Blaster’s Training Manual

For Farmers, Ranchers, Prospectors, Engineers, Small Construction Contractors. At the end of this Manual you will be able to determine the position and force of explosion required and select, assemble, plant and detonate electronically and nonelectronically charges of industrial explosives, safely and according to the law. Although this is a beginner’s Manual, it will also upgrade the skills of people now working with explosives, as well as those who require a knowledge of the field: safety officers, supervisors, engineers, etc. This Manual will provide the basic skills and theory to assist in preparing for Provincial and State examinations.

The purpose of this manual is to provide the average prospective user with a structured, understandable, illustrated manual in the handling and use of explosives. To a large extent this manual is a compilation of data collected from many sources over the years, but never before brought together and organized into one volume.

While the author hesitates to state that explosives usage can be mastered from the printed page, it is probable that safe and efficient blasting is 95% technical know-how which can be communicated efficiently to most persons through the printed word. In any event, it should be obvious that it would be exceedingly dangerous to follow the opposite route, and attempt to master explosives usage through trialand- error in the field.

The writer is an Internationally Accredited Professional Explosives Engineer who has worked in his profession for 36-years and who was a member of the Society of Explosives Engineers, International, from 1982 until his retirement due to health in 1991. Mr. House, also wrote/designed/taught the “Commercial Explosives Course” for Pacific Vocational Institute Maple Ridge Campus, a Division of B.C.I.T. [British Columbia Institute of Technology] This manual was originally written for the Dept. of National Defense, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, after the CFB Chilliwack, BC, accident in June of 1988. It is now being offered in a re-write to the general public in its Non-Military Form.

From the Contents:

BLASTER’S TRAINING MANUAL 1
BLASTER’S TRAINING MANUAL 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4
PREFACE 8
CHAPTER I 9
INTRODUCTION TO EXPLOSIVES 9
THERE ARE THREE BASIC TYPES OF EXPLOSIONS 13
EXPLOSIVE FIRING TRAINS 14
PROPERTIES OF EXPLOSIVES 18
CHAPTER II 24
THE NON-ELECTRIC FIRING OF EXPLOSIVES 24
SAFETY FUSE 25
NON-ELECTRIC BLASTING CAPS 27
DETERMINING FUSE LENGTH 28
MAKING FUSE PRIMERS 30
DYNAMITE PRIMER CARTRIDGES 34
“TOP END PRIMING” 38
SAFETY TIPS 44
CHAPTER II 45
SAFETY “DO’S AND DON’TS” 45
WHEN USING EXPLOSIVES 45
WHEN PREPARING THE PRIMER 46
WHEN SHOOTING WITH FUSE 47
CHAPTER III 49
ELECTRIC FIRING 49
THE COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRIC FIRING SYSTEM 51
MAKING PRIMER CARTRIDGES FOR ELECTRIC FIRING 56
ELECTRIC BLASTING CIRCUITS 58
SPLICING AND CONNECTING WIRES IN ELECTRICAL BLASTING CIRCUITS 62
CALCULATING RESISTANCE AND POWER REQUIREMENTS 66
CALCULATIONS FOR A SERIES CIRCUIT 68
CALCULATIONS FOR A PARALLEL CIRCUIT 69
CALCULATIONS FOR A PARALLEL SERIES CIRCUIT 70
TESTING ELECTRIC BLASTING CIRCUITS 71
THE DANGER OF EXTRANEOUS ELECTRICITY
CHAPTER III 77
“SAFETY DO’S & DON’TS” 77
CHAPTER IV 78
DETONATING CORD 78
PRIMING WITH DETONATING CORD 81
JOINING DETONATING CORD 83
DETONATING CORD FIRING SYSTEMS 85
CHAPTER V 86
PROPAGATION FIRING 86
CHAPTER VI 88
FIRING MULTIPLE CHARGES IN ROTATION 88
ROTATIONAL DELAY FIRING WITH CAP AND FUSE 91
FIRING MULTIPLE CHARGES SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH CAP AND FUSE 93
ELECTRIC DELAY FIRING 94
DELAY FIRING WITH DETONATING CORD 95
CHAPTER VII 98
EXPLOSIVES 98
NITROGLYCERIN 98
STRAIGHT DYNAMITE 100
AMMONIA DYNAMITE 101
GELATINS 102
BLASTING AGENTS AND CAP-INSENSITIVE EXPLOSIVES 103
BLACK POWDER 105
BLACK POWDER PRIMER CARTRIDGES 106
PERMISSIBLES 108
MILITARY EXPLOSIVES 110
TNT 110
PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE, COMPOSITION C-3 111
PLASTIC EXPLOSIVE, COMPOSITION C-4 111
COMPOSITION B 111
AMATOL 111
PETN 111
R.D.X. 111
TETRYL 111
MILITARY DYNAMITE 111
AMMONIUM NITRATE CRATERING CHARGES 111
PACKAGING OF EXPLOSIVES 114
CHAPTER VIII 115
PREPARING CHARGES FOR FIRING 115
PRIMING CHARGES 115
LOADING, TAMPING AND STEMMING CHARGES 117
“SPRINGING SHOTHOLES” 120
CHAPTER IX 121
A TYPICAL SMALL BLASTING JOB 121
TOOLS 123
DRIVING IRON AND SLEDGE 124
BULGE-POINT DRIVING IRON 125
EARTH AUGER 126
LONG HANDLED SHOVEL 127
SPOON 128
MINER’S SPOON 129
WOODEN AUGER 130
MASONRY OR “STAR” DRILL 131
CHAPTER X 133
PREVENTING MISFIRES AND ACCIDENTS 133
ACCIDENT REPORTS 136
HANDLING MISFIRES 139
CHAPTER XI 141
MUDCAPPING 141
CHAPTER XII 143
BLASTING ROCKS, BOULDERS AND LEDGES 143
CHAPTER XIII 150
STUMPING WITH EXPLOSIVES 150
CHAPTER XIV 160
CUTTING TIMBERS, PILINGS AND TREES 160
CHAPTER XV 166
DITCH AND POND-BLASTING 166
SINGLE-LINE COLUMN LOADINGS 170
THE POST-HOLE METHOD OF DITCHING 172
THE RELIEF METHOD 175
CROSS-SECTION METHOD OF BLASTING PONDS AND WIDE DITCHES 176
PIPELINE DITCHING 179
CHAPTER XVI 181
ICE BLASTING 181
CHAPTER XVII 184
BLASTING STEEL 184
CHAPTER XVIII 195
UNDERWATER BLASTING 195
CHAPTER XIX 200
MISCELLANEOUS BLASTING PROJECTS 200
BLASTING FENCE AND POST HOLES 200
CHAPTER XX 203
TREE PLANTING 203
CHAPTER XXI 204
SUBSOIL BLASTING 204
Chapter XXII 206
BUILDING SMALL ROADS 206
CHAPTER XXIII 208
EXCAVATING 208
CHAPTER XXIV 211
DEMOLITION’S 211

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