous planet!
"The will to do, the soul to dare." -Sir Walter Scott |
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PAWolf
Not from Pennsylvania
location:
KCMO
Gender: Male
We haven't located us yet.
| |  | | | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 14 on 2/11/2004 12:58 PM >
| | | | | The ultimate hand tool for diagnosis and exploration. The Flexible cable fits in openings as small as 1/2-inch in diameter allowing you to look behind walls, down into drains, inside engines or hundreds of other inaccessible places without costly demolition or disassembly. |
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00002255Q/categoricalgeome/ref%3Dnosim/104-5902276-4226332
It's as if they are actually selling to drainers in this ad. If someone can afford this, this is what I want for my birthday. 
Make Beer, Not War. |
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Mancubus
| | Re: mirrors to peer out of manhole covers?
<Reply # 15 on 2/12/2004 2:21 AM >
| | | | Steal one of those small mirrors dentists use to look in your mouth next time you get a root canal. Hehe.
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