Breaking Giant Bits Of Rock

[Fella]

I have bought some of this for my tank. I've got 4 pieces, all giant, and I want to break them smaller so that I can create a rockpile. My tank is 30 gallons, and I've got 1 piece in there right now which covers almost half the footprint. I've tried using a bolster chisel and rubber mallet, but I get no results whatsoever, barely a dent. I tried throwing one rock on top of another, but no result there either. I'm looking for someone who has broken these giant rocks up to be able to tell me how they did it, many thanks!

 

[Durbkat]

Stand on your roof and drop the rock, that should break it. If not have you tried running over it with a car or slamming a sledge hammer into it?

 

[Fella]

Stand on your roof and drop the rock, that should break it. If not have you tried running over it with a car or slamming a sledge hammer into it?

Im sure dropping this rock onto concrete would break the concrete, and I don't own a car, or sledgehammer.

I tried using one piece of rock to smash another piece, I'm done something funny to my hand now and it'll have to be bandaged.

 

[smithrc]

club hammer and a bolster

I managed to break a paving slab at our old house doing this....

 

[Fella]

club hammer and a bolster

I managed to break a paving slab at our old house doing this....

I've got a feeling the mallet I'm using just isn't strong enough. It's got a rubber end Im sure its absorbing most of the power

I'll give it a go. What I don't want to do however, is break any paving slabs

 

[smithrc]

before (I'd broken them a bit but not a lot here)

after (some of it - I've still got a small bucket full of bit that are yet to see a tank )

 

[Fella]

Those pieces are a bit bigger than the ones I've got now, but pretty close! Breaking them is a right job, I've really struggled. Was it still hard with the bolster chisel and proper hammer?

 

[smithrc]

ah - the rubber mallet will be about as effective as running over it in a car.... (as in it wont work)

i was using a 4lb metal club hammer... and a 3" bolster (now blunt)

like these...

 

[ccg]

running over it with a car? - was that a serious comment?

Running over large rocks with a car will really mess things up (for the car, not the rock)

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah I was serious. Didn't know it would only effect the car.

 

[ccg]

I drive a pretty small car... but I'm sure if I drove over some rocks that size it would do some damage

 

[smithrc]

I drive a pretty small car... but I'm sure if I drove over some rocks that size it would do some damage

They wouldnt fit under my bumper

Grab your car keys durk... give it a try

 

[Durbkat]

But for the size rocks you use smithrc you'd need a 18 wheeler truck with 2 of those trailers attached to it with the trailers full of rocks to weigh it down.

 

[piper]

All you need is an angle grinder with a masonry blade in it. You can get pretty cheap ones these days. Fun to use too .. .. .

 

[Paul_MTS]

bog standard claw hammer and wack it on the side which has the grain lines on. It will then break into a layer to a size you can break it against the grain for smaller bits.

I did this at work last week for a new african cichlid display tank we set up and that took quite a bit of slate, having an agregate yard next door we grabbed some big chunky bits then smashed them up.