Trenching in Granite without explosives

My friends at Montdami Construction were laying the underground services as part of a new housing estate project when some hard granite was encountered, they had a shot at hammering it with a big hydraulic breaker on a 36 Tonne machine but the progress was not substantial and the breaker point was worn down quickly. Normally we would just blast the rock with high explosives and the show goes on, no big deal. Not this time... Parallel to the trench we were working in, is another underground service - a very large gas transmission main that supplies an entire large city... and the caretakers of the gas pipeline were not entertained by the concept of blasting near by. I quickly decided that Expando Chemical Cracking Agent was next best option to move this project forward.
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[@chriscooper654]

As ever, a fascinating glimpse of what it takes to work with such hard rock. The crystalline structure of the granite is even more evident in the way it fractures. Many thanks and stay safe!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Thanks for watching and contributing Chris.

[@rushthezeppelin]

As someone who does some rock climbing on granite and places protection in cracks in the granite this is very comforting to see the insane forces that it takes to break good hard granite.

[@bobbypatton4903]

rushthezeppelin the granite in Index WA can withstand 18,000psi.

[@DarkSparkCannabis]

I've pulled wind worn granite holds off before, can get brittle high up

[@ronaldgaska4480]

A lot of work with amazing results. Awesome Job!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Thank you.

[@2010Rocrat]

I ran a CAT 330c with a Atlas Copco HB 3000 for eleven years. 23 years in total,, breaking granite ledge was easy with a machine that size. If it was too hard or the cut required was deep, they would bring in a drill and “swiss cheese” the rock so it would be easier to break it. Did a lot of hand drilling back in the day. Your videos bring back a lot of great memories. I love the sound of ripping rock!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Nothing quite like the sound of granite still creaking and groaning just after a big shot.

[@MitzvosGolem1]

good job thank you learned about expando

[@SJ-gj7mx]

So interesting!

[@nigelkavanagh2048]

Can't beat the sound of hardened steel ripping granite.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Watching the breaker clawing the granite ledge reminded me of my dentist at work.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

You need a new dentist my friend!

[@crackwitz]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast one that uses high explosives :D

[@jamesrivis620]

Now that is what I call HARD WORK. Watching you contorting and struggling when drilling I was just in awe of your ability to stay with it !!! Also I had no idea that such compounds existed.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Drilling vertical holes is not too difficult but the diagonals are a lot harder.

[@ljprep6250]

Is that because your body ballast is directly over the drill on vertical holes? Man, that's a hard way to dig rock, but you got it done!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Correct.

[@ljprep6250]

Do you need a kidney belt to ride those things?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

No, but it does sort the workers from the watchers.

[@leonitasmaximus4004]

11:55 he and I envisioned that rock breaking off and flying straight at him like the one just before! As begins to back up.

[@cosmopezzolla996]

That's an amazing job! A trench with the expanding grout is a tough job..........and he was able to rip it out.... no hammer! Shows your skill level = 100! 🍻 👏

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Thanks Cosmo, only somebody that has tried to do this knows how tough it is to drill all of those angled holes and make it work. Thanks for watching.

[@bigredracer7848]

1K+👍's up demolition Dave he's at it again he's breaking things I love it when he explodes them

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

They would not let me explode this one.

[@odc43054]

Can't bash it? Can't cut it? Call Dave! That's an amazing amount of work. I guess there are probably machine mounted drills, but unwieldy and expensive for a small job. Would certainly save your back.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

HI Dave O - I have a machine mounted drill and I was temped to use it for this job but the extra hassle of trucking it there and back each day was not warranted. The machine could have easily drilled all of those holes in one day however the most important thing to know about getting the expando to break the rock where you want it to break is that you must driil the holes and fill them in stages, otherwise the cracks will just run in all directions, hence 3 days of drilling and three days of machine transport - easier to hand drill. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5zZm6SLhdV0nbc

[@pear7777]

Hats off to the drill operator. What a job.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

That was me drilling, it was a shocker of a job. Thanks for watching.

[@manjubhatti9110]

Not an easy job....but satisfying to watch

[@antpoo]

Great job

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Thanks for watching

[@jerrypeevey]

we rent breakers to go on the end of those excavators. I have also used hydraulic rock splitter that you simply drop into those drilled holes and they crack it open immediately. If you run into that sort of thing much you might look into those methods. Well, if they are available. You could make a good living just splitting rock if had this stuff AND you don't have to worry about killing yourself if you get it on you ! I mostly used this stuff on slopes and cliffs were you can't get equipment to it.

[@77Avadon77]

The only thing I don't like about those Hydra hammers on the end of excavators is that they are super loud

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

This reminds me of getting wisdom teeth removed.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

I don't want to think about that.

[@johnm.evangelis693]

Good job

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Thank you

[@andrewallason4530]

I love using the ripper on my Komatsu 1.5t ‘hydraulic teaspoon’. Can’t wait to get my hands on some of that Expanda. Just looked at a video for the XCentric Ripper ( combo of ripper with built in hammer). Bit big for my machine, but looks like an awesome option, and should be made for smaller mach.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Sounds great! The expanding chemical; cracking agent is sold under numerous different brand names in different countries, it's good stuff, the biggest cause of failure is the users inability to drill large enough diameter holes. 1.5 Inch or 38mm is best and drill most of the way through the rock.

[@GARDENER42]

More drilling positions than the Kamasutra. ;-)

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

That's me 42, this is only a few of my positions!

[@jong2359]

You are indeed brave for standing a mere 2m from that ripper. When it started reverse dragging towards you, I squinted so hard that my eyes became nearly invulnerable.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

I can move very quickly!

[@jong2359]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast LOL, good on ya, thanks for demo'ing for us.

[@andrewallason4530]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast “if you see the man in red overalls running, do try to keep up!” 🤪

[@Imwright720]

Now that’s what I call a ripper

[@johnpowell5433]

Bloody 'ell mate, yer in me light!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Huh? That would put you in my shadow...

[@johnpowell5433]

10:13 😀

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Oh, I see you know.

[@joea1433]

Better living through chemistry!

[@JustinVodden]

Rock saw! Tesmec, Vermeer, whatever it takes. that is how I have done it. neat to see another option though!

[@volvo245]

Justin Vodden Granite is one the last remaining types of stone that is too much for modern rock drill bits. They can do it but its just not cost effective and its very slow.

[@karlbuschtoolmaker]

Ya could have diamond sawed it out in a afternoon

[@volvo245]

@@karlbuschtoolmaker Yeah that sounds cheap...😅

[@civilenginerd1]

@@volvo245 Just got a quote on a rental for a vermeer machine. 32K a month. not cheap!

[@bloodypine22]

They used to do this hundreds of years aho by pouring in water during wintertime, so that the stone would crack when the water turned into ice.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Customer could not wait until winter time...

[@vaughanellis7866]

First I've heard of Expando (relatively unknown in the UK) sure beats the hell out of using feathers and wedges especially in temps of 30 c plus.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Vaughan Ellis - yeah, you still have to drill the holes though and this one was a bit challenging as it was 30oC at 7:00 in the morning. There is a business opportunity for you, import and sell expando in the UK.

[@johncurran1179]

Someone get this man a sonic drill !

[@propaycheque]

That expando is cool stuff thanks for the vid! I would always use a jackleg over a plugger wherever I could, though! They are most certainly worth the investment!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Pro Paycheque I'm looking out for a leg dril, how would you use it to your advantage in a job like this when you have to drill down @ 45 degrees?

[@propaycheque]

I would drill with my angle pointed lengthwise the trench in starting at one end and working backwords. Need to start off by putting in a hole for a bolt or piece of cold round. Then run a chain off of that with a loop on the end to keep your leg from kicking out. Thats how I drill of benches underground with a jackleg and I've never used expando so I'm not the expert.

[@propaycheque]

And I would I definitely throw that dice in off the hop! It seemed to add the relief the expando needed

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Pro Paycheque - Interesting idea with a chain. I would like to do one of these one day with parallel horizontal holes to shape the bottom of the trench however expando is a bit tricky to use in long horizontal holes as it is a lot thicker than water and does not flow very well.

[@propaycheque]

I would just drill the same pattern you drilled except with the holes at 45 degrees all pointing towards one end of the trench. Drilling flat low holes gets to be murder on the back and doesnt seem necessary if the trench is getting backfilled with the bedding anyways... But I swear that you will love the jackleg! All you do is balance the leg pressure with weight leaning downwards on the leg and she'll smash out the hole way faster and without to suffer the vibration of the plugger.

[@alibronx2112]

I always find your videos fascinating, thank you for sharing! how do you not get white fingers with all that drilling?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Good question, I always add extra padding on the drill handles and use gloves, my hands are pretty good.

[@alibronx2112]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast glad to hear that! cheers

[@kenjett2434]

Binge watching your videos Dave on this one seems this was a very inefficient way to break the rock for this situation. With light loads strategically placed you could have achieved same results in just a few hours. Did alot of trenching for pipeline and road ditching in a 2 ft hole we would use about a quarter stick of tnt and about 10 inches of a gell stick per hole. Sometimes less if it was a softer rock like sandstone. Gave a nice pop and usually not throw any rock more than 4 to 6 feet. I row of shot holes down the middle with relief holes on the out sides of trench to shape it and this would been done real quick well except the time it would take to drill it. The exspando is a good product in where you have boulders where blasting isn't an option and just to big to move with machines. But in ground like this the rock is in a suppressed state that counters the effect of the expanding material lessening its effectiveness.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

There was no way they were going to let me use explosives on this one, only a few meters away is a 30 inch 1500 PSI gas pipleline that supplies the entire city of Melbourne, they were all over me!

[@kenjett2434]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast that's a shame but at least you made money for your time. But even if you been right next to that pipeline you know as well as I a precise pop would have barely vibrated that gas line. That's why only pros should be doing this kind of work surely they know that.

[@MrHunterseeker]

To think men were doing this same thing 15,000 years ago while building megalithic structures all around the world- including the pyramids, Machu Picchu, and all over south America, in the pacific Islands, Easter Island, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Egypt. Really makes you wonder how they did it, since they didn't have our technology.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Something to think about.

[@ewenwalker7740]

Tough stuff

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Very tough rock.

[@gacherumburu9958]

👏👏👏👏👍👍

[@MrStacygordon]

Granite is the hardest rock to get rid of big jack-hammers just make a dust and not realy breaking the rock.I used dexpan it's the samething Expando good stuff

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

MrStacy G. - So many people have never seen rock that you can't break with a hammer.

[@joeytheprince]

I am curious as to whether it ended up saving time or money to do it this way versus sticking with a breaker. My employer does a bit of rock excavation for house foundations. We are in sandstone and an experienced operator on a (rental) 20 ton ex and breaker took 3 weeks to cut 150 cubic yards worth of foundation and swimming pool out of the hillside. Looks like 100 feet of trench a couple feet deep took more than a week to drill and expand, accounting for some extra adversity. Do you regularly use Expando? Is it practical for moderate to large sized projects? Is it ever more cost effective than hydraulic breaking and ripping? Thanks for the video!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Hi Joe, This was definitely the cheapest way, total cost equalled two days with a 20 tonne machine and the machine just would not have cut it in his time, before I started the 36 Tonne Cat Excavator spent a few hours on it until the breaker point looked very sad. I spent 17 hours on this job over 4 site visits, only for a few hours at a time to drill and fill and then wait for the goo to do it's job. Sandstone is like cheese compared to hard granite when it comes to degree of difficulty. I use a lot of expando, used some today in a very tight backyard swimming pool excavation, blasting is your best bang for buck when it comes to hard rock extraction but sometimes it is not a practical option for one or more reasons. With some rock types hydraulic breaking or ripping are not options. We helped out on a big job a while back where the customer was using a pair of 85 Tonne Komatsu machines and 65 Tonne Cats with the biggest breakers that I have ever seen and they were replacing breaker points every 3 days @ $8000 each!!!!. They managed to get a lot of the granite that was faulted with jointing and bedding planes out but the really big bits needed to be blasted. You are welcome Joe.

[@joeytheprince]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast That is amazing. That is the reason we rent our breaking machines--they wear out too fast.

[@ItsKeananT]

Okay what sort of hand drill would you recommend to someone who wants to do this? Milwaukee sds and going up in successive bit sizes?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

It would take you 2 weeks to drill this with an electric drill and the cost of 38mm SDS Max (inch and a half drill bits) for them is prohibitive, not to mention that they only make them up to 600mm long. You really need a pneumatic rock drill, one that is powered by a big mobile air compressor. You should be able to hire one.

[@idiovid]

I've got a few boxes of Expando sitting about for breaking up a big lump of granite in the middle of an established vineyard. Biggest challenge so far is drilling the rock - I've tried using a diamond core drill, but it takes a damn long time to get to any kind of depth. Might need to bring more power to the task with the kind of rig you're using for holes...

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Gaf - You might be able to hire a drill like mine and a suitable compressor to run it. Where are you?

[@idiovid]

Just outside Canberra. Ironically, we've got a Boral quarry over our back fence who blasts once a month or so, but I don't think the rig they use to drill would fit down the narrow vineyard rows. Wil see if Coates or the like have any kind of drilling gear.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

You want a rotary percussion pneumatic rock drill and a 38mm drill steel if you are going to use Expando or you could engage a local guy like Deon Becker from Jyndabyne, he would be able to fix it for you in a flash.

[@idiovid]

Cheers for that - I feel like I should give the Expando a go, since I've got the stuff - I think in different temperature ranges as way back when I ordered it, I expected it'd be used during winter/spring when the vines are asleep. If I have no luck, it might be time to call in the experts :)

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

It looses it potency with age, best before time is about 18 months, you might need a few more holes if it is older.

[@robertperren1684]

Good old expando

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yep, "strong stuff"

[@dennis2376]

Not as fun as blasting, though blasting would be very interesting :), it seems to sort of worked. You really got to get a mini excavator for drilling. :) Thank you.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

"a mini excavator for drilling" - you mean like this one - kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4uxhX1nq96nr5o

[@dennis2376]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast Yep, and oops have not seen that yet. :) Thank you.

[@coloradomountainman8659]

Now this is a pain in the ass!

[@vipergt500r]

SIMPLEX man SIMPLEX

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

kjell stian aarsæther - you mean Semtex?

[@dudes110]

you need to treanch depp around the circumferrence of the entire rock in order to allow movement of cracking otherwise the chemical will ooze out of the hole!!!

[@Benjaminwolf]

The Ancient Egyptians used to put wooden wedges into crevices chiseled in granite. Then wet the wood. As the wood expanded, the granite would crack along a desired plane.

[@Digger927]

Right....

[@bigredc222]

I believe the only metal tools they had at that point were bronze, so just making a hole was tough, for every few people chiseling there was someone sharpening the chisels because they got dull so fast, did you see the recent show where they were finding the living quarters for the workers, we always thing about the pyramids, but not all the infrastructure for the tens of thousands of workers.

[@Digger927]

They found what they postulate to be living quarters for the workers, no one actually "knows" for sure.

[@bigredc222]

Brent, you're right, it's all just theory's, hell, won't they have egg on their faces if it turns out aliens really built the pyramids.

[@Digger927]

Ha, yeah wouldn't that be a hoot. I don't know, I'm not sure I buy aliens. All I know is it doesn't seem realistic to think people barely out of the stone age figured out how to carve several different kinds of super hard stone to the degree they appear to have with wood, copper and at best bronze. I'm leaning towards civilization being a lot older and far more advanced than is currently "accepted". All other theories I've read or heard seem a little too audacious and fantastic. This video is a good example of just what kind of challenge it is just to rough out some of those materials, let alone work them to the degree that ancients seem to have. Just seem like there's a lot missing we don't know about.

[@tomconnolly4989]

I want to dig a big hole for an inground tilapia pond - about 1.8m deep, 6m wide and 8m long (in the US). The top 60cm of the soil in that area is mostly hardpan, then under that you quickly run into some variation of rock and hardpan. Explosives are not allowed. Backhoes are not very productive, per some of the locals, who have tried digging in it with machines....unless you get really, really big backhoes (70l of diesel per hour!) What would you suggest?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

First up, who says explosives are not allowed and why? Explosives can be very safe and cost effective if you get the right contractor with a lot of experience in this type of blasting. Ok, if you take explosives of the table you could use and expanding chemical cracking agent and then get into it with a large machine fitted with a hydraulic hammer or use a Darda type hydraulic splitter as in my latest video.

[@tomconnolly4989]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast I have heard from two sources that the government does not allow blasting. I am trying to double check that, but Gggle does not seem to be as helpful as it used to be.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

What country are you in Tom? Every country has quarries and all quarries use huge quantities of explosives that are supplied by numerous explosive companies, explosives are also used extensively in any large civil works where rock is encountered. it might be worth googling "rock blasting contractor near me" or similar. Maybe contact the sales department of one of these explosive companies and ask if any of their customers do small blasting jobs.

[@runar500]

Get your self a Darda C12 Hydraulic Splitter... Just say'in... Amazing pice of kit..

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Very very expensive piece of kit, I have rented one a few times, yeah, good thing they are.

[@jeffwhit4987]

hmm . . . I wonder . . when I was a kid, we used make a good sized fire, then put a big rock in it to get hot really hot, then we would take the hot rock out of the fire and drop it into a bucket of water. Once things had cooled down, you could easily break the rock with a hammer into smaller pieces which you could break with you hand. So I wonder what would happen if they drilled the holes in the rock and then inserted like a tube with holes in the tube and then pumped like propane gas or that welding torch gas thru the pipe and let it burn and heat up the inside of the stone drill hole until it gets real hot, then take the burner out and quickly put in another perforated tube into the drill, but this time, inject liquid nitrogen or maybe something not that cold. I wonder if that would cause the rock to be more breakable and pried apart with that big metal hook thing? ps. Please don't try this at home like we did as kid because when you put some types of rocks into a fire, they will explode on their own. Hey, I never said we were smart kids. But at least we were smarter than my Dad and his friends when the were growing up during WW2. They used to pick sides and 'play army' by shooting at each other with their BB guns. (No goggles or face masks). But they stopped playing that after one of them got hit in the throat by a BB and hurt really really bad. And I wont even mention the crazy stuff my Grandfather and his brothers got into when they were kids back in the 1910's (?) ( like around 1913 to 1917. I don't know what you call that time range. Its not the Nineteen-hundreds 1900s and not the Nineteen-twenties 1920s. If you know what I mean.)

[@juhajuntunen7866]

I have cracked some big stones by fire. Dig earth away around stone and burn good fire 2 or 3 hours. Then pour a lot of cold water to it and at least granite cracks. I have experience only with granite. That thermal shock cause minicracks and that stone keep crackin several years, here winters are below zero which helps.

[@m4ssee]

So basicly it's completely impossible to just get a pickaxe and start hacking through solid granite? Unless I have literally like million years to spend?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yes, you would ware yourself out, and your tools, very quickly.

[@m4ssee]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast Damn, and I thought I could dig myself a little cave. 😟

[@robgandy4550]

I was gonna mention too, the goo does work, but you need somewhere for the rock to go. I would have drilled some relief holes, or diamond cut somewhere for the rock to go.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

It's always nice to have extra holes to help it work but when the temperature is ~35c (95f) and you are using a hand drill you just want to get it done.

[@robgandy4550]

True enough sir, I totally understand that. (No sweat, giggle). Cheers!

[@markmaker2488]

2hrs with a diamond saw or 2 days with expando

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

They gave it a go with the diamond saw and then the breaker... not much success.

[@lorduranic]

Question is why are you drilling alone?. 😢 I always have about 6 people to rotate in groups of three , just to operate the drill

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

What??? I can understand having Two guys and taking turns, one guys drills while the other does quick rod changes, this is fairly helpful when doing holes >3m. What brand and model of drill are you using??

[@seize1563]

Is that drill working properly-I didn't see any dust coming from the drill holes. Poor dude looked like he was killing himself trying to drill. If the cuttings weren't getting flushed out of the hole he was just working against himself. Great video.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Drill was working correctly, no visible dust as there is an efficient vacuum system.

[@jackdbur]

In Australia OHS is big on dust so vacuum or other dust suppression systems are used.

[@oscarmuffin4322]

What a nightmare having to do that. All for 20 feet of trench. On another note you need to find a way of drilling those holes that ain't gonna break your back into a million pieces. I'm almost certain you can get those drills mounted on diggers.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yeah, got one of those, was not working at the time, going again now though. I don't mind hand drilling vertical holes but the angle holes are a shocker.

[@geoffkail7393]

yeah you needed your mini ex with the rail mount.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

The hammer on it was crook at the time, would have been a lot easier for those nasty angle holes for sure Geoff

[@pyrotash]

5:20 Drilling positions are intresting.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Oh, there is many more. Thanks for subscribing.

[@blindabinda1234]

Any way you can maneuver one of those things to drill at an angle without getting thrown your doing just fine. I use to get it going a couple inches then sit on it. Of course in a vertical hole and a cushion under my ass. If you have to drill a lot of those holes you come up with some weird positions and ideas. Lol

[@parvataiahpulla2667]

What is the name of the chemical used . please tell us name

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Expando used in this job, other similar products are Dexpan and Ecobust.

[@johnnymac1580]

If it was easy they would have done it themselves!

[@robgandy4550]

I'm an old blaster; I know its harder to get now, but what would have you used if you were to blast. For example, I would have loaded each other hole with about a slow burning powder and set the timing quite slow (20 ms ish). What would you have done ???

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Slow burning powder, like smokeless powder for large rifle bullets and 20mS inter hole delay? I would have thought that 20mS was a bit fast but there has not been much written about mS delay blasting with propellant powders. My main concern with propellants in a tight or highly confined shot like a trench would be blowing the stemming on every hole and looking like a fool, I think that this would be quite possible with a typical zig zag pattern, I'm sure it would work great with the V cut pattern if all of the holes were fired together though. Like this one that worked a treat - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXSqeqNuZcp9jas - 38mm holes 1.2 -1.5m deep loaded with 40 grams/m cord and half a 32mm plug on the bottom.

[@robgandy4550]

Yea, on thinking about it, I realize 20 ms would be rather fast. (Just used to running those delays), As far as slow powder, I didn't mean rifle powders, just a slower/less powerful powder. Like 40% ish. Actually, that is wrong too. K, like Nitro Cellulose, or Nitro Benzene, something that 'Heaves' rather than 'Throws'. I'm not sure if your type of powders are quite the same as we have here. (Typical ammonium nitrate I would guess is the same around the world). Cheers and thanks. I must say too, you do really nice work. Well covered for the shots, nice and quiet, and just 'enough' to keep control over it. Nicely done.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Oh, I see what you are saying, we have not had 40% or 60% NG product here since the early 1990's it's all emusions and watergels these days and ANFO of course. Thanks for watching.

[@robgandy4550]

No worries mate; Thanks again for sharing. Again, beautiful work. Cheers!

[@gumattradingnamibia8607]

The 42 mm Nonex cartrdiges work very well in shallow holes. BTW, We supply now rock splitters that been manufactured in CHINA, specially for us,and modified tongues that last longer. Compare next to each other, about 95 % on par with European products,at 40 % less purchase price.Good job done btw.I can mail you specs if you want. sent us mail on [e-mail]

[@peterseery7154]

I tell you what to do mate😤

[@Farsmezan]

I have seen this video before.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Good... watch it again including the add and I will get 1/2 a cent!

[@BILLBILLH]

fire to get it hot, cold water to shock it. breaks up easy.

[@rogerwoodland2587]

there is a gas main close by.

[@blindabinda1234]

What were you running in the trench?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

blindabinda123 just gas and water

[@blindabinda1234]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting the ledge didn't drop off closer to the gas main? Or did you guys not try. We usually at least try to find away around ledge when we come across it. Was this just for a services or to run the mains?

[@blindabinda1234]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting nevermore l never mind. I see the gas main abs the service trench now that I look again. What size water main? ?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

I can't recall what the trench was for, the gas pipe can be seen in the video not sure if the other was to be electricity or water.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

just for services, the Gas main was about 8m (?) away

[@frankenscience3553]

ever use a darda rock splitter?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yes, here it is in action - kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHrVaGebl6pqfs0

[@ajones8699]

What was going in the trench?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Gas and electricity I think.

[@ajones8699]

Ok, expensive trench then..

[@waynerainey2606]

Bet you underbid that one eh?, No explosives, that's crapola!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

No, it was time + consumables, explosives very not on the menu from the beginning. It was never going to be an easy job, compounded by the very hot summer weather, but we got it out.

[@garybulwinkle82]

I think Ph goes from one (1) acidic to fourteen (14) alkaline.

[@TheNameIwantedWasTkn]

gary bulwinkle it actually goes into the negative on the acid side and above 14 on the alkaline side 👍🏻

[@islandmonusvi]

Seems like a hydraulic hammer on 5he Trachoe would make quick work of that #7 granite

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

From the description - " they had a shot at hammering it with a big hydraulic breaker on a 36 Tonne machine but the progress was not substantial and the breaker point was worn down quickly"

[@rogerwoodland2587]

why not read the headings

[@HomeShowTV]

lol ph of "15" is indeed very alkali. Kind of like a girl who is a "12" on the 10 point scale.

[@TechGorilla1987]

Like turning an amp up to "11!"

[@martinwinlow]

Nothing at all misogynistic about that comment!

[@HomeShowTV]

@@martinwinlow Fair enough. In my defense, however, I would point out that neither thing in my simile actually exists, 12 on a scale of 10 or 15 on a scale of 14. So there should not be any actual people too aggrieved by my comment. I am happy to correct it to a show chicken that is a 12 on the 10 point scale if it would ease your mind. Although I am sure the show chicken supporters would be all over me.

[@johnleake708]

Lots of work (and revenue for you) because the pipeline folks do not care what it costs to remove the rock. As long as someone else pays the bill sounds like good revenue for you

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

The guys that owned the gas pipeline don't care but the company laying the services in this trench that I made sure do care.

[@jamesrogers4674]

How much does that stuff cost?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

I can supply a 20Kg Box for $240 inc. GST, this will fill 2.2m of 38mm diameter holes

[@jamesrogers4674]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting Wow that's high. So that was several thousand dollars to do that job?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Not a cheap job, used 95Kg.

[@gregorysampson8759]

Most contractors around here would have a sub diamond saw it.

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

They had a shot at that with a demo saw RB, and then re applied the breaker to little effect, for this method to be a goer they really needed to gut it deep with a big road saw, however this method is also flawed because you can't use a road saw on anything but a perfect flat surface because the (very expensive) blade will jam and likely be damaged. I'm always looking for better ways of doing things though, it may have been possible to do it with a diamond wire saw. Think I need one of those.

[@gregorysampson8759]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting good point! Those big blades bind easily.

[@jasethesmiff5683]

I want to expand my bank acct. Does the goo work for that?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Try it and see...

[@VerifiedNobody]

It will work but leaves a long empty trench

[@jpenneymrcoin6851]

see this pyrex with the expando powder all over it? (picks up pyrex with bare hands)....?!?!?!??!?!

[@junkmail4613]

Out in the WORLD the range of Ph is from 0 to 14 .... There ain't no such thing as Ph15. But you do it your way!!! at 3:08

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

You are correct, I was quoting a warning that I was given, seems that it was embellished somewhat. It is however pretty nasty stuff if it gets in your eyes or lungs.

[@junkmail4613]

Dave, I agree whole heartedly. The numbers don't matter when Eyes and Lungs are in the balance!!!

[@oscarmuffin4322]

The PH scale can go below zero and greater than 14 although it's very rare. The 0-14 just provides a good range for stuff that you will find relatively easily. The 0-14 scale we all know and love is based on stuff in a solution of water. Start putting stuff in other solvents though and scientists have made stuff as high as a Ph of 45.

[@junkmail4613]

Oscar Muffin 2 minutes ago Highlighted reply,"The PH scale can go below zero and greater than 14 ..." So, at first, I thought you were "Trumping Me", and boy I hate that, but then I researched, and sure enough, I found stuff I hadn't heard in college, in solvents other than water, Ph's can be outside the range of 0-14, however in this gentleman's circumstance clearly is with water solvent. The link I used follows: but it REALLY HURT MY BRAIN a lot to dissolve and absorb from this article.: ( chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/6997/ph-range-outside-conventional-0-14 ) I think even initiated "petite mal epileptic fit" Not good at my age. ( I think You owe me some cookies and warm milk.)

[@rationalmartian]

Ha ha ha. Great thread chaps. So refreshing to see blokes behaving like adults, discussing, conversing and admitting error as opposed to getting overly emotional and overwrought. I myself wasn't sure if the range could go higher. Apparently in other solvents it is possible to get much more base, and I'm assuming much more acidic too. We learn so much more when we are grown up and reasonable. Bravo indeed fella's.

[@karim9260042]

hydraulic hammer wy not?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

They tried for 3 1/2 hours with a 26 tonne excavator and hammer - too hard.

[@rogerwoodland2587]

read the headings

[@bobmarshall3700]

No hearing protection for jack hammer!

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Always use protection Bob, the little roll up foam ear plugs, -29 or -33dB attenuation depending on which way you measure it.

[@antpoo]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting lol, that showed him 👍

[@ryelor123]

For the first few seconds, I thought he was speaking Mexican. Funny how some accents can be so similar to different languages. Good video though. Didn't know such a product existed.

[@TheNameIwantedWasTkn]

out of curiosity why take it out at all? surely thats the ideal material to place a footing on?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

In this case the excavation was for underground gas and water etc. in the case of footing for a building a similar type of excavation in the rock is preformed so that the house sits on a uniform foundation type as if some of the house was on rock and some on soil the house would eventually crack as the soil eventually settles or sinks but the rock is fixed.

[@TheNameIwantedWasTkn]

Demolition Dave Drilling and Blasting ahh I just assumed it was a strip footing...mind you that’d put the house pretty close to the road 🤦‍♂️

[@billsmith9711]

a pH of 15 he said in the third minute...this is impossible.

[@TheNameIwantedWasTkn]

Bill Smith the ph scale doesn’t just stop at 1 and 14, it goes into negative numbers on the acid side and above 14 on the alkaline side

[@AirCrash1]

Diamond Saw, job done, wtf is all this.

[@rogerwoodland2587]

too slow.

[@TheADRIANOVALENTINO]

just blast it 2 seconds theres no one around

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

They were all over me, no chance to blast it.

[@markfryer9880]

Dave you have to work out a better way to do this sort of trench than drilling by hand. You will stuff your body quick time if you keep that sort of thing up.Go back and take another look at the ergonomic positions you were in.Something has to change. Mark

[@blindabinda1234]

Mark Fryer he worked it just fine. You hold that 100lb hammer drill in a perfect position. I've done my share of jack hammering and drilling and the drilling is sooo physically demanding. That thing weighs probably around 120 pounds with the drillbit. And it's jumping and wanting to grab while it's spinning. Any way you can run that thing without getting thrown is the right way.

[@mightyfinejonboy]

avoiding white finger is not such bad advice...

[@TheNameIwantedWasTkn]

doesnt that pretty much mean avoid drilling? kinda hard when thats your job?

[@blindabinda1234]

@@TheNameIwantedWasTkn lol right. People like this guy have clearly never even tried to lift one of those drills. I'm surprised the operators didn't try finding a way around the ledge. That's what I always do. Likely that hump was only another foot or two wider.

[@MikeBaxterABC]

Mark Fryer : ... It's about profit ... there's nothing to "work out" there a half dozen existing systems to drill that rock MUCH easier ... hell you can do it sitting in an air conditioned cab. But that wouldn't be profitable

[@martinwinlow]

Hole diameter?????!!!!! (No-one EVER says!!!)

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

This one was 38mm -Inch and a half

[@martinwinlow]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast Thanks. Have you tried any other hole diameters WRT the situation (especially rock type)? Also, have you ever started a trench with holes inclined the other way initially for the first 2 or 3 rows and migrated to vertical ones? Theory being that the first holes push the rock up and out giving somewhere for the vertical holes to push the rock into?

[@fernarias]

Explosives are faster and make for a better video.

[@rogerwoodland2587]

why not read the headings

[@philipculver2719]

Have you heard of the Sierra Blaster? No explosive license needed. www.sierrablaster.com/

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Hi Philip, yes I have noticed this device / system. It works in a similar manor to the "Bolulder Buster"", the SB has some advantages and refinements that make it preferable. I assume that the cartridges contain smokeless powder? Good for small jobs and people that can't get a licence for high explosives i guess.

[@peterwilson5528]

Isn't it easier to wrestle Crocodiles? :)

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yeah, probably make a lot more money also.

[@peterwilson5528]

@@demolitiondavedrillandblast Good luck to you mate. Australians are great guys, used to live in Scotland in West Highlandsand was working with loads of Aussies and Kiwis a great craic :)

[@arthurn9237]

HUMMMM YEEEA WHY NOT INCORPORATE THE GRANITE THATS BEEN IN THE GROUND FOR A MILLION YEAR INTO THE PROJECT 🤔❓❓ IT'S SURLEY NOT GOING TO BLUDDY MOVE

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

This was a service trench for power and water, should they have run them above ground??

[@Andy-Gibb]

Dave don’t you get irritated when builders and homeowners wont listen to you when you say you can do something and they bulk you on what you say you can do?

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Oh, don't start me Andy! Here is the classic one, a mid size excavator with a breaker can't break the Granite, they get me in for a look and find out I'm not actually a charity and as such I don't work for free.... So then they get in an even bigger machine with a bigger breaker because "this would be cheaper". This plan also fails and the breaker point is toast, so add another ~$1500 to the cost of getting the big machine for the day and now the job is further behind and the budget is looking sad, I get a start and now the rock I want to drill is 50mm deep in stone dust and chips everywhere that I have to clean up before I start and they want to know if I can do a better price!

[@deeremeyer1749]

So there's going to be a "new housing estate project" in that dirt with "granite" underneath it? ROFLMAO. Yeah. You bet. No wonder that land was so "cheap".

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

This is not unusual at all and I'm sure that it is not cheap.

[@fabiolus2007]

And they want us to believe Egyptians carved granite with copper tools.....lol

[@demolitiondavedrillandblast]

Yeah right, it is hard on tungsten.

[@Kizron_Kizronson]

And they want us to believe that you can cut steel with water or light.....lol. On a more serious note archaeologists have shown that you can cut granite with copper tools by cheating and using sand between the tool and the rock to grind away rather than cut directly. Maybe they used another method back then, but it show that it can be done.

[@HeathHunnicutt]

Have you seen the images of kerf marks on the pyramid blocks? It seems they had something like a 9m diameter circular blade made out of God-knows-what.

[@Kizron_Kizronson]

Copper or bronze... When they tested the sand drilling they used a copper tube with sand as an abrasive, the resulting marks matched what was seen on the ancient stonework.

[@PhilJonesIII]

They had iron as well. Ironworks from the 4th dynasty with engravings relating to that time in the Sinai mountains. It would have been an expensive metal and the production method a closely guarded secret.