Need help chiseling live rock into smaller pieces

[cherubfish pair]

Is it self explanitory or is there a trick to it?

 

[danferd2002]

i just put a towel under, and on top and smash it with a small sledge hammer.

 

[Mr.Biggs]

Don't forget your safety glasses, because wall mart doesn't carry spare eyes. :hmm5:

 

[Avast Marine]

 

[ChemE]

This guy knows the secret...

 

[Avast Marine]

Nice ChemE
Actually there is a trick to it. I was busting a piece a few weeks ago while holding it in my hand....I have the big nasty scar to prove it. Trick = put on ground not in hand.

 

[Scottkelly911]

If you want to shape the pieces, drill some holes into it, then use a dremil cutting wheel to "connect the dots. After that, you'll have some shapes and then will need to drill some more holes along the lines. This will weaken the rock and make it so you can break it more easily into the shapes you'd like. After you've got a lot of holes, then you can carefully hammer and chisel (I use a flathead screw driver) away until you've got the shapes you'd like. Good luck.

 

[CoralFiend]

I was just doing this today. Used my roto zip tool and roughly cut the shape I wanted as deep as the bit would go and then used a screwdriver and rubber mallett to finish it off. If you just hit it with a hammer, you might end up destroying more of the rock than you want to.

 

[CoolUsername]

Another vote for flathead screwdriver and hammer.

I bought a "combo" rock from the LFS and wanted to place the mushrooms in different places from the zoos, from the green star polyps, from the mantora capricornis. Worked like a charm.

 

[CoolUsername]

I didn't drill either. Drilling would work well if you really want to determine exactly where it will break. For rough cuts just aim on a crevice and whack it.

 

[javatech]

An other why to break it up is to ship it to your self by fedex or ups :lmao: :hammer:

 

[Scottkelly911]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7935144#post7935144 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by javatech
An other why to brake it up is to ship it to your self by fedex or ups :lmao: :hammer:

:lol: That is quite possibly the funniest thing I've heard all weekend. Maybe I should get out more often, but that was darn funny!

 

[ek9vboi]

I say wrap it in a towel (1 that you don't use and the wife won't get so angry about) and whack it against the ground (again in the street and not in the driveway or garage floor)


Some nice size pieces will come out and great shapes. Lots of rubble if it doesn't break off the 1st time around. lol

 

[schristi69]

Uh, they have these things called CHISELS! Get yourself a brick chisel. Use the chisel and the hammer to score a line along where you want, for example down the middle. Keep doing this and it will eventually split. Hitting with a hammer is just going to shatter the rock.