How To Break A Rock With A Sledgehammer?

Moving a large boulder is a highly challenging and complicated process. If you don’t break the rock into small pieces, carrying it is equally difficult. In that case, you can lighten the load, remove it safely, and carry it by easily breaking the rock with a sledgehammer. But this task might become risky and unusual if you do not know the proper way.

It seems like a matter to be concerned about, Isn’t it? Not actually after you read this article. By the end of your scroll, you will get to know the most effortless technique of breaking a rock with a sledgehammer and other efficient ways to break a rock.

Steps to Break Rock Using a Sledgehammer

Well, when you’ve decided to break the rock with a sledgehammer, put on your safety gear and jump to rock breaking by following the instructions.

Step 1: Wear Safety Gear

Remember that you are working with a sledgehammer to break the rock. Doing so may injure your hands, eyes, and feet. Be sure to wear gloves before starting work. Otherwise, blisters are guaranteed as you have to rotate the sledgehammer to break the rock constantly. A pair of sturdy and soft gloves will protect your fingers from the abrasion of the rigid handle.

The second one is to protect your eyes, which is paramount. Wear goggles and a pair of boots to protect your eyes from small pieces of rock.

We can say that you are fully prepared for a difficult task like breaking stones.

Step 2: Select a Hard Surface to Place the Rock (If Possible)

Somehow, if you can manage to move the rock on a hard and flat surface, it will be the best. If the stone is located in a relatively odd place, it will move when hit or move out of position after a few hits. But if you see that taking the stone to a suitable place is impossible or dangerous, then it would be wise to find another way.

Step 3: Pick a Point to Blow and Hold the Hammer Correctly

Breaking a rock with a sledgehammer means applying repeated pressure to a specific point on its surface to force it to crack. Just pick a nearby spot. It doesn’t matter if it’s flat or round, as long as you are sure you can break it in a short time with little difficulty.

Now that you have fixed your vantage point hold the sledgehammer properly.

Place it below the hammer’s head with your dominant hand while your non-dominant hand firmly grasps the handle. This technique confirms swing control with maximum safety. During the swing, your dominant hand will control the precision, your non-dominant hand will provide balance, and your entire body will provide power.

Step 4: Swing the Sledgehammer and Hit The point

Start slowly. Swing the sledgehammer 180 degrees over your head and hit the rock. Continue hitting again and again in the same way on the same point until a fracture appears on the surface of the stone. Once it comes up, you are not far away from breaking it in two.

Keep subsistence with patience and keep practicing with small amounts of force. The exact number of times you will need to hit is unknown.

How To Break a Rock With a Hammer

To break a rock with a hammer, you will need a chisel, a set of feathers, and a hammer to split or break a rock. Let’s learn step by step how to break rock with a hammer.

• The first step is to drill a series of holes down into the rock. For drilling, this time, you need a chisel. 
• Once you finish drilling the holes, the next step is to insert the wedge and feathers. To ensure the wedge goes down in the spot, take the wedges and feathers together and drop them in the hole with the wedge right in the middle of the feather.
• Now take the hammer and tap it lightly a couple of times to secure it, and then start hammering the wedge. Repeat this back and forth until the rock cracks. 
• When wedges are driven down to the bottom, and a fracture has arrived, you can’t hit them anymore. Just put a bar in here, push the slanted edge into a fissure, and pry the rock apart.
• Rock of small size may not need a bar; it will separate from the fracture site by itself. Or you can separate them by hand.

Small Rock Breaking Techniques

You might be amazed at how easy it is to use a sledge to break up the rock. However, a household hammer or rock hammer/pick will do the trick for smaller stones. 

Place the rock bag on a solid surface (such as concrete or asphalt), then lightly tap it. Increase the pressure gradually until you hear the rocks breaking. The stone will become weaker from repeated blows to the same area and crumble away quickly. Stop and evaluate your work before moving on when the rocks are already tiny enough.

It is always best to handle your rock with a gentle hand. Too much force can break your rock into smaller pieces that can’t be tumbled.

Conclusion

As we promised, you’ve got all the easiest techniques to break a rock. However, remember that the tensile strength of rocks is deficient. So, the simplest approach to breaking a rock with a rock hammer is to take advantage of this built-in weakness. 

Once you know all the tricks of breaking rocks, you won’t be afraid of hard work like breaking rocks. Then get into your job of rock breaking like a skilled mason and have fun with it.