breaking up boulders!

[NYlakesider]

Hey Gang got to pick your brains about busting up part of some boulders.

First off as a laborer I used 90-100 # air hammers to bust concrete. As a pipefitter I used all sizes and makes of electric hammers. Chopping concrete, cutting chases in walls,, busting up brick and cinder block walls so I do have experience with these tools.


Now for my questions will these hammers, break up boulders? That it's something in over 45 years of being a construction worker I never tried.


I have about 6 boulders that are sticking up and I want to get then low enough so I can plant grass and make my yard look better. ( I would say about 3'' under the ground level). My area tends to grow very large boulders, and I really do not want to have a contractor come over with a big backhoe and dig them out. Many reason including high cost and what that equipment would do to my lawn damage wise.

Most boulders if I can lower the pieces by about 5-10'' that will be fine. Not much is above ground but I know that most times that is all you see, think about icebergs with most of the bulk unseen.

I know about feathers & wedges, but I have beat on a couple of those boulders with hammer/chisel and star drill and not much happens. So for that reason I wonder if a big (air or electric) hammer can do the job I listed above. Explosives & fire/ice methods are not possible!

 

[arjay]

I've bored a few holes through granite sideways with a 70lb hammer and it worked fairly well.I was in my 40s though!

 

[NYlakesider]

I've bored a few holes through granite sideways with a 70lb hammer and it worked fairly well.I was in my 40s though!

I was about 20-22 when I did all that air hammering. Retired from my union right after the century change, so that was the last time I use any electric hammer tool.

Course if I try to chop boulders all work will be pointing the tool down. As I'm almost 72 I will work smart not hard! I can drive up to feet from where I will be working if this idea is practical.

 

[Big Cholla]

A persistent person with the proper air driven equipment could chip away the surface. It would require miner's grade equipment and lots of super hard steel chip bits. This actually requires brute strength, skill and endurance. The rock debris chips when flying away are sharp and dangerous. The miner's hard rock air hammer would require an air compressor of a minimum of 125 psi continuous. That would most likely only come from a 600 cfm compressor. That is big, expensive and noisy.

Your problem became more complicated the second you eliminated explosives and freezing. Why would 'freezing' be eliminated. In your part of the world it get very cold for long periods of time. My first choice would be to use a air driven drill motor and good hardened steel rock bits to drill four or five 1" or 1.5" holes in a radial pattern around the protuberance just below the level you want. Then have a machine shop make the same number of mild steel tapered plugs of the appropriate size. Just fill the holes with water; they will have to be slightly slanted downward to retain the water needed. Then using a big hammer drive the plugs in. Wait for several days (maybe even weeks) of really cold weather to cool off the boulder internally and freeze the water. The top of the boulder will eventually pop off. After the Civil War, salvagers of big cannon balls would split them in two by the use of this method.

If the proper permits could be obtained the use of mild explosives is actually the best method. The age old trick is to contain the blast with old mattresses covered by 3' or 4' of dirt. Don't laugh, it works like a charm. It would take a "Master Blaster" who knows what he is doing to do the job. I could send you my copy of Dupont's Master "BLASTERS' HANDBOOK, but this is not a job for amateurs.

The only other alternative I can think of would be to get an Excavator that has BIG equipment to dig the boulders out and haul them away. Oh, just thought, any chance of raising the 'grade' with fill and just covering them up?

 

[Rule3]

Boulders (rock) sure ain't concrete!!

Landscape around them and make them part of the yard.

Become one with nature and embrace the beauty of the boulders.

 

[NYlakesider]

Boulders (rock) sure ain't concrete!!

Landscape around them and make them part of the yard.

Become one with nature and embrace the beauty of the boulders.

I guess by your answer that rock cracking is not a very good idea

I suppose the one close to the end of the driveway I could paint with safety orange and realy make it stick out. Sort of hide it in plain sight!

Like I said I have done lots of hammering but never on boulders, so I turned to the vast knowledge this forum has.

 

[perryhd]

With my back there is no way I could do what you are wanting to do. If I were able to I would rent one of the gas powered masonry saws (looks like a chain saw motor with a big round diamond blade) and make cuts across the top of the boulder. Then use a power hammer or feathers and wedges to break off the peaces . You could do the same thing with an angle grinder with a diamond blade that would be a lot slower but easier to handle. I'm 71 and hope you are in much better shape than I am no mater how you go about it. GOOD LUCK

 

[NYlakesider]

A persistent person with the proper air driven equipment could chip away the surface. It would require miner's grade equipment and lots of super hard steel chip bits. This actually requires brute strength, skill and endurance. The rock debris chips when flying away are sharp and dangerous. The miner's hard rock air hammer would require an air compressor of a minimum of 125 psi continuous. That would most likely only come from a 600 cfm compressor. That is big, expensive and noisy.

Your problem became more complicated the second you eliminated explosives and freezing. Why would 'freezing' be eliminated. In your part of the world it get very cold for long periods of time. My first choice would be to use a air driven drill motor and good hardened steel rock bits to drill four or five 1" or 1.5" holes in a radial pattern around the protuberance just below the level you want. Then have a machine shop make the same number of mild steel tapered plugs of the appropriate size. Just fill the holes with water; they will have to be slightly slanted downward to retain the water needed. Then using a big hammer drive the plugs in. Wait for several days (maybe even weeks) of really cold weather to cool off the boulder internally and freeze the water. The top of the boulder will eventually pop off. After the Civil War, salvagers of big cannon balls would split them in two by the use of this method.

If the proper permits could be obtained the use of mild explosives is actually the best method. The age old trick is to contain the blast with old mattresses covered by 3' or 4' of dirt. Don't laugh, it works like a charm. It would take a "Master Blaster" who knows what he is doing to do the job. I could send you my copy of Dupont's Master "BLASTERS' HANDBOOK, but this is not a job for amateurs.

The only other alternative I can think of would be to get an Excavator that has BIG equipment to dig the boulders out and haul them away. Oh, just thought, any chance of raising the 'grade' with fill and just covering them up?

Thanks. Lots of good but negative info here. Looks like it will be a learn to love it with the boulders.

No sense biting off more than I can chew. Some of the boulders are within a few feet of the house, so no explosives. I mentioned fire and ice, house precludes that one also. Pure freezing water a possible!

I do appreciate yours and all the other ideas but I think discretion is the better part of valor and I will make a tactical retreat.

Thanks again.

 

[arjay]

I was about 20-22 when I did all that air hammering. Retired from my union right after the century change, so that was the last time I use any electric hammer tool.



Course if I try to chop boulders all work will be pointing the tool down. As I'm almost 72 I will work smart not hard! I can drive up to feet from where I will be working if this idea is practical.

Broke up a little bit of concrete a few years ago.My back didn't like trying to lift it when I got it stuck [emoji33][emoji1]

 

[Breakaway500]

Like PerryHD suggested: Using the gas powered masonry saw works well.I had 6 different tops of rocks sticking up in my gravel drive that were bigger than a VW. Rather than dig them up,I cut them with grooves and used a 20lb sledge to chip off the tops.Labor intensive (and noisy) but MUCH easier than dig and fill.

 

[Rule3]

I used to be a semi rock hound (100 years ago) in upper NY State.

The big question (not known) is what kind of rock it is??

There is of course hard rock (no pun) and softer rock,

I had to bust up some Limestone rock(near my foundation for some pipes), down here in Fl (drilled holes and drove in wedges)

It was brutal and it was a "softer" kind of rock.

 

[6518John]

Hire Richard Kiel,

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KwFm2cDFIvU[/ame]

 

[NYlakesider]

I used to be a semi rock hound (100 years ago) in upper NY State.

The big question (not known) is what kind of rock it is??

There is of course hard rock (no pun) and softer rock,

I had to bust up some Limestone rock(near my foundation for some pipes), down here in Fl (drilled holes and drove in wedges)

It was brutal and it was a "softer" kind of rock.

There very hard rocks. I do not claim to know much about rocks..

AS you mentioned NYS! A buddy of mine had a good Lapidary business in Colonie NY for about 20 years. He sold all sorts of rocks/samples, rock tools and supplies, maps and made up jewelry. Went out of business and moved South about 2004. The business name was Many Facets!

 

[TAROMAN]

Managed a hard rock quarry for a few years before retiring, so I know a bit about boulder busting.

The real monsters we would drill and blast, probably outside the OPs wheelhouse.

A better solution is an excavator (even a mini) with a hydraulic hammer. makes short work of them.

Any contractor who replaces flatwork will have one.
Or you can rent one.

At the quarry, we had several, different sizes.

Like this:

 

[glenwolde]

I had a neighborhood acquaintance that busted up a boulder in his yard with about 40 rounds of surplus .30-06 armor piercing ammo. Worked like a charm. Just have to be careful about ricochets...

 

[Milton]

I think the stuff is fairly expensive but there is a product called BRISTAR that uses expansive force to break rock or concrete safely.If you can get some of this stuff and are able to drill a few holes in the rock you want moved it will break it up.

 

[gregintenn]

Managed a hard rock quarry for a few years before retiring, so I know a bit about boulder busting.

The real monsters we would drill and blast, probably outside the OPs wheelhouse.

A better solution is an excavator (even a mini) with a hydraulic hammer. makes short work of them.

Any contractor who replaces flatwork will have one.
Or you can rent one.

At the quarry, we had several, different sizes.

Like this:

You can also rent a bobcat with a similar attachment.

 

[soFlaNative]

I think discretion is the better part of valor and I will make a tactical retreat.

Thanks again.

A good move, I'm sure.
Don't know the extent of the rocks you want to make disappear
but I guarantee that the ground will decompress to compensate
for the reduced weight and lift that rock right back up.

 

[Salty RI]

My Uncle was an Indian stone mason, I remember when I was a kid he broke up some huge stones in our yard he used a thing called a feather and wedge.

 

[alwaysoutdoors]

I would talk to someone that does excavating in your area and see what they say. People in that business do that for a living and will be best to get LOCAL advice from.

Edit: another idea is go to a tool rental business. I rented an electric (120v) jack hammer and busted a few holes in the bottom of a gunnite swimming pool with one of these from Home Depot. It was a load so consider hiring the labor out. The tool rental was under $100 for half a day.