We do! Actual stone cutting question. I have a large boulder in the corner of my basement. No idea why it's there but it is. I'd like to get it out of there but the thing has to weigh at least 400lbs. I'd like to cut it. I just picked up a mason's chisel and a 3lb hammer. Are these the right tools for the job? Do I need to get more specialized stuff like a tracer and yada?
Are you freakin' high? A 300 lb boulder, an emo chick hammer and a chisel? How many years you have, Cheech Marin?
Fire. Torch it and let the wonder of heat expansion crack it. Wear protective gear...shards of rock might launch at ballistic speeds when it cracks. Not a rock in the world can stand up to a concentrated application of flame. Of course, it may be a while if you're looking to take down Gibraltar, but 400lbs...what kinda rock is it? Hard rocks crack sooner, soft rocks need a hammer and classic rocks, well, that could take forever.
If you consult FM 3-34 you can see that a 3 ft diam boulder can be removed using from .250-3lbs of TNT, depending on how you place the explosive. the most effective way is to drill a hole in it for the charge. In light of this info i suggest somewhere around 14lbs of TNT....just to be sure. You can use C4 but TNT is preferred as its slower and better suited to fracturing and pushing the boulder around. C4 is a higher speed explosive and works better on steel. Best to do this when the wife is out. Enjoy. https://info.publicintelligence.net/USArmy-Explosives.pdf
So the reason for the caveman approach is because I want to learn a new skill while I'm at it. Since I've got an extra 15 hours a week from working at home, I figured I could afford a few hours at this. Fire seems like a cool idea. I may try that on one of the other ones I've already gotten outside.
I absolve myself of any responsibility for any liability here. It's basically gonna split into a couple big hunks, but the crumbs are the dangerous bits. NO TELLIN' where any pieces will shoot off to as the rock fractures and, depending on the type of rock, you'll either get sharp-edged, chunked fragments or sharp, thin wafers/slivers. Either can be released at ballistic speed and they'll be hot, hot, hot. There's no correlation of safe distance vs fire/rock size. It's dangerous AF at any distance. A real ticking time bomb...and the clock is invisible. Don't do it. Seriously. Things could end very badly.
Can you drill a hole in the rock? Actually a series of holes and then drive some type of wedge into it...
If he wasn’t dead , I would suggest renting that big Goomba from Pale Rider and issue him a 40 lb sledgehammer.
I’m doing this exact scenario. Spoke with a stone mason yesterday. I Drilled 5/8” holes every 8” apart with an SDS hammer drill. Then will be using feather wedges with a hammer to break it apart. I ordered those from amazon with 2 day shipping last week and they are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. Two day shipping.... right! I’ll report back most likely Sunday.
Most rocks have a grain, similar to wood. If you can determine the grain, they will split more easily along it. I have a splitting maul (actually a 3 lb hammer). It looks a lot like a caveman stone hammer except it's made of steel and has a very blunt edge. When I built my house I used it to split stones for facing my chimney above the roof line. Once I got the hang of it I could split a 1 foot granite boulder into 2 or 3 slices about 4 inches thick.
