Does anyone know how to safely use dynamite?

Kelly Green

Kelly Green

Member
Joined
May 28, 2010
Messages
897
Reaction score
527
Location
Texas
I have a creek that runs through our family farm and it’s infested with beavers. They’ve built a substantial dam that is cutting water flow down stream and building up wetland behind. These rodents are big. I’ve shot six already and they weigh anywhere form 40 to 50 pounds each.

I was thinking of using explosives to clear the dam. Before my dad passed, he used dynamite to clear big stumps whenever he opened a new pasture. There are still a dozen sticks of the stuff in the powder house. He also had blasting caps and a hand detonator. The caps and dynamite are at least fifteen years old, if not more. I’ve watched my dad work with dynamite but have never done it myself.

I guess my questions are; is the old dynamite and caps, that have been kept dry, still good and what is the best way to set a charge that will take out the dam? The creek is around fifty feet wide where the dam is located.

I would like to do this myself only because of the cost involved if I had to hire a professional. Maybe someone here has a better idea on how to remove this dam.

Thanks in advance,
Kelly
 
Register to hide this ad
dont know for sure cause i dont know squat about dyna. but i belive i've read that it becomes unstable with age. i'd call a pro gota be worth a few bucks not to blow yourself up. i'm sure someone else will chime in shortly.
 
I'm not sure how much help this will be because someone who knows much more is sure to post soon.All I know is as it gets older dymamite can get very unstable,I beleive this has something to do with the nitro "pooling"if its not stored properly and turned from time to time.So I would be very careful about handeling it while contemplating the job much less actualy setting it to blow the dam.
Something else to look into is permits or qualifications to usse dynamite in your state.
 
You might be surprised how ineffective dynamite is on dams.

We once tried to "blow" a dam. It had already washed out and the pond was virtually empty. All we wanted to do was finish it off, to drain it and get the fish. We rocket scientists taped two huge sticks of 60% together, pushed them as far down into the mud of the spot we wanted to blow and set them off.

All it did was put an earthmover load of muck in the sky which came down on all of us and our vehicles. We couldn't tell that it did anything at all to the dam; there was just as much water in the pond as before.

I hope you have better luck with your dam-blowing project.

FWIW, I would not use that old dynamite. Plus, you might want to check with law enforcement to find out what all kind of anti-terrorism laws you might run afoul of by playing with explosives these days. It's a whole new ballgame from when we did it.
 
People watch too much TV and old Westerns I suspect. What you probably have laying around is 40 percent nitro commercial dynamite. Common enough, useful for this that and the other. Even if the nitro has started to come out or "sweat", this isn't a huge deal. Pure nitoglycerine isn't quite as dangerous as popular culture would have you believe. Just wear gloves and handle the stuff with care. Do NOT, EVER, put caps near the explosives until the last second and DO NOT hook up the caps to the detonator until ready to blow something.

You might or might not need some sort of permit to set the stuff off. I don't know Texas law. Dynamite is a high explosive - sort of, since what you have it probably some nitro with mostly ammonium nitrate filler and what not.

In the old days, you'd mix up some 55 gallon drums of 34-0-0 AN fertilizer and fuel oil and set that off with the dynamite sticks. Big boom, move much earth. Since Oklahoma City.... eh...makes waffling motion with hand.... mixing up large amounts of ANFO has become a bad thing.

If you can't find someone that has been in the Army and blown things up, get yourself a couple manuals on demolitions. In brief, stick the charges in there a ways, don't just set them on top, and tamp them down with some sandbags. Otherwise you'll lose all the good "oomph" of your explosion.
 
Used a lot of dynamite 40 years ago when I worked in a mine. The age of the stuff may not be as crucial as storage conditions. We had to dispose of some once that had been in a metal shed for years. Cardboard box was soaked in nitro. Made a big bang out on the tailings pile. The fresh stuff is pretty safe as long as you use a little good sense in handling.
 
Dynamite definitely sounds like the most fun way to get the job done, but can't you just get a dozer or backhoe?
 
Kanewpadle beat me to it.

I'd recommend using Tannerite. Safe, legal and fun. Be sure to post the video for us!
 
I've spent 25 years w/ the highway dept. blasting rocks, etc., been to blasting school & so on. Mud is harder to move than rock since it absorbs the impact where rock being more brittle will shatter & fly. Dynamite does get unstable as it gets older, moreso if it gets hot but if it's kept cool & dry will probably be all right. The trick is to set the stick @ the right angle - the cuncussion will be to the side & throw material that way. Tilt it @ a 45 degree angle w/ something solid behind it & you can throw a lot of material quite a ways. If the caps you have are the old fuse type they are simpler & should burn about an inch a minute but DON'T ever trust them not to "run" or burn very quickly! The newer electronic ones are better but always hook up the detonater last. Don't ever crimp one w/ regular pliers or worse yet, your teeth even though it looks cool on tv! A single cap can remove 1/2 of your head. The caps are much more unstable & therefore dangerous than the dynamite itself. One capped stick in the center of a bundle will set them all off. One stick, properly placed, will move about 1 cubic yard of material (aprox. 1,500 lbs.) & you can estimate how much you need that way. Too little is ok, you can always go back for more but too much gets to western. You could probably buy a army manual for a few dollars that would help a lot. Here in Arizona we used to be able to buy dynamite by the stick @ the local hardware. It only cost $.80 a stick & nI can't remember anyone ever getting hurt but after Timothy McVeigh & 9/11 everything got different. Hope this helps. Take some pictures whether you do it or get someone else to, it's still fun watching things go "bang".
 
Kelly Green said:
Maybe someone here has a better idea on how to remove this dam.
Kelly
Click to expand...
I've used several types of dynamite, along with TNT, C4, datasheet, detcord, kinetics, etc., and can tell you the best way to get rid of that dam is with a backhoe. Also, unless the explosives are stored in a federally approved facility, I'd edit the original post so that it does not read like a confession! Just my thoughts.
 
I used a fair amount of explosives in the Army. Use a backhoe on the dam, and turn that old demo over to someone who knows what he's doing with it.


Okie John
 
staib has it exactly right IMHO. I was a construction engineer before taking early retirement and becoming a LEO. I supervised the use of a lot of dynamite on various construction jobs. I never went to "master blaster school", but I did & still have a DuPont Corporation "Master Blaster" Book and the direct phone number of their engineering department. Your 15 year old sticks are probably OK, but should be handled with care as noted before. The blasting caps are a little more suspect, but easily checked by wiring up and blowing a couple as a sample. BUT, when it gets right down to blowing the beaver dam, a backhoe will do what you want much more efficiently and with a lot less danger, just not as much fun. I recommend strongly that you have the local fire department trained experts remove your stash of dynamite and caps for safe disposal. Then find a backhoe expert to come in and remove the offending beaver dam. ............. Big Cholla
 
Check with the DNR before "molesting" those beavers. Seriously, I believe that in many areas you can't remove a beaver dam without getting permission from the local Dept. of Natural Resources. It may be that they will even help you with your problem.
 
Do not blow the dynamite unless you have proper license. It is a sure trip to prison, as in no more gun rights ever, in this insane modern society which we have allowed to evolve. Even this discussion could net you a "visit."

Here in North Dakota, beavers are a pest animal and fair game year 'round.
 
Good Morning:
Hire a Professional to "Blow" the dam and also to dispose of the old dynamite you have on hand.
This is safer and practical.
A "DO IT YOURSELF"project can turn really bad.
Jimmy
 
I've never blown up a beaver dam, but have several friends who have. Their advice is to get rid of the beavers before getting rid of the dam. Otherwise, they will rebuild it faster than you can get rid of their dam. I don't know squat about dynamite.
 
Ever heard the old saying "You're playing with dynamite" to indicate a BAD and DANGEROUS situation?

This stuff falls under either -- If you don't know what you're doing, Don't
OR
Hey y'all, watch this!

Oh yeah - N4ZOV is quite right - The beavers WILL build the dam back - and they will do it unbelievably fast.
Maybe you could give the beavers the dynamite to play with........
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dben002
Anyone know how to show last comments first on postings
Replies
0
Views
34
dben002
dben002
chief38
Does anyone else still use a Speed Wrench Driver?
2 3
Replies
55
Views
1K
Mike SC Hunter
M
1
Anyone know what kind of a flowering bush this is
Replies
16
Views
775
Rudi
R
ladder13
How to beat the lottery
Replies
19
Views
766
Mr. Vito
M
Puller
Thread Ratings: Here's what I'd like to know
Replies
18
Views
742
Mike SC Hunter
M

Latest posts

Back
Top