DuPontBlastingAccessories 10074180

B L AS T I N G AC C E SS O R I E S
BLAST I NG C A PS SA FE T " F USE C AP C RI M P ERS

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ELEC T RI C B LAST I NG C A PS D ELA " ELE C T RI C

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B LAST I N G C A PS B LAST I N G MA C H I N ES
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E L E C T R I C S "U I B S D E L A " E L E C T R I C
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I GN I T ERS CO N N E C T I N G W I RE LEA D
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I N G W I RE GALVA N O M ET ERS R H EO
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S TA T S C O R D E A U T H A W I N G
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K ETT LES B LAST I N G M A TS

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TAM P I N G B AGS ETC , .
M AN U FAC TUR E D B"

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E . 1 D PO N T DE N E MO UR S C O MPAN "
a n c o a po nxr m )
WI L M I N G T O N , DE L AWAR E
BLAS T I N G ACC ESS O R I E S
X PL OS I V E S d e ma n d first con sid era

t h e m se l v e s
E t ion wh en bl a st i n g is to be d on e bu t t h e fa c t
m u st n ot be ov er l ook e d th a t t h e y ca n n ot be
,
p p
r o e r l y e x pl od e d a n d w i ll n o t d e v e l op t h e i r fu ll
st r e n gt h wi t h ou t ce rt a n i m a t e ri a l s a nd li
a pp a n ce s
e spe c ai ll y d esigned for th e pu r pose I n a dd i tion t o .
t h ose a rt ic l e s n ecessa r y t o d e v e l o p th e e n er gy of a
c h a rge of e x pl osiv es t h e re a r e oth er d ev ice s wh ic h
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a l t h ou gh t h e y ma y n ot be a bso l u te l y re q uisi te con t rib ,
u te t o sa fe t y cer t a i n t y a n d econ om y i n t h e u se of
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e x pl osiv es .T h e se a re ca lle d B l a sti n g Accessorie s .
T h e i m port a n ce of u s n g i B l a sti n g A ccessorie s t h a t

a re u p to t h e h igh e st st a n d a rd in ev ery respe c t ca n n ot
be ov e r e st i m a te d T h e. v e r y be st gr a d e cost s bu t a
t ri fl e i n com pa ri son wi t h t h e ch a rge of ex pl os v e si wi t h

w h i ch t h e y a re u se d .I t is poor econ omy to a tt e m pt t o
d e t on a t e ex pl osiv es wi th a n i n fe rior d e ton a tor , for t h is
a l wa y s r esu l t s i n a con sid e r a bl e wa st e of t he l i
ex p os v e s .
T h e Du Pon t C ompa n y h a s l ea rn ed by more t h a n a

h u n d red yea r s of ex pe ri e n ce j u st wh a t i s re q u i r ed i n
t h e sh a pe of B l a st i n g Acce ssories a nd j ea l ou sl y m a i n
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t a i n s i t s sta n d a rd of h igh e st q u a l i ty .
B l a s t i n g Ac c e ss o r i e s
C l a sse s of Expl o si v e s
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There are two general classes of explosives d e fl a gra ti n g and
detonating .
De fl a gr a t i n g E xpl osi ve s — This class of explosives includes

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all of those which are fired by sparks furnished by the spi t (flying
DU PO N T B LAST I NG POW DE R G R A I N S
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sparks) f rom an electric squib safety fuse or a mi ners squib
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This class o f explosives may also be fired by means o f any of the

detonators in tended for high explosives The principal de fl a .
gra ting explosive is blasting powder

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De t on a t i n g E xpl osi ve s This class o f explosives includes all

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the dynami tes nitroglycerin ammonia gelatin and A rctic and

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"ud s on powders They

. are not fired by sparks or flame bu t ,
A C A R T R I D G E O F DYN AM I T E
require some powerful intermedi a te agent such a s a n electric ,
bl a sting cap blasti ng cap or cord eau The se agen ts are called
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d etonators .
De fl a gr a t i n g explosive s when loaded in large quanti ties are

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f requently fired or exploded by cha r ges of high ex plosives .

B L A S T I N G A C C E S S O R I E S
Th e A d v a n t a g e s of S t r o n g De t o n a t o r s
When high explosi v es are detonated the stronger or shar per ,
the initial shock the more effective is t h e detonation of the charge .
I t is a well known fact th a t str ong detonators will exert this e ff ect
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more powerfully than will weaker ones To obtain the full val ue .
o f the explosive charge i t must be detonated completely I f th e

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detonation is incomplete a greater quanti ty o f explosive is

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required to do the work and large volumes o f poi sonous gases

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may be evol v ed a matter of serious consequence when the work

is under ground I nstances are known where workmen have bee n
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killed by gase s given off from partially detonated or burni n g

explosives .
C omplete d etonation resul ts in a minimum o f flame a poi n t ,
of first importa nce wi th those explosi v es intended for use in the

prese nce of inflammable gas or coal dust E lectr ic blasting caps .
or other d etonators too weak to detonate completely a cha rge o f

high explosives may generate su ffi cient heat to igni te i t .
The e ffect o f a d etonator on a charge o f high explosives i n

a bore hole is not infinitely powerful but decr eases with distance , .
I t is t here fore easy to understand the necessi ty for using detona

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tors strong eno ugh to ensure the e fl e c t o f the detonator bei ng

felt throughout the charge I t migh t be understood fr om this
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that the detonator should be located "n the cen ter o f the charge "
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this wo u ld be considered correct had not numerou s tests shown

that the greatest e ffect o f the d etonator is prod uced straigh t
away f rom i ts loaded end and m a line wi th i ts long axis For this .
rea so n i t is advisable to hav e deton a tors po inted toward the

main part of the charge or to use not less than two elect r ic
blasti n g caps in deep bore holes so that there is n o danger of the
dimi nishing force o f the d etonators failing to detonate completely
the entire charge This use o f several d etonators in a si ngle
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large charge acts also a s a safegua rd against the danger o f an

oc c a sional broken wire The electric blasting caps should not be
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farther apa r t in deep h o les than from tw en t y to tw enty fiv e

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feet a n d fo r the lower strengths of insensitive explosives i t is

better to have them eve n closer to each other .
A point to be remembe red in buying detonators is that the

charge which they contain is weakened by moistu r e and con se ,
quen tly unless sto r age condi tions a r e of the best a fair mar gin
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o f sa fety i n strength should be allowed B lasting caps being .

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open at one end are more quickly weakened by dampness tha n

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are electric blasting caps .
A nother strong argument for allowing a fair margin o f sa fety

in strength when buying detonato r s is the very sm a ll cost of the
detonato r in co m parison wi th that of the cha r ge of explosives
wi th which they are used I t is difli c u l t to understand why any
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one in order to save a few cen ts on the price of a hundred d etona

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to r s would risk the misfire partial detonation or imper fect

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work of the charge of explosives i n a bore hole which would ,
resul t at best in the loss of several d olla rs and ma y cost thousands

i f the charge burns in a gase ous coal mine or i f unexploded
d ynamite happe ns to cause a fata l accident .
The extended stu dy and tests o f explosives conducted d uring

the past few years by the Uni ted S t ates B ureau o f M ines have
clearly demonstr ated the economy o f using only stron g detona
tors and cautions against the use of weak detonators a re numerous
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The Du Pont N o 6 B lastin g C ap and Du Pont N o 6 E lectric

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B lasting cap recommended throughout this ca t alogue for

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detonating high explosives comply with the specifications for

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strong detonators The N o 8 E lectric B lasti ng C ap and the N o

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8 B lasting C ap have nearly double the strength of the N o 6 . .
S trong electric bl a sting caps and blasti ng caps should be used

wi th all high explosives fo r the following reasons :
They insure complete d etonation .
They inc rease the execution of the explosive .
They tend to counterbalance careless and improper usage .
The y o ffset to some extent deterioration of explosives and

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detonators d ue to imprope r storage .
They reduce fumes from the explosives to a minimu m .
They decrease the size and d u r ation o f flame .
They prev en t the loss of the c harge by b urning .
Their e fl e c t c ar ries fu rther in long charges .
They red uce t h e chances of m isfire s .
Bl a st i n g by El e c t r i c i t y
B lasting by electricity is the most e ffective and economical
s ystem an d surpasses all others in safety and certain ty as well
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as in resul ts accomplished E lectric blasting makes i t possible to

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fire several charges si mul taneously G reat eco nomy o f explosive s .
is e ff ected by fi r ing shots togethe r an d i t is o f ten i mpossible to ,
ob t ain sa tis factory results otherwise .
M any kinds o f blasting ca n be accompl ished only by electric

firi ng A lmost every kin d o f blasting that c a n be done by the
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c a p and fuse method ca n now be done more safely quickly and ,
conveniently by electrici t y Wi th this method delayed e xpl o

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si ons or han g fires are hardly possible and as the blaster
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ca n a lways be a considerable distan c e away from the explo sive

w hen i t detonates the possibili ty of accident is r educe d to a
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mi nimum .
N o method o f blasting in gaseous or dusty coal mines othe r ,
than the elect r ical o n e deserve s consideration beca use in all

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o the r s the igni tion in the open of some burning substance is nec
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essary e v en thou g h a d evice be use d whereby the sa fety f u se or

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squib can be i g ni ted wi thout exposi n g an open li g h t or flame i n a

gaseous place .
I t is be liev ed b y m an y au thori ties that d isastrous explosions in

coal m i nes ha v e been cause d by a blown ou t shot occurring shortly -
a f ter a number o f other blasts ha v e been fired This cannot happen .
i f the firi n g is done by electricit y when as ma n y shots as desired ,
are fire d si mul taneousl y I n submari ne or other v ery wet work no

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other system is feasible I n undergroun d work where ventilation

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is not good bu rni n g sa fety f use an d miners squibs i ncreases the
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smoke an d f umes v ery materially I t is not uncommon for the .
fire to break through the si d e o f the f use an d i g ni te the charge o f

explosives be fore d etonatin g the blasti ng cap resul ting i n poor ,
execution an d i ncrease i n f umes This cannot occur when the .
blastin g is d one b y electricity .
E q u i pm e n t Re q u i r e d
The equipment necessary for electric blasti n g is as follows :
E lectric B lasti n g C aps “ C onnectin g Wire
Lead in g Wire B lasti n g M achine
The Galvanometer an d R heostat will al so pro v e o f mu c h
assistance an d v ery often e ffect a savi ng o f both time an d money .
A ll o f these accessories and their uses are f ull y des cr ibe d i n

the followi ng pages .
El e c t r ic Bl a st i n g C a ps
electric blasti ng cap as the name implies is a special for m
An , ,
of detonator fi r ed or exploded by an electric cu rrent .
SE C T I O N AL V I E W OF ELE C T R I C B LASTI NG C AP
The illustration above shows an e lectric blasting cap in secti o n .
A is a copper shell havi ng a corrugation thrown out from the

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i nside which hol d s the composition plug more firmly i n place "
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B is a chamber contai ning the explosive charge " C insulate d ,
copper wires enterin g the cap " D the bare ends o f the copper ,
wires projecti ng through the pl u g into the charge E a fine wire

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bridge so l d ered to and connecti ng the two ends of the copper

F "diffor t l f w k th l t i bl ti g m p
e re n c a sses opl d by d l y l t i bl ti g
or e e ec r c as n s a re r e a ce e a e ec r c as n
crap w t p f l t i bl ti g p u b m i l t i bl ti g p d l y l t i i g it
s, a er roo e ec r c as n (ra s, s a r n e e ec r c as n (ra s, e a e ec r c n e rs
l t i q u ib
or e ec r c s s
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w i res , which is heated by the electric current thereby firing the ,
e xplosive charge " F the composition plug hol d ing the electric
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blasting cap wires firmly in place G the filli n g material "
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The strength of electric bl a st mg caps is governed by the

a mount o f the explosi v e charge contai ned and is expressed by ,
t h e numbers 6 and 8 The N o 8 Du Pont E lectric B lasting

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C aps contain nearly twice the char ge o f the N o 6 and are almost .
t wice as strong Where large char ges of explosives are used i n one
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bore hole the use of a N o 8 E lectric B lasting C ap will more than

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p a y f or i tsel f i n increase d execu tion of the dynami te .
The following table describes f ull y the two sizes or stren g ths :
G ra d e No 6 No 8 . .
C olor of La be l R ed Gree n
L e n h of S h e l l
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2
C a l i re of Sh e l l 27 3 27 3 .
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There is also a N o 7 E lectric B lastin g C ap that is i n termed iate

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be tween N os 6 an d 8 bu t on accoun t o f one o f these two stren g ths

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bei n g adapted to all gene r al work the N o 7 strength is not , .
recommend ed and is furnished only on special or d er .
The blastin g cap wires shown i n the sectional v iew o f the,
e l ectric blasti ng cap v ary in length to sui t di fl e re n t d epths of

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bore holes and di fferen t classes o f work They must always be .
l o n g enough to reach a few inches ou t o f the bore hole and shou ld ,
p referably be long enough t o reach to the wires o f the adj oi ni ng

bore h o les .
S tock lengths o f wires are :

4 ft . 1 0 ft .1 6 ft .
6 ft . 1 2 ft .1 8 ft .
8 ft . 1 4 ft .20 f t .
S pecial lengths not shown above wil l be suppl ie d on spe ci a l

o r d er.
A D U PO NT E L EC T R I C B LAS TI NG C AP S H OW I NG W I R ES
PO N T N o 6 d N 8 EL E C T R I C B LASTI NG C APS—
DU . an o . E XAC T SI Z E
A ll electric blasting cap wires a re well insu l ated C opper .
w i res are ordin a ril y usedZon accoun t of the l ow electric resistance .
( S ee page 4 0 for tables o f resistance ) I ron wires are also used .
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to some extent especially in coal minin g but on a ccount of

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the electric resis tance o f iron be in g abo u t six ti mes a s great

as that o f copper a blasting machine ca nno t fire a s ma n y el ec tr ic
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detonators when iron wires are use d a s when copper wi re s a re

used (See page 40 for table o f resis tance o f iron wire s ) The
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stan d ard lengths o f i ron wires are 2 4 6 an d 8 feet L on ger

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len g ths will be supplied on special ord er bu t they are n ot recom

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mended The iron wires are care f ully i nsulated For gener a l work
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copper wires are far supe rior .
E lectri c blasti n g caps a r e

packed i n pasteboard carton s ,
which are inclosed in heavy

wooden cases The ca rtons .
contai n either 25 or 5 0 elec

tric blastin g caps depen d i ng ,
on the length o f the wi res .
E lectric blasti n g ca ps wi th
wires f rom 4 feet to 1 6 feet
long are packed for d omes tic
trade 5 00 to the case while ,
those wi th lon ger wires are

packed 2 5 0 to the case .
T he storage o f electric bl a st
CA RTO N O F so E LE C T R I C " g caps
l shoul d a lwa y s be
BLASTI NG C APS gi ven care f ul a t te n tron b y the
consumer I f they are per .
m i tte d to remain for a long ti me i n a v ery warm place the water ,
proofing material i n the i nsulation dries out to such an extent that

the in sulati o n may break when the wires are be nt an d misfir es ,
re sult if an attempt is m ade to use them i n wet work .
The explosive charge in the electric blasting caps is v ery easil y

a fl e c te d by moisture and i f they are store d too long i n a damp or
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wet place they may deteriorate This charge is also very sensi
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tive and ma y be exploded by a moderately hard knock or j ar

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E lectric blasting caps should there fore be handled careful l y

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C are f ul handling is also necessary on account o f the delicate

bridge wire (see sectional view o f electric blasti n g caps ) which ,
may be broken by rough usage When broken the electri c

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blasti ng cap is absolu tel y useless The wires m ust not be bent
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sharply or forcibly separated at the point where they enter the

copper cap as this may break or loosen the fillin g material an d
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permi t water to enter and damage the explosive charge These .
precautions are necessary wi th all classes o f electric detonators .
C are must be taken when tampin g the bore hole not to break
ei ther the electric blasti ng cap wires or the i nsulation on them or ,
to pull the electric blasting ca p out o f the pri mer .
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Man y m isfires are d ue to

c arelessness i n load in g and
t ampin g bore holes .
I n ea ch ca r ton of el ectri c
bl a sti n g ca ps th er e i s a pa per
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ta g c l l ed
a t h e f oll ow-
u p ta g .
I n ca se a n y trou bl e i s expe
r i en ced wi th th e el ectri c bla sti n g
ca ps, thi s ta g sh ou ld be pre
serv ed , a s wel l a s a n y u n u sed
el ectri c b la sti n g ca ps, a n d, i n
a ddi ti on , th e ma r i n gs n th e
i
w ooden ca ses i n w i ch t e ca r i
ton s were pa ck ed sh ou ld be
r ecorded .
D u Pont E lectric B lasti ng C aps are so constructed as to

be highl y satis factory for moist and wet work They can be used .
u n d er several feet o f water i f the ti me between loadin g and firi ng

i s not too g reat They are not in tende d for use under g reat
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h ea d s o f water or for submarine work

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Wa t e r pr oo f El e c t r i c Bl a st i n g C a ps
A l though electric blastin g cap wires an d copper shells are we l l
i n sulated against water the y are n o t inten d ed for extremely wet
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w ork and if use d i n water particularly un d er pressure water

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m a y leak i nto the cap so that the explosi v e charge is d estro yed or
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the electric current may short circui t throu g h the water i nstead
o f passi ng through the bri d ge wire which is o f hi g h resistance
, .
For such work electric blasting caps wi th special insulation for

we t work are used These specially insulated electric blasti n g
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caps are called Du Pon t Waterproof E lectric B lasting C aps .
These are made in the same strengths N o 6 an d N o 8 wi th , . .

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the same lengths o f insulated copper wires as the electric blast

i ng caps . I ron wires are not used I n order to give better
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w aterproofin g the copper shell i s longer than for electric bla sting
caps so as to allow more space for filling material shown at G ,
( see sectional v iew o f electric blasting cap on previous page ) .
T he copper wires hav e a special i nsulation which allows their use

i n water not ov er 30 feet dee p Where the depth o f water is over
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3 0 f eet an d where the primers are to remain i n the water for a

p e riod lon g er than t w o d ays the S ub,m arine E lectric B lasting
C aps are stron g ly recommended because o f their special water
r esisti n g i nsulation .
Waterproo f electric blasting caps must be placed within the

c harge o f explosi v es j ust the same as E lectric B lastin g caps with ,
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the important di fl e re n ce that safeg uards m ust be taken to pro

te c t the primers from water The waterproofing of primers and
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charges is discussed on page 6 1 .
DU PO N T WATE R PROO F EL E C T R I C B LASTI NG C A P

They must be handled i n the same careful way a s electric blast
in g caps They are packed in cartons and then in cases of the
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same size as are used fo r electric blastin g caps The weights of.
packages are slightly greater than those of electric blasting caps .
S u bm a r in e El e c t r ic Bl a st i n g C a ps
For under water work where the greatest safeguards against
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water are necessary for safety an d for developi ng the full strength
o f explosives a spe cial S ubmarine E lectric B lasti n g C ap is
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used I t is made somewhat like the waterproof electric blastin g

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DU PO NT WATE RPROO F E LE C T R I C BLAST I N G CAPS A N D SU B M A R I N E EL E C T R I C

B LAST I N G C APS AR E M AD E T O ST AN D T H E S EV E R EST U N DE R WATE R -
CON D ITI ON S
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DU PO NT S U B MAR I N E EL E C T R I C B LASTI NG C AP A ND SE C TI O N O F SAM E T O

S H OW T H E G UT T A P E R C H A C OV E R I NG -
ca p
, wi th well i ns ulated
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wi res and a long waterproo f shell for
t h e detonating charge I t is further waterproo fed by having a
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h e avy covering of gu tta percha o v er the shell and the lower or

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c a p ends of the wires .
S ubmarine E lectric B lasting C aps are made in the same

s t rengths a s E lectric B lastin g C aps N os 6 and 8 . .
T o meet the requirements for under water conditions S ub -

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m arine electric blastin g caps are furnished (on special factory

o r ders onl y ) wi th gutta percha insulated wires -
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They are primed connected and fired as are other e l e ctric

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b l asting caps and the necessary precautions are t aken to guard

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a g ai ns t"water entering the primed cartridge (See page .
S ubmari ne electric blasting caps require the same care f ul

s t ori ng an d handli ng as do other elect r ic detonators They are .
p a cked in carton s as are electric blasting caps bu t w ei g h slightly ,
m ore .
De l a y El e c t r i c Bl a st i n g C a ps
I n some kinds of blasti ng particula r ly i n tunnel and shaft
,
w ork i t is nece ssary to blast each round of bore holes i n sections

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o r i n rotation I t is generally a saving i n time if this can be done

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i n such a way as to obviate the necessi ty o f returning to the work

i n g face after e ach section has been blasted to ar range for t h e
n ext blast When f use and blasting caps are used to detonate the
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e xplosive the sections of fuse for the di ff e r ent bore holes a r e cu t

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i n di ff erent lengths so that the charges will explode i n the proper
F i t D l y (Si z R d u d )
rs e a e e ce . L e ng th of S he ll , 1 I n ch
Secon d D l y (Si z R d u
e a e th f Sh ll 1 I h
e c ed ) . L en g o e , nc es
D ELAY EL E C T R I C BLASTI NG CA PS
15
sequence if the f uses are lighted at abou t the same ti me There .
i s practically n o limit to the numbe r of charges which can be

exploded i n seq uence wi th fuse and blastin g caps in this way bu t ,
electric firing is much more satisfacto r y for the many reasons o f

safety and e ff ectiveness pointed ou t in the chapter on E lectri c
B lasting Under most conditions there is nothi ng to be gained by

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dividi ng the round o f holes i nto more than three sections This .
permi ts of cu t relief and rib shots

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The Du Pont Delay E lectric B lasti ng C aps hav e been devel

oped for such condi tions so that these three classe s o f shots may
be fired i n rotation wi th a si ngle set of wiri n g and with bu t o n e
application of the electric current and i n such a way that there is
,
no trouble from the first round o f shots breaki n g the wires for
the second and third rounds as is the case when two or t h ree
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sets o f wires a r e used for a series of shots using only electric

blasting caps
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There are two kin d s o f d elay e lectric blasting caps first

delay and second delay These are so constructed that there
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is a short lapse o f time after the current is applied be fore t h e
first delays explode an d a l o n ge ride l a y be fore the se con d delays
,
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MET H O D OF C O NN E C T I NG I NST A N T A N E OUS F I RST D E LAY A N D

SE C O N D D ELAY E LE C T R I C BLASTI NG CAPS
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explode I t shou l d not be understood that all first delays explode

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si mul taneousl y but the variation in time is ve r y li ttle and all

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first d elays explode before an y of the second d elays There is .
also a little variation in the time of explosion of the secon d delays .
I n practical work the delay electric blasting caps are used in

connection wi th Du Pon t E lectric B lasting C aps A s the electric .
blasting caps explode im m ediately upon receiving the electric

cu rrent they are used in the holes that are to go first such as cut
, ,
h o l 3 thereby relie v ing the burden on the second set o f holes

, ,
suc as relie f shots which are primed with first delays The
, .
las t set o f holes such as rib shots are pri med with second dela ys
, ,
and explod e after all o f the others are out of the way A be tter .
u nderstanding o f this load in g m a y be obtai ned by a close study

o f the illustration o f a method of connecting delay electric
blasti ng caps as shown on opposite page .
Delay electric blastin g caps are manufact ur ed in N os 6 an d .
8 strengths as are electric blasting caps

, They are fitted with .
copper wires only The lengths of the wires are the same as for
.
electric blasti ng caps and longer wi res are f urnished on special

,
order The wires on the first delays are white an d those on

.
,
the second delays are blue to disti nguish them from one another
,
and from electric blastin g caps be fore and after loadi n g A third .
delay with red wires is furnished on special order .
Delay electric blasting cap wires are connected for blastin g

j ust as are electric blastin g caps They may be connected in the
.
same series with any o f the other Du Pont electric detonators or
with D u Pon t Delay E lectric Ig ni ters Delay electric blasti ng

.
caps are packed in cartons such as are used for electric blasti ng
.
caps but the packages wei g h sli g htl y more than packages of
,
electric blasting caps .
We i g h t s an d Di m e n si o n s o f P a c ka g es o f Do m est i c
E l e c t r i c B l a st i n g C a p C a ses
Ou t id Dim i
s e e n s ons
17
De l a y El e c t r i c I g n i t e r s
A delay electric i g n i ter is made up o f a cylindrical coppe r tube ,
into one end o f which the necessary wires plu g etc are inse rted , , ,
an d into the other en d is cri mped a piece of f use 2 i nches 4inches , ,
6 inches 8 i nches 1 0 inches or 1 2 inches i n len g th

, , The i g ni ters .
are desi g nated as first d elay se cond delay an d so o n to

,
sixth delay respectively the delay bein g determi ned by t h e

, ,
length o f the fuse They are made with insulated copper or

.
iron wires o f the same length as the Du Pont E lectric B lasting

C aps L on ger wires may be had on special factory orders and
.
,
also lon ger len g ths o f f use i n order to secure more delays or
lon ger i nterv als o f d elay .
They are designed for firi ng charges o f explosives i n rotation ,
one after another B y usi ng Du Pont E lectric B lasti n g C aps in

.
the cut holes or the first set o f holes to be fired first d elays in
‘
the second set second d elays i n the thi rd set and then following
, ,
with the other d elays in order .
When a delay electric igniter is used wi th dynamite i t is n e c e s

sary to cu t o ff a q uarter inch from the en d of the f use crim p a ,
N o 6 or N o 8 B lasti n g C ap to the f use and insert i t i n a cart r idge

. .
o f dynami te as a pri mer When used wi th blasti n g po w der

.
,
i t is not necessary to use a bl a stin g cap but the end o f the f use ,
only should be in contact wi th the powder .
DE L A" E L E CTR C I I G ITE R

N
They can be used wi th success in tunnel drivi ng shaft si nki ng , ,
or any other work of this character when i t is desirable to have

the shots fired in rotation They can be used i n dry or moist work
. .
The use of delay electric igni ters i s strongly reco mmended for
coal and other mi nin g especially where i t is unsafe to fire more
,
than one shot at a ti me B y their use i t is possible to load as many

.
as six shots an d wi th one set o f connections and o n e application

,
of the current to ha v e each shot fired si ngly This applies to the

. .
use o f both blasti ng powd er a n d dynamite .
Where the copper shell is placed so that i t is covered wi th

tampin g there is a mi ni mum of fuse smoke allowed to escape .
Dela y electric igni ters require the same care f ul stora ge as

other electric blasti ng accessories They are packed in the same
.
kind of cartons as electric blastin g caps The number pa cked .
in each carton depen d s on the length o f the f use .
18
u sed the charge of bl a stin g powd er ca n be i g nited in the center

, ,
thus gi v i ng a li ttle quicker a nd stron ger action a n d insuri n g the ,
explosion o f the entire charge be fore any o f the surrounding

material ca n fall and cut o ff a portion o f i t The bore hole ca n be .
tamped soli d lea v in g no vent for a partial loss o f the stren g th of

,
the powder When th e enti re charge is exploded at on ce less

.
,
smoke is given off b y the blast This with the elimi nation o f .
,
smoke f rom burnin g sa fety f u se or mine rs sq uibs results in ,

’
purer air maki n g i t possible for both mi ne rs and drau ght animals
,
to do more work Asi d e from better bl a stin g a n d greater sa fety

.
,
thi s on e fea ture is o f su fli ci e n t ad v a n ta ge to warrant the u se o f

electric squibs .
A nother adva n tage i n

using electric squibs is '
that when i t is possible

to fire more than one
shot at a time all o f the
bore holes ca n be con
n e c ted in se ries and fired
at the sa me instant .
This results in a very

considerable sa v i n g o f
time as well as powder
, ,
as shot fire rs ca n cov er

much more g ro und than
when usi n g f u se or min
’
ers sq uibs .
I t is much saf er to
blast with elec tric sq uibs
’
than wi th f u se or mi n ers CA RTO N OF ELE C T R I C S"U I B S
squibs beca use shots are
,
not fired until everyone incl u d in g the blaster is a sa fe distance

, ,
away a n d because dan ger o f h a n g fire s is entirely ob v iated

, .
A dvantages resulti n g f rom the use o f ele ctric squibs are :

I nstantaneous firin g .
C ontrol of moment o f firi ng .
S imulta neous firi n g o f a number of shots .
G reater e ffi ciency o f blas ti n g powder .
Saving o f time .
G reater sa fet y .
E limination o f fumes f rom sa fety f use .
Decrease o f smoke from blasti ng powder .
E lectric squ ibs require the same good storage conditions as

electric blastin g caps A l thou g h the y cannot be exploded by
.
shock or concussion a s ca n electric blastin g caps the y must be ,
han d led j ust as carefull y for their construction is necessa rily

,
delicate and they can be easi l y broken b y rou g h h a ndlin g .
20
The y a re m anu fa ctured with 4 6 8 1 0 a n d 1 2 foo t copper , , ,
wires an d 4 S 6 an d 8 foo t iron wires Those wi th iron wires

, , , .
are somewhat less expensi v e bu t require a stron ger electric cur ,
rent to explode them beca u se o f the in fer ior conducti v i t y o f i ron

,
as compared with copper wi re The y are also more easil y a ff ected .
by m oisture We do not recommen d electric squibs wi th iro n

.
wires lon ger than 8 feet nor d o we ca rry them i n stock , .
E LE C T R I C S"UI B W IT H 6- FOOT W I R ES
E lectric squibs a re packed 5 0 to the ca rton and 1 0 carto ns to
the case G ross an d net weights o f cases are as follows :
.
" u ti ty
an K id
n of Wi re G ross Weigh t N et W ight
e
Ca m
i?g g m nsi on s
22 x 94 x 94
' ' '
22 x 94 x 94
” ” '
22 x 114x 94
” ' '
22 x 114x 94
” ' "
22 x 114 x 94
' ” '
22 x 1 14 x 94
' ' '
22 x 15 4x 94
' ” '
Ca se s of 4
'
ma t i er a l . For i id d i m
ns e i
e n s on s d ed uct on e i h f
nc ro m ea c h
di me n sion .
The method o f wiri n g electric squibs is e xactl y the same a s

for other electric d etonators This is described on pa ges 45 to 5 1 . .
Ph o t o g r a ph i c S q u i bs
The use of
electric squibs is highly success f ul for firi n g pho
togr a ph ic flash powd ers By their use an y nu mber o f flashes
.
ma y be fire d at the same time The action is posi ti v e For this . .
Work the squibs ma y be fire d b y means o f a blastin g machi ne or

an elect r ic li g htin g circui t Photo graphic electric sq uibs are .
mad e wi th 6 inch copper wi res

-
The y a re connected up i n .
exactl y the same manner as Du Pon t E lectric S q uibs a n d E lec

tric B lastin g C aps .
C o n n e c t i n g Wi r e
C onnectin g wire is insulated copper wi re ( N o 20 B rown 8: .
Sharpe gau ge ) I t is put up i n 1 poun d an d 2 po und spools

.
- -
.
A 1 po un d spool is 3 inches i n d iameter 4 inches lon g an d holds

-
,
21
abou t feet o f wire

2 10 spool is . A 2 -
poun d
3 i nches in diameter 5 % i nches lon g and hol d s ,
about 420 feet of wire .
C onnecting wire is use d to join the wires o f

the electric blasting caps together when they ,
are not lon g enough to reach betw een the

adj oi ni ng bore holes The ends o f the connecting
.
wire must be scraped bright before connections

1
are made The j oints should not be permi tted to
.
lie i n water or on wet ground I f this cannot .
be prev ented the join t should be covered wi th i nsulating tape

, .
N o 2 1 ( B rown 8: S harpe gauge ) I nsulated C opp e r Wire is also

.
used for connecti ng wire but is not recommended b ecaus e i t is

,
considered too small for best resul ts .
A 1 pound spool of N o 2 1 C onnecti n g Wire holds abou t 2 6 0

-
.
feet an d a 2 po und spool about 5 20 feet

-
.
The resistance of N o 20 gauge I nsulated C opper C o nnecti n g

.
Wire is ohms per thousand feet The resistance of the N o . .
2 1 size is ohms per thousand feet .
L e a d i n g Wi r e
The wire commonly used for connecti ng electric blasti ng caps ,
other electric detonators an d electric squibs to the blasti ng

machine is known as leading wire I t is i nsulated copper wire .
( N o 1 4 B rown
. S harpe gauge ) and is furnished i n coils o f t h e
followin g lengths and weights :
2 00 ft bout 4 l bs
. . 3 00 ft
. a a bo u t l bs . . . . .
t250 f a b ou t 5 lbs 5 00 ft
. a bo ut l bs . .
The leading wire should always be lon g enough to keep the

blaster well o u t of the zone of d anger .
Duplex leading wire is made by bi nding together two i nsu

lated copper wires wi th an outside insulation thus giving a retu rn ,
circui t cable that may be handled the same as a single wire I t .
weighs approximately twice as m uch as the same length o f si ngle

leading wire and can be had in coils of the same lengths .
D uplex wi re is more satisfactory for use where the two end

holes i n a blast are not far apart as i n stump blasti ng and si mi lar ,
work S ingle wire is generally

.
preferred to the Duplex where

the en d holes are far apart a s in ,
quarry and electric di tc h blast

i ng Si ngle leading wire i s fr e
.
quently used for connecting wi r e

instead o f the small gauge con
n e c ti n g wire especiall y in large
,
blasts
ROLL or LEAD I NG W I R E
.
22
SI NG LE L E AD I NG W I R E SLI GH T LY R E D UC E D
D UPL E X LEA D I NG W I R E ( AC T UAL S I Z E)

S pe c i a l L e a d i n g Wi r e f o r M in e r s
For the use o f miners an d a few other blasters who fire bu t
from one to three char ges in a blast and then un d er condi tions
,
where i t is not necessar y to be f ar from the blast a special 1 8 ,
gau ge D uplex L eadin g Wire is fu r nished on special order i n 100

and 1 5 0 foot le n gths This wire weigh s
. poun d s per hundred
feet This leading wire is intended only for the work specified
.
and is not intende d for general blasting .
L e a d i n g Wi r e Re e l s
The leading wire reel is a v aluable accessor y in enabling the
blaster to coil up his leading wire with a minimum of kinking of
the wires I t keeps the two wires separate avoi d in g the chance o f
.
,
acci d ental short

ci rc u i ts Th e .
crank is built in
the form o f a
han d le for the
eas y carrying of
the leadi ng wire
reel A side f rom .
the convenience ,
i tsZ u se will save

its price many
times over in the
L EAD I NG W I R E R EEL course o f a few
years .
Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e s
B lasti ng machines are used to generate the curren t for firin g
blasts b y electrici ty .
Du Pon t B lasting M achines wi th the exception o f the Pocket

,
B lasting M achine are small portable dynamos i n which the

, ,
armature is rotated b y the d ownward thrust o f the rack bar ,
thereb y converting muscular energy i nto electrical ener gy They .
are n ot magnetos al thou g h they are often er ron e ousl v so called

, .
23
A magneto has a permanent ma g net for a field whereas the dyna ,
mos i n the Du Pont B lasting M achi nes have electro magnets -

.
They are wound somewhat di ff erently f rom a dynamo buil t for

delivering a continuous current for power or lighting purposes ,
i n that the current in the Du Pon t B lasting M achines is short cir

c u i te d through the fiel d magnets for the purpose of buildi ng up ,
intensify in g and storing the current until the end o f the rack bar
stroke when the whole accumulated curren t is se n t out throug h
,
the firi ng li ne .
The construction o f the push down Du Pont -
B lastin g Machines is shown in the accompany

ing illustration 1 R ack bar showi ng teet h .
, ,
which en gage the pinion on end of armature "

4 the contact sprin g which when struck by
, , ,
the bottom of the descending rack bar breaks ,
the contact be t ween two small plati num

bearings one o n the upper face of the con tact
,
spri ng and the other on the under side of t h e

bridge 5 and in this way throws the en tire
,
current throu g h the outside circuit " that is ,
leading wire electric blasting caps and ,
connecti ng wire " 8 9 field mag nets " 1 6 , , ,
revolving a rmature "3 4 rack bar handle ,

.
They a re rate d accord ing to t h e number of

electric blasting caps that they can be
de pended upon to fire when con necte d in
series For convenience the electric blasting
.
,
cap with 3 0 foot copper wires is taken a s t h e

-
PAR TS or D U pom un it There are. six di f

f eren t sizes all of ,
B LASTI NG MA C H I N E W t h are t wo post m a ch m e s -

.
Du Po n t Po c k e t Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e
The Pocket B lasting M achine is a ligh t w e i g h t -
machi ne having permanent field magnets espe c i a lly

, ,
made for coal mini ng w h ere i t is not often req u i re d

,
to fire more than o n e charge at a time I t i s a l so .
serviceable fo r small jobs such as stump a ,
boulder blasting I t has a capacity of

.
three electr ic blastin g caps I t weighs 4% .
pounds I t is furnished with a removable

.
handle which prevents i ts being operated

,
by any other person than t h e blaster .
P k t S iz
oc e e
Me t h od
O pe r a t i n g of
To O perate the Du Pont Pocket B lasting M achi ne first remove ,
the carrying han d le from the socket and i nsert the firing handle ,
24
takin g care to see that i t is properl y en ga ged i n the teeth belo w .
H old the machi ne firml y i n one han d w 1 t h the other han d on the
,
handle When rea dy to fire g ive the han d le a quick hard turn i n
.
,
a clockw ise d irection This generates the current and causes 1 t to

.
flow throu g h the lead in g wires

M ET H O D O F OP E R
ATI NG A D U PO N T
P OC K ET B L AS T I N G
M AC H I N E
N o 2 Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e
.
The N o 2 si z e is generall y use d i n stump and boul d er blasting

.
,
for springi ng bore holes on large work and for mining wh er e 1 t 1 s

,
desire d to fire more than fiv e electri c blasti ng caps at a t 1 me

o
I t is stron g ly made wei g hs 1 5 poun d s and has a ca pa c 1 ty o f ten

, ,
electric blasti n g caps wi th copper wires or sev en e l e c tr 1 c bl a st mg

,
caps wit h iron wires .
I ts use i n connection wi th a large blasti n g

,
machine wi ll often sa v e time and money

, ,
bein g more portable an d less expensi v e than

the size necessar y for large blasts .
No . 3 Bl a st i n g
Ma c h i n e
The standar d size for
quarr y an d mine I ts ca .
p a c i t y is thirty electric
blastin g caps with copper
wires Wei g ht 2 5 poun d s
.
, .
Due to its sm a l l size this

blastin g machine ca n be
ea sily carried and operated
with satisfactory results .
I t is recommen d ed for all

general blastin g opera No 2 . No 3
.
25
tions where a larger blastin g machine is not necessary and even

, ,
where a smaller one except the pocket blasting machine will do

, ,
the work .
I t is small enough to be carried easil y and yet is strong enough ,
for any thing except the largest blasts .
This siz e has given satisfaction to users for many years and is
the most popular of all blastin g machines .
No . 4 Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e
A large machine for quarry mi ne and excavati ng work , .
C apaci ty fifty electric blasting caps with co pper wires Weight

,
.
,
42 lbs .
This machine is a lar ger size of the same type a s the popular
N o 3 B lasting M achine I t can be depended upon for successfully
. .
firing as large blasts as are required on any except the very

largest work .
No . 5 Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e
The N o 5 is a type o f blasting machine embodyi ng a number
.
of mechanical and electrical improvemen ts I t is very easily .
ope rated and buil t espec ially

s tro n g to wi ths ta nd
severe usage I t .
pa rt i cularly
adapted for use
in quarry and
contracti ng
work where i t ,
is d esirable to
fi re a large
number of
el ec t r ic deto
n a t o r s at one
time I t has a .
capaci ty of 1 00
electric blast
ing caps wi th
co p pe r w i res .
I t weighs 5 3
pounds .
No 4.
26
PAR T S or DU po m POC K ET B LASTI NG M AC H I N E

28
to knock the bottom out o f the

machine As the rack bar a p
.
pr o a c h e s the bottom i t becomes ,
more di fficul t to operate because of ,

“
the building up of the current "
bu t the speed of the thrust should
not be diminished because the ,
finish of the operation is more i m

portant than the start Do n o t be .
afraid of pushin g the rack bar down

too hard The machine is buil t to
.
stand i t and this is the only way to

, OP E R AT I NG A D U PO N T
use i t su ccessfull y .
B LAST I NG MAC H I N E
B l a st i n g M a c h i n e Pa r t s
The parts of these blasting machines are all standa r d and ,
when worn ou t or broken can be replaced at a small cost When .
orderi ng give the style and number of the blasting machine

,
in which they are used as well a s the numb e r of the part as ,
shown i n illustration on the followi n g pages Do n o t return .
a bl a sti n g machi ne t o us to be repaired withou t first securing

proper shippin g directions f rom our nearest branch office .
L i st of Pa r ts of Du P o n t P o c k e t B l a st i n g M a c h i n e s
W i n d i n g Ke y B ea r i n gs S h ft
P l .
G uide Pl a te for Win din g Key

.
—
P 47
—
T wo Po le
,
P i n i on
P ie ce s
a nd
wi t h E n d s
a .
H a l f Gea r Sto p
. .
(Sh ou l d be ord e red t oge th e r P 75

— —
. .
w it h P 34 B ra ss Ca se on l y ) P 78 B ra ss C a p for Key H ol e -
— —
.
C on n ecti n g Wi r e wi t h C o n
. .
‘
P lo . Com muta tor Bea r P 81 .
ing (S h o u l d be ord er ed i n ta cts

— —
.
B i n d i n g Post I n su l a t ors
.
i with P 8 7 G S h i l d ) P 83
— —
p a r s ea r e . .
Lea t he r Wa sh e r
.
‘
P ll Gea r B ea r i n g P 84
— —
. . . .
P 16 Ar ma tu re c om pl e t e w it h P 85 F ibre on T op Pla t e
—
. .
,
H oo k for C h a i n
.
H ea d s a n d Com m uta tor P 86

— —
. .
Ge a r S hie l d (S h ou l d be
.
P 18 Ar ma t u re P i n ion ‘
P 87
— —
. . . .
P 21 B ra ss Sc rews (2) for B r u sh es or d e re d t oge t h e r wi t h P l o

—
. .
P 22 H exa gon N ut s C o mm uta t or B e a r i n g a n d

— P— 1 1 G ea r B ea r i n g )
.
P 23 B r u sh Scre w I n su l a t or s
— —
.
Re lea se S pr i n g on H a l f Gea r
.
B r u sh I n su l a tors
.
P 24 P 88
— —
. .
B i n d i n g Post B ra ss C ol l a r s wi t h S et Scre w
. .
P 26 P 89
— —
. .
H a l f Gea r Sh a ft C on ta c t
. .
P 27 T h u mb N ut for B in d i ng Post P 90
— , ,
. .
I ron Scr e ws (8 ) for B ea r i n gs

.
P 29 Spr i n g a nd C oppe r B ur
—
.
Screws (O va l H ea d ) 2 for
.
4x
”
P 91
—
.
P 34 B ra ss Ca se com pl e te w i th t op of ca se
— —
.
,
S w (F l t H d ) 2 f
.
P 7 G ui d e Pla t e for W i n d P 92 . cr e s a ea or
i g K y bot t m f
—
o o ca se
—
n e . .
P 35 B Ch i
. w it h Ru bb
ra ss P 93 B S w (O v l H d )
a n, er . ra ss c re s a ea
C v o er f G ui d P l t or e a e
—
. .
P 36 W od H d l. o P 94 M g t (3 ) E t l i
en an e .
-
. a ne s s er ne .
R t h tG wi th C l t h B l l
a c P 95e S w ( 1 ) f Pi i
ea r u c , a -
. cr e s or n on .
P P l o C mm u t t
‘
art s B i g P ll G
- B i d P 87 G
o Shi l d h ul d l l
a or ea r n - ea r ea r n g a n - e ar e s o a
th b d d t g th th t th y m b p p ly d ill d d fit t d u p
.
ree e or ere o e er so a e ay e ro er r e an e .
29
B L A S T I N G A C C E S S O R I E
Pa r t s of B l a st i n g Ma c h i n e s Pa r t s of B l a st i n g Ma c h i n e
N os 2 , 3 , 4
. No 5 .
(S pecify N umber of B la sti n g Ma chi ne (S pecify N umber of B la sti n g M a ch i ne

S ee P a ge 3 0) S ee P a ge
R kB
ac ar . R kB
ac ar .
Gu id " k e o e . R k G u id
ac d R e an ea r
G u id R d e o . B i g
ea r n .
C t t Sp i g
on a c r n . C t t Sp i g
on a c r n .
B i dg
r e . B i dg
r e .
C t t S w
on a c c re . C t t S w
on a c c re .
G u i d Pl t e a e . 0 .
1
Fi ld
e s .
F i e l d s a pa i r , . F tB i g
r on ea r n .
F ield Ba se Bl k oc
A m tu R H d d
. .
F ie l d a n d B a se B l oc k . r a re ea r ea an
B ea r i n gs a pa i r , . S h fta .
B a se B loc k . A m tu
r a F t H d re r on ea
Ar ma t u re H e a d s a n d an d S h ft a .
S h a f t a pa i r
, . C m m ut t
o a or .
C om m u t a t o r . A m tu C mpl t wi t h
r a re o e e
A r ma tu re . C m m ut t
o a or .
C l ut c h . A m tu
r a Pi i re n on .
Ar ma t u r e P i n i on . B uh
r s
P i n i on S p r i n g
.
. 2 1a B u hS w
r s cr e .
B r u sh
.
. B r a ssN t u .
B r u sh Scre w s 23 a B u h I ul t
r s ns a or s
C il I u l t
.
R it
. .
B ra ss N u t . e s s a n ce o ns a or .
I n su l a tor s . R it
e s s a n ceU it n .
B i n d i n g Post . Bi di g P t
n n os .
Wi n g N ut . Wi g N t
n u .
Ar ma t u re Sc re ws . A m tu S w
r a re cr e .
B e a r i n g Scr e w 29a . R B i g B lt
ea r ea r n o s .
I ron Scre w for B a se I

.
r onSu pp ti g S w or n c re
B l oc k . M h g yC
a o an a se .
C oppe r Ri ve t L th St p
ea er ra
I r on Sc re w
. .
. W d H dl
oo an e .
I ron Sc re w wi t h N u t t o R k B St p S w
ac ar o c re .
B ol t N o 1 2 t o N o 45 . . . B lt with N ut f
o s or
Ma h oga n y C a se . R it
es s a n ce U it n .
Lea the r S t ra p . B ra ss S w f R it c re or es s
Wood H a n d le . a n ce U it B k tn ra c e s .
S he l f . L g G
ar e ea r .
C on n e c ti n g W i re . R t h tG
a c e ea r .
P wl
a d Sp i g
an r n .
P wl Pi
a n
On N o 2 ma c hi n e pa r t s N o 9
R it
.
U it B k t
. .
F
( i e l d ) a n d N o 1 3 ( a se l oc ) a r e
. B B k e s s a n ce
L g S h ft
n ra c e .
ca s t t o ge th e r a n d ca n n o be sol d t ar
P l Pi
o e
e
ece s
a .
se pa ra t e l y
I t m d i t Pi i
.
n er e a e n on .
Pi f
n I t m d i t Pi
or n er e a e n
i
o n or R t htG a c e ea r .
Pi f
n Pi ior n on .
Pi f
n P wl S p i g
or a r n .
C t t Pl t
on a c a e .
B ra ss W h a s e rs .
S w f C t t Pl t
c re or on a c a e .
C on n e cti n g W i re .
31
PARTS O F DU PO NT No 5
. BLASTI NG M AC H I N E
32
PA RTS or DU PO N T No 6
. BLASTI NG M AC H I N E
33
Li st of Pa r t s of Du Po n t N o 6 B l a st i n g Ma c h i n e .
1 . R kB r
ac a . Scre ws for R k G uid ac e .
2 . R ck B G uid
a ar e . Sc re w fo G n e to
s r e ra r .
4 . Co t t S p i g
n ac r n . B H dl
ra ss an e .
5 . T op Pl t a e . H d l fo R k B
an e r ac ar .
6 . R ck B G uid
a ar e " o ke . R k B S t p S ew
ac ar 0 cr .
8 a nd 9
. Fi ld
e s
. R ck B I l tor
a ar nsu a .
10 . La rge Gea r B ea ri ngs . S w f Sh el f (b )

cr e s or ra ss
12 . Ba se S h el f . P i io n n .
13 . Ge nera tor Fron t B ea r P i i o Pi

n n n .
i ngs a nd S h ield . R t ch t G
a d Pi
e ea r a n n .
Ge nera tor Rea r B ea r i ngs . L g G

ar e i cl di g ea r , n u n
B r ush . P wl S p i g
a , d S ha ft r n an .
B ru sh H old er . Co t ct Pl tn a a e .
B r ush Spr in g . Oil C p u s.
Corn ers . A m tu
r i cl d i g
a r e, n u n
S w fo L g G
cre s r ar e ea r C mm u t t
o a or .
B i g
ea r n s . Co ti g Wi
n n ec n re .
B i d i g P t (R g u l
n n os e ar M to c m l t
o r, o e e .
St d d )
an ar . Ma hoga n y se .
Wi N t (R g u l
n u e a r
St an d) ar
Ca r e of Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e s
Du Pont B l a sting M achines are stron g ly made an d will sta n d ,
with little deterioration the treatment to which i t is n ecessary to

subj ect them Their mechanism though designed a s simpl y a s
.
,
possible is more or less complicated and delicate an d they mu st

, ,
be treated with at least some consideration There ca n be n o .
possible excuse for throwi ng a blastin g machine about or pe rmi t ,
ting i t to remain exposed to wet weather or lyin g i n the mu d .
Whe n a blasting machine is treated in this way i ts life will be

shor t an d i ts u sefulness limi ted .
R emembe r that good care will pr olong the use f ul ness o f the
blasting machine will reduce the necessi ty for repairs an d wi ll
,
help to maintai n i ts e ffi ciency The be arings and geari ngs should .
be lightly oiled occasionally bu t on the commu tator which is the , ,
small copper covered wheel on the end o f the armature shaft

-
,
n ever u se oi l I f the commutator be comes badl y discolored or

.
d i r ty and needs cleaning hold a piece o f fine san d paper N o 00 , ,

.
,
against i t while rotatin g it slowly N ever use emery See that the . .
two slots c u t in the copper part of the commu tator are clean and ,
with no particle of metal or anything else i n them which migh t

cause a short circui t K eep the copper brushes (see 1 6 page 24) .
,
clean and see that they bear firmly on the commu tator Keep
, .
the c i rc u i t bre a k i n g con tacts clean and b r igh t

v .
When a blasting machi ne is not i n use store i t in a dry an d

—
,
comparati v el y cool place not i n a leaky tool box or on top o f

a boiler .
34
D U PO NT GALVA NO METE R W IT H C ARRY I NG CAS E A N D ST RAP

We recommend the Du Pont G alvanometer to our customers

be ca use it is a convenience and a time saver an d becau se the -
exactness of operation which it makes possible secures better

execution from expl osives les sens the risk of blast fail ures and
, ,
minimizes the danger o f accidents .
Ca r e of G a lv a n o m e t e r
A lthough the galvanometer is simple in design and as sub ,
st a n ti a l l y made as possible for such an instrument some of the ,
parts are necessa rily of delicate construction I t should there .

,
fore be handled ca refully and kept per fectly dry

, .
The gal v anometer should be tested before be ing use d by placin g

a short piece of copper wire momentarily across i ts t wo binding
posts The wire havi ng almost no resistance the needle shoul d
.
,
be deflected to i ts widest limi t I f it does not move or go across

.
the scale the battery cell is exhausted or weakened and must be

,
replaced by a fresh one .
To renew the battery cell carefully take out the screws in ,
the face of the metal case usin g a good screwdriver of the ri g h t

,
size The exhausted cell is then easily lifted out and the con
.
,
n ec t i n g wires trans ferred to the f resh cell The only precaution .
necessary is to be sure the and poles are connected to the

corresponding wires The connectors at the ends of the cell
.
wires are marked a nd and so no di ffi culty should be

experienced .
M e t h o d o f O pe r a t i n g
Te st i n g a C i r cu i t —To test a circui t i t is necessary onl y to
.
touch the ends o f the two leading wi res to its two binding posts ,
after all connections are read y for the blast I f the circuit is .
perfect the needle will mov e along the scale I f the needle does .
n o t move there is a break in the circuit I f the needle does not .
move as far as it should there is a place of high resistance such ,
a s a bad joint .
The galvanometer can be used for testin g ci rcuits only when

the electric blasting caps are connected in series (S ee pages 45 .
I n a parallel circui t each electric blasting cap must be

,
tested sepa rately A parallel series ci rcuit must be separated

.
into i ndivid ual series and each series tested by itse l f

—
.
L oca t i n g a B r ea k T o locate a b reak make sure that the

ends of the l eading wires to be attached are separated and not
touching anythi n g (see page Secure a piece o f connectin g
wi re N to one end connection D of the circui t This wire
, , , ,
.
must be long enough to reach f rom the joint D to joint C N ow .
touch the free end of the wire N to the contact post L of the
galvanometer and either direct or through the second piece o f
,
37
D I AG RA M S H OW I NG M E T H O D OF LOCAT I NG A B R EA K W I T H A
DU PO NT GALVANO M E TE R
38
lead ing wi re M touch the other contact post o f the gal v anometer
,
to the j oint C I f the gal v anometer now shows circuit while it

.
d i d not when the test was ma d e from the other end o f the leading
wi res the break is i n the lead ing wi res and they must be repaired
, .
I f i t d oes not show circuit find the break in the electric blasting
.
,
cap or connec ti ng wire b y hol d ing the end o f wire N to contact

post L and touchin g the other contact post (or the short pie ce
o f wi re M touching the contact post on the gal v an ometer) to
each o f the bare joints E F G and H in succession A s long as , , , .
“ ”
you are inside the break these contacts will ca use the needle ,
to be deflected A s soon as you get beyon d the break or point

.
o f hi g h resistance y ou get either a very slight deflection or none

,
at all I n this wa y the trouble can be quickl y traced to the

.
break or bad j oint For i nstance if a wi re i n bore hole N o 3

.
, .
is broken you ge t a d eflection whe n M is touched to F but none

, ,
on touchin g G " this shows that the break is betw een F and G .
The break can then be e a sil y repaired if abo v e the tamping .
I f belo w the tampin g an d there are t wo electric d eto n ators in

the hole the broken one can be left out o f the wi ring and the
,
hole fired by the good one .
I f there is but one electric blasting cap in the hole a n d i ts

wires are broken off below the ta mping the hole must be handled ,
as a m isfire d shot .
—
Test i n g S i n gl e E l e ctri c B l a st i n g C a ps S i n gle electric .
blasting ca ps ca n be tested both before an d a f ter pu tting them ,
in the bore hole simpl y b y touching the en d s o f the elect ric

,
bl a stin g ca p wires to the two contact posts .
I t is an excellen t practice to test all electric blasting caps after

finishin g the load i ng bu t before tamping the hole as well as
, ,
while tamping i f the tampi n g is se veral feet d eep .
Re sist a n c e T a bl e
The following table gi v es the resistance o f Du Pon t electri cal
firi n g dev ices .
These i nclud e E lect ric B l a sting C aps E lectric S qui bs Delay , ,
Electric B l a stin g C aps an d Delay E lectric Igni ters with both ,
copper and iron wires an d Waterproof an d S ubmari ne E lectric

,
B lasti ng C aps wi th copper wires N ote that the S ubmarine

,
.
an d Waterproof E lectric B lasting C ap wi res are N o 2 2 gau ge .
up to 1 8 ft lengths inclusi v e I n lengths of 20 f t and over

.
, . .
,
the wi res are N o 20 gau ge . .
Copper wires which are enamel ed have the same resistance as

, ,
plain copper wires but ha v e much be tte r insulation .
39
Ta bl e o f R e si st a n c e i n O h m s of El ec t r i ca l Fi r i n g De v i c es
R
CO W i re S ubma r i m
fi
er
a f
f Wll: B l ti g W t p o f P m c a nd
o a
as n
a na a E l tri
ec c
c ” “
a er r o
El g
m m “
fi f) u p1 x Bl ti g C p Bl ftihg gp
l t c r
fii fh
Bl a n c a p’
e r c a a s
Fi i g C
r n
Wi wi
o th
C pp e
W i I g i t as n
d
a s
o er re n ers a n I ron W1re
p
er
g
re
D 1 i
e v ce
I f :
t i E m l d O " "
r c
S
E 1
s
"
t
w it
na e e
n r
n
Bl
ee
C pp Wi C
u l
W
h c l
823 pp i
8 3 o er re s
o er res
8
Ta bl e o f R e si st a n c e of C o ppe r L e a di n g and Con n e c t i n g

Wi r e i n O h m s pe r 1 000 fe e t
No . 8 B row n Sh a r pe Ga u ge . 6 27 1 O h ms Us u l i fa s ze or po wer a n d li ght

232
u as
1
83 18
2
i g i ui t
n c rc s
11 1
.
N o 14
St d d g u g
an ar a e for l ea d i n g
.
wi re .
Someti mes u sed for h t l ea d

s or
i n g w i re .
C on n ec t i n g w ir e .
St d d i ppe r w ire
"
an ar s ze for co
N O 22
E l ect r i c F i r i n g Device s .
Each foot of electric blasting cap wire doubled (2 wires ) h as

a resistance of 03 2 ohm s The bridge of each electric blasting
. .
cap has a re sistance of ohms The bridge o f the electric .
squibs delay elect r ic blasting cap and delay electric i gn iter

,
has a resistance of 8 5 9 ohms The resi stance of the iron wire of

. .
the size used for Du Pon t I ron Wire E lect r ic Firing Devices is
about ohms per 1 000 feet .
40
De t e r m i n i n g Re si st a n c e of B l a st i n g C i r c u i t
C o n n e c t e d i n S e r i es
To determine the resi stance of any blasting ci r cui t where the
electric firing devices are connected in series multiply the resist ,
ance of one firi ng device by the numbe r in the circuit Add to .
this the resista nce of the leadi ng wire and the connecting wire ,
and the result will be the total resi stance of the circuit .
For example i f i n a given blast 5 0 elect r ic blasting caps with

,
copper lead wires 20 feet long are used also 1 00 feet of N o 20 ,

.
C onnecting Wire and 5 00 feet of N o 1 4S ingle Leading Wire (or .
2 5 0 feet o f Duplex Wire ) the total resistance would be found in

,
the following manner .
ti
O n e E l ec r c B l a sti n g
g C a p with 20 f t
ppe r wi re h a s r esist a n ce
. co
of 1 8 5 7 o h ms
. 5 0 of sa i d ca ps h a ve
. r e si st a n c e of O h ms
1 000 fee t of N o 2 0 C on n ec ti n g W i r e h a s r e si sta n c e of 1 0 1 4o h ms
. .
1 00 fee t h a s r e si st a n ce o f
1000 fe e t o f N o 1 4 Ga u e L ea d i n g W i r e h a s r e si st a n ce o f 2 5 2 1
.
g .
oh ms 5 00 fe e t h a s r e si st a n c e oi
. . .
T he t ot a l it
r e s s a n ce of t he en tir e c irc u it wou l d be O h ms
When except ionally long le n gths of leading or connecti ng

wire are used in blasting circui ts the r esistance should be com ,
pu t e d and added t o that of the electric detonators t o guard against

overloading the blasting machine .
C a u t io n
The question is often asked whethe r i t is absolu tely safe to
pass even the weak testing cu r rent o f this galvanometer th rough
a single electric detonator The only answer we can give is that
.
we ha ve tested ma n y mi ll i on s wi th th e D u P on t Ga l va n ometer
wi th ou t a si n gl e a cciden t The r e is nothing in the handling o f
.
explosives or elect r ic blasting caps that can be said to be entirely

, ,
safe .
Those who q uestion the safety of te sting with a gal vanomete r

in the manner outlined above can insu r e g r eater safety when ,
testing a single elect ric blasting cap by placing it in a short ,
piece of iron pipe or simila r receptacle so that its accidental

, ,
de tonation would do n o harm I n locating b reaks in a circuit .
where the electric detonators a re in the bore holes the tests ,
can be made from a safe d istance th rough a pair o f leading wi res ,

.
The latter p rocedu re involve s of cou rse a trip t o the loaded bore
, ,
hol e every time the connections a re changed for a new test .
41
Rh e o st a t
The D u Pont R heostat is a simple li ttle instrument u sed fo r
te sting the e fli c ie n c y o f bl asting machines in an economica l
and positive manner .
One way to tes t for exa m ,
ple a N o 2 blasting machi ne

, .
,
which h as a ca paci t y of te n
electric blasting ca ps is t o ,
connect ten electric blasti n g

caps in se ries and then to t h e
blasting machine and operat e
Di m fi '
W x “V I
gggig g
f g5 the machine f all the e l ectri
en - . c
2
blasting caps fired the m a ,
chine would be working u p to its rated ca paci ty " i f the electri c

b l asting c a ps did not fire the machine would not be up to stan d
,
ard . The re su l ts obtained would be abso lutely accurate .
The objection to thi s method is that it consumes so many electri c

blasting caps thus ca usin g ,
need less expe nse I f a N o 5 . .
or 6 blasting machine we re
be ing tested one hundred or
,
one hundred and fi f ty electri c

bl asti ng caps would be re
quired for the test Moreover .
,
the firing of so many electric blasting caps in the ope n would be

dangerous .
T o obviate thi s expense the Du Pont R heostat is substi tu ted

,
for all but one o f the electric blasting caps as is indicated i n

,
the fo l l owing diagram .
When such a series connection is made and the blastin g m a

42
The resistances i n the R heostat are based upon 3 0 foo t el ec -
tric blasting caps and the required surplus resista nce I f the .
electric blasting caps in use are of shorter lengths i t wi ll be ,
possible to fire a greater numbe r than this test will indicate ,
ev en in some cases up to twice the numbe r

, , O n the other hand.
,
there may be circumstances which will cut down the number

that can be fired b el ow what the R heostat test will i ndicate .
C hief among these is leakage of electric current in so me part

o f the blasting circuit either from bare j oints or wi re touch
.
ing damp ground or other conductors or from fluids o f great

, ,
pe netrating quali ties coming in con tact wi th the insulatio n of t he

wires for too long a time before firing O f these fluids the worst
.
,
are the strong saline l iq u ids e v e n though they be i n sm a l l amounts

, ,
and bore hole washings in certain kinds of rock I f the electric

-
.
blasting caps di ff er greatly in sensitiveness to the firing current ,
this will also cut down the number that can be depended upo n
to fire simultaneously .
D I AG RAM O F C O NST RU C T I O N OF A R H E O ST AT
When testing blasting machi nes having capaci ties o f more t h a n

one hund red detonators two R heostats are used in series
, .
S hould i t be necessary to test a blasting machine for nine ty

detonators the resistance of ten between posts 2 and 3 must be
, , ,
blocked out This is done by connecting these posts by mea ns

.
o f a piece of heavy coppe r wire or a coin I n this way the resistance

.
between any two posts can be subt r acted from the total resistance
or the resistance be tween any two posts outside of the two that
are blocked out .
B e sure to u se only on e elect r ic detonato r or elect r ic squib in

testing a blasting machi ne wi th a R heostat .
44
Ta b l e of
Re si st a n c e s o f Rh e o st a t i n O h m s
The resistances f urnished between the di ff eren t posts o f the
R heo s t at are as follows :
Betwee n 1 a n d 2 1 6 oh ms B e twee n 1 a n d 5
Between 2 a n d 3 3 2 o h ms B etw een 1 a n d 6
Betwee n 3 a n d 4 64 oh ms B e twee n 2 a n d 4
Betwee n 4a n d 5 80 oh m s B e twee n 2 a nd 5
Bet wee n 5 a n d 6 1 2 8 o h ms B e twee n 2 a n d 6
Betwee n 1 a n d 3 48 oh ms B e twee n 3 a n d 5
Betwee n 1 a n d 4 1 1 2 oh ms B etwee n 3 a n d 6
B e t we e n 4a n d 6 2 08 oh ms
W i r i n g fo r E l e c t r i c B l a st s
When firing by electricity whether using any of the elect r ic ,
detonators or elect r ic sq ui bs or delay electric igniters the holes

—
, ,
may be connec ted in one of three ways in se ries in parallel , , ,
or in parallel series .
—
S er i es Con n ecti on s When using a blasting machine all b l ast
.
ing circui ts must be in se r ies The series connection is made by .
connecting o n e wire from each hole to on e wire in the next hole

and so on to the end when only the two end wires a re left f ree
, .
These are connected to the ends o f the leading wi re A ll of thi s .
is s h own in the accompanying cut .
SE R I ES C O N N E C T I O N FO R E L E C T R IC AL F I R I NG
A . B l a st i n g ma chi n e. B T h e t wo st ra n ds of si n gle l ea d i n g wir e
. .
C . C on n ec tion s be twee n l ea d i n g wi re a n d e l e ct r ic bl a sti n g ca p wi re s .
D . C on n ec tion s b e twee n e lect r i c bl a sti n g ca p wir es .
E . C o n n ect i on s be twee n e l e ct r i c bl a sti n g ca p wi re s a n d a sh o r t pie ce o f con

n e ct i n g wi r e F u se d to con n e ct e lect r ic bla st in g ca p wires th a t a re
,
t oo sh ort t o rea c h fr o m h o le t o ho l e Th is ma y be l e ft out whe n

.
Ion e le ct r ic bla sti ng ca p wi re s a re u se d or i t ma y be u se d betwe e n

,
a ll oles i n so me ca se s .
This method of wiring can also be used when a power or ligh t

ing circui t is used for fi r ing the bla st A powe r cur rent of 1 % .
amperes is required fo r each series and a su fficient voltage to

overcome the resistance o f the ci rcuit as is shown by the resist .
ance tables on page 40 .
When duplex wi re is used a piece of connecting wi re A is , ,
required to connect the extreme end to the leading wire as is

shown This has a single obj ection in that i t introduces an addi
.
ti on a l connection which i f imprope rly made will increase t h e

, ,
resi stance .
45
S H OWI NG US E OF D UPL EX L EA D I NG W I R E
Some blasters pre fer a sligh tly di ff erent method of making
connections which ob v iates the use of connecting wire i n conn ec
t ion wi th duplex leading wire I t takes one less connection but is
.
,
so mewhat more expensive on account of requi ri ng longer electri c

bl a sti n g cap wires and demands the closest attention in o r d e r to
get a good circui t .
A NOT H E R M ET H OD O F C ON N E C TI NG DUPLEX LEAD I NG WI R E
An exc ellen t method of making a se r ies connection where

two lin es o f holes are used is shown i n the following sketch This .
is o f espe cial advantage when using two lines of holes wi th delay

electri c blasting caps or delay electric igni ters and in blasting
wide ditches E i ther single or duplex leading wire may be used
. .
SH OWI N G HOW TO MA K E A S E R IES C O NN E C TI O N W H E N

T H E RE AR E TW O L I N ES O F H OLES
H ow three lines o f holes for the use of del a y electric blasti n g

caps or delay electric igni ters or fo r very wide di tch blasts ma y
be connected in series is shown i n the following dia gram E i th er .
single or duplex leading wire may be used .
S HOW I NG M E T H OD OF CONN E C T I NG T H R E E L I N ES OF H OL E S
46
AN OT H E R V IE W O F SE R IES
h
All bla sts to be fired wi t h a bla st in g
t
CONN E C TI O N US I NG A
.
ma c i n e m u st be con nec ed I n seri es
T h se con n ecu on s ma y a l so
.
PO WE R C U R R E NT e
e
b u d wi th se
sen es
a pw o er or lig h ti ng
P a ra l l el Con n ecti on s
.
—W hen power or ligh ting circui ts are u se d
for firi ng the circuit m a y be conne cted in paralle l This t ype o f
,
.
circui t di ff ers m ateriall y from the series circuit and is shown ,
graph icall y in the accompan y ing cut For such a circuit th e .

,
firin g cu rren t m ust have 1 % amperes for each deto n ator or

squib bu t the vol tage o f the current can be less than when the
,
connections of the same number o f detonators a r e in se ries .
S H OW I NG PAR ALLEL M ET H O D OF C O NN E C TI NG UP WH E N POW E R

O R L I GH T I NG C I RC U I TS AR E USED
A Powe r or li g h t i n g c i rc u it
. . B B la sti n g switc h for c losi n g c irc u it
. .
C Lea d i n g wir es of su fli c ie n t l e n gt h t o kee p t h e swit c h B a sa fe d i sta n ce

from t h e bla st a nd t o rea c h pa st t h e la st h ol e t o be fir ed
.
. .
D B or e h ol es with e l ect r i c de ton a t or s

. .
E C on n ec t ion s be twee n t h e deton a tor wir es fro m h ol e s D t o t h e lea d i n g

.
wire C .
P a ra l lel S eri es Con n ecti on s .

— A circuit connected in parallel
se ries is a number of series circui ts two or more con nected i n
, ,
pa rallel a s is shown in the accom pan ying diagram This t ype .
of circuit can be used only with a power or lighting cur re nt .
S uch a ci rcui t req uires 1 % amperes for each series shown as E , ,
but the vol tage req uired is less than the amount required to
overcome the r esistance in the series ha v i ng the greatest resist
a nce The determination o f this point i s a slightly complicated
.
mathematical problem for the blaster and i t i s best to al l ow a ,
large margi n o f safety in the way of too much voltage .
47
I LLUST RATI NG A NOT H E R N OTE "

MET H O D OF M A K I NG PARAL
LEL C O NN E C TI O NS W H E N
POW E R O R L I GH T I NG C U R P a r a ll el conn ecti ons
RE NT IS U SED .
ca nn ot be used w i t h
bla st i ng ma c/zi n e .
Pa ra ll le
S H OW I NG PARAL L EL SE R I ES C O N N E C TI O N H AV I N G T WO O R MOR E C I R C U I I S ’
A W i res o f po we r or l i gh ti n g c i r c u it
. . B B la sti n g sw it ch for cl osi n g c i rc uit
. .
C L ea d i n g wi r es o f su ffi c i e n t l e n g th t o kee p t h e swit c h B a t a sa fe d i st a n ce

.
from t h e bla st a n d to rea c h pa st t h e l a st hol e .
D B or e h ol e s with e lec t r i c d e t on a t ors

. . E I n d i v i d ua l se r ie s of h ol es D
. .
S H OW I NG A NOT H E R WA" T O N O TE T h e pa ra l l el
MA K E A PA R ALL E L S E R IES ‘
C O NN E C TI O N S ser i es meth od of wi ri n
g
ca n n ot be u sed wi th a
bla sti n g ma chi n e.
48
S a f e t y Fi r i n g S w i t c h
The illustration shows a very
simple and e ff ective way to
prevent the premature closing
o f a circui t used to supply
current for electrica l d etona
tion of explosives With the .
key in the hands o f the shot

fire r he is the onl y one able to
close the circui t until he is pre
“ ”
pared to se t off the sho ts .
S A FET Y FI R I NG SW I T C H FO R
POWE R C I R C U I T S
M a k in g an d P r o t e c t i n g Wi r e C o n n e c t i o n s
The wiring or connectin g o f an electric blast must be well
an d correctly done to insure success The work o f wiring m a y
.
be divided into three parts : connecting the detonator or squib

.
wires together ei ther directly or by means of connecting wire "

connecting the proper d etonator wires to the leadin g wire " and
connecting the leadin g wire to the blasting machine .
Co n n e c t i n g De t o n a t o r Wi r e s.
— C onnections betwee n detona
tor wires or between detonator wires and connecting wires must
all be well made First scrape the bare ends o f the wires wi th
.
a kni fe blade and then j oin them with a long twist (generally
,
“ ”
known a s Western Union Twist ) such as is shown in the
accom pan yi ng sketch S uch a t wi st should be ti g htl y made to
.
SHOW I NG W ESTE R N U N I O N M ET HO D OF "O I N I N G WI R ES
C ORR E C TLY T WI STE D W I R ES C OVE R ED W IT H TAP I NG

keep the resistance in the joint down to a minimum I f there is .
no bare end to the connecting wire ski n o ff abou t t wo inches of

,
the i nsulation A later paragraph will give detailed in formation

.
a bou t protecting the se bare joints .
N e v e r under any circu mstances loop wires together a s is

, ,
shown as the wrong way .
49
hole—
T wen ty-fou r holes wit h two el ec tric bl a stin g Ga ps i n e a cn 48 lect i bl ti g p i all e r c
i T h bl t hou ld b fi d with N 4o N 5 D u P t B l ti g
as n Ga s n
eonn ec t ed in se r es e as s e re a o r a O on
M a ch in e wi th a pow l ighti g i it of 1 1 0 v lts d 1 % mmre
. . . as n
. or e r or n c rcu o an a s .
LOO P ED W I R ES—T H E WRO NG WA"
C o n n e c t i n g De t o n a t o r Wi r e t o L e a di n g Wi r e .
—I n making
connections be t ween detonator wires and leading wires the same
precautions m ust be observed with regard to cleaning the e n ds
o f the wires Wrap the detonator or connecting wires tightly
.
around the end o f the leading wire about on e inch from the en d .
A N E X C ELL E N T MET HO D O F C O NN E C T I NG AN E L E C T R I C BLASTI NG

C AP WI R E TO A L EA D I NG W I R E
50
Di m e n s i o n s of Du Po n t B l a st i n g C a ps
No . 6 NO 8.
O ut sid e C ol or of B ox
Le ngt h of C oppe r S h e ll
O u t si d e Dia me t e r of C o ppe r S h e l l .
Nor m— T h e i nsi de di
a me t
e r of bot h th e No 6. a nd th e N o . 8 D u P t Bl ti
on as ng C a p is 2205
.
”
Du Pont B lastin g C aps are manu factured in the N o 6 . a nd

N O 8 s1z es and are exactly the same stren g th
. as the correspondi ng
d esi gn ati ons o f E lectric B lastin g C aps .
A N o 7 B lasting C ap is intermediate in strength be t ween

.
N os 6 and 8 but as on e o f these two numbers is adaptabl e to

.
,
a ll g eneral C lasses of blasting the N o 7 strength is not re com , .
mended and is f urnished only on special factory order .
A ll blasting caps are packed in tin boxes each containing 1 00 ,

.
T e n boxes are I n t u r n pa ck e d in cartons and the cartons with ,
sawdust I n woo d en sh 1 ppi n g case s

O
, .
N o 8 DU
. PO N T B LAST I N G C AP
N o 6 DU PO N T BLASTI NG
CAP
.
P a c k a g e s o f Du Po n t B l a st i n g C a ps fo r
Do m e st i c S h i pm e n t
G r o ss We i g h t o f P a c k a g e s
N O 6 B l a st i n g C a ps
.
"u tit y p
an er C a se
5 00
N o 8 B l a s t i n g C a ps
.
5 00 11 pou n d s
15 4
24
44
62
I t will be seen that wi th

the exce ption of case N o 0 the .
n umber o f the case indica tes
the number o f thou sands o f

blasting caps in the case A s .
n o cases contain caps ,
there is no N o 4 case . .
All cases are well made of

soun d lumber C ases for ex
.
p ort tr a d e are tin lined to g i v e

the blasting cap addi tional
prote c t i o n . They w e i g h
sli ghtl y more than those for C A R T O N O F BLASTI NG C APS
domestic S hipments .
B lasting caps should be stored in a dry place When co n .
y eyin g them to the work where they a r e to be used n o moisture

whatev er should be permi tted to get into the charge which the y
contain a s this charge is v er y quickly a ff ected by dampness and
, ,
will absorb moistu r e and deteriorate S tora ge in damp places .

,
such as open sheds or tool bo xes in mines is likel y t o a ff ect the ,
charge in blasting caps and ma y weaken them to such an extent

,
that the y w i l l n o t properly detonate high explosi v es

'
.
The methods of attaching the blasting cap to the f use and of ,
p rimin g hi g h explo sive cartridges wi th the blasting c a p and fuse ,
a re d escribed in other portions of this catalo g ue .
Du Pont B lasting C aps are

manu f actured wi th the same
care and undergo the same
rigi d inspections a s do all other
Du Pont products When prop .
erly used , they can be d e

pen d ed on to do the work for
which the y a r e intended .
I n each box o f blasting caps

there is a small car d known as
“ ”
the follow u p card or i n spec
-
tor s ticket I n case trouble is

’
.
experience d with the blasting
caps this ticket with an y

unused blasting caps shoul d
,
,
C A S E ” P L AST W G C APS
. .
be preserv ed in or de r to fa c il 1 ta t e i n v e stI ga tl on .
S a f e t y Fu se
Safety fuse is the medium o f bringi n g sparks to fire blasting
caps or to ignite a c harge of blasti n g powder I t is made up of a .
thin train of powd e r tightly compre sse d i n and more or less ,

~
waterproofed by inner and outer wrappings or coverings .
53
The di ff eren t kinds o f safety fuse made ma y be di v ide d into

four cl a sses according to the kinds o f blasting for which they
,
are intended These cl a sse s are : .
Dry work Damp work Wet work . Under water . . .
The classification of brands o f fuse sold by the D u Pon t

C ompany a ccording to this standard is
Un d Wter a er
T i ple T
r a pe ?
‘
B la c k Mona rc h t
Ec li pse ?
i
Pa c fic ?
A me r ica n Ea gle ?
C l ov e r “
C r e sc e n t ‘
R li ”bl G utt
e a e a Pe r c h a ‘
St g a
B ea r t
Ac me l
i
V c tor ?
l"
Is so ld t f M o t
ea s o Wy mi g C l d d N w M xi
n ana . o n o or a o an e e c o . or in t h e E a s t e rn S ta te s
I d h Ut h d A i o
.
ld i d w t f M t W
.
t l s so n an es o on a na . a o. a an r z n a or th e e ste rn St t a es .
t l s so ld i t h St t f Wy mi g C l d d N w M xi o
n e a es o o n , o ora o an e e c . or t h e M iddl W t e es ern S ta te s .
S a f e t y Fu se P a c k a g e s
S afety f use is manufactured in lengths o f 5 0 feet which len g ths ,
are made into rolls T wo roll s are fitted one inside the other and
.
, ,
neatly wrapped in pape r The double rolls a r e packed in wo od en .
cases Export orders are shipped in tin cans or tin lined boxes
.
-
.
The sizes of packages are given in the following tables :
E B i c kfo r d C o m pa n y
’
n si g n - s Fu se Pa c k a g e
A P P R O X I MAT E W E I G H TS OU TS I D E D I ME N S I ON S
Siz e C t ton e n s
Oth e r s” H mpe a nd C tto on Oth e r s‘
5 00 ft 7 4x 7 4xl 44 7 x 7 4x1 5
”
l bs
' ' '
l bs l bs
'
0 . 6 . 10 . 10 .
'
1 ft . 13 l bs . 20 l bs . 20 l bs . 6 4x 1 1 4x 1 3
' ' "
7 4x13 4x1 44
' ' ”
2 ft . 25 l bs . 45 l bs . 40 l bs . 1 3 4x 1 3 4x 1 5
' ' ”
3 ft . 40 l bs . 70 l bs . 60 l bs 1 3 4x1 3 4x1 5
' ’ ”
1 44x1 5 x2 0 4
’ ” ”
ft
.
1 44x1 5 x204 1 44x 204x 2 04

” ”
4 . 50 l bs . 85 l bs . 80 l bs .
' ' ' '
5 ft . 65 l bs . 1 10 l bs . 1 00 l bs . 1 44x 204x 20 4
' ' ”
1 44x 204x 24
' ” '
6 ft . 75 l bs . 130 l bs . 1 15 l bs . 104x20 x2 7
' ' ”
1 44x 204x 2 7 4
' ' '
Oth er s a re S i n g l e T a pe D u bl
o e T a pe Pl a ne t B v ea er . C ha t r er Oa k . Cl v o er . A h nc or ,
C t Re lia ble a n d S ta g
. . .
r esce n . .
54
For export shipmen ts f use ma y be packed in water ti g h t cans

,
-
,
containin g 5 00 feet each an d snugl y packe d in iron s trapped

,
-
wooden cases or in tin lined woo d en cases i f pre ferred

,
-
.
T he packin g an d the weights o f other f use named in this book ,
but not inclu d e d in the tables are approximatel y the same a s for
,
similar classes o f f use on which d etailed in formation is gi v en .
I t should be remembered that in all Cla sses o f bl astin g where

water is encoun tered the loading should be done an d t he
shots fired as soo n a s possible While the brands listed for use .
un d er water will burn through water whe n first load ed they will ,
not wi thstan d wettin g for a long time especiall y when under ,
p ressure o f several feet of water .
H emp Fuse an d C otton Fuse are too small in d iame ter to prop
erl y fi t the sta n dard blastin g cap a n d should be u se d only for ,
exploding bl as ting powd er C harges where a blastin g cap is u n n e c

e ssa ry unless a d y namite p rimer is used
, .
B u rn i n g S pe e d of F u se
S a fety f u se sold in the Eastern S tates burns in the open at the , ,
ra te o f about thirty two seconds per foot except C harter Oak and
-
,
C l o v er brands which have a burning spee d in the open o f abou t

, , ,
40 secon d s pe r foot " that sold in the M i d dle Western and Western
S ta tes burns at the rate of between 3 6 an d 3 9 seconds per foot .
T h is burning speed is subject to a variation o f 1 0 per cent either

w a y Fuse burns faster when tigh tly tamped The length o f f use
. .
u se d in a blast must always be lon g enough for the blas ter to

re t ire to a sa fe d istance .
E ach f use wr apper is stamped wi th a serial number which , ,
wi th the markings on the packing case shoul d be preserv e d in ,
case trouble is experienced wi th the f use for iden ti fication an d ,
t o facili tate i n v esti g ation .
Di m e n si o n s of C a se s C o n t a i n i n g F u se fo r E xpo r t
C
a
se N
9
. 0 (Al l B ra nd s)
I 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
N
A
C
F
-
I
U
G
55
Appr o x i m a t e We i g h t s d Di m e n si o n s o f C a se s
an of
F u se M a d e by C o a st M a n u f a c t u r i n g
a n d S u pply C o m pa n y
Be a r B ra n d
P k
ac a ge G ross W ight
e N et W ig ht
e O u t id
s e i
D me ns ons i
1 44 x 15 4 x 8 4
” ” ”
26
”
x 15 4 x 8 4
” ”
37
”
x 154 x 8 4
” ”
“
37
”
x 15 4 x 15 4
”
Am e r i c a n E a g l e and B l u e La be l
Vi c t o r B r a n d
Pa c i fic B r a n d
C o m e t B ra n d
P cka g
a e G ross We i gh t N et Wei ght O u t id
s e i
D me ns ons i
1 44 x 15 4 x 8 4
” ” ”
26
”
x 15 4 x 8 4
” ”
37
”
x 15 4 x 8 4
” ”
37
”
x 15 4 x 15 4
” ”
56
E c l i pse B r a n d
S i n gl e Ta pe d
Do u bl e Ta pe d
T r i pl e Ta pe d
H e m p (B l a c k ) "
”
15 4 x 37
”
"
Pa c kd
e on l y i fu ll
n ca se s of f t
ee ea c h .
S t o r a ge an d H an d l i n g of Fu se
S a fety fuse cannot be kept in good con d ition unless stored in
a cool dry place I f stored in a hot place the heat is likel y to
, .
,
melt the waterproofin g mate rial ca using it to penetrate to the ,
powder core or makin g the fu se too soft " or the heat may dr y
o u t the fuse so that i t will break when u n rolled I f stored in a .
damp place the powd er in the fuse soon absorbs moisture an d

,
fails to bu rn properl y .
When han d ling sa fety f use do not twist or kink it A lwa y s,

.
C ut off at least t wo inches o f

the end o f the coil an d insert the
f resh c u t en d o f the fuse in the
blasting c a p because the powder in
,
the end becomes damp and i n e ff ec

ti v e very quickly I t is also likel y .
to spill ou t o f the cu t en d after the

f use h a s been han d led a li ttle I n
D O U B L E ROLL O F S AFET " F US E
.
e1 ther case a m1sfir e m I gh t occur wrm PAP E R W R AP P I N G

R E MOVE D
.
A lwa y s cu t the en d o f the sa fet y

f use which is to be i nserted i n the blas tin g cap sq uarel y across
an d not diagonally as the poi n t made b y a diagonal c u t may be
,
bent forward when the sa fety f use is pushed i nto the bl a sti n g
cap and in this wa y prev ent the spark f rom shootin g i nto th e
,
blasting cap charge .
A lways press the end o f the sa fety f use gently against the charg e
in the blastin g c a p be fore crimpin g the blasting cap A ll sa fety .
fuse excep t C otton an d H emp is made to fit as snugl y as possib l e

, ,
into the blastin g cap i n order to prev ent water or moisture from
en tering I f the safety f use is foun d at an y time to be a li ttle too
.
large to enter the blastin g ca p do not attempt to cu t off an y o f ,
the tape or yarn bu t squeeze or rol l the en d between the thu m b

,
an d finger until i t is small enough .
I t occasionally happens that when subj ected to summer hea t

the waterproofing of some ki nds o f fuse will absorb the whi te
materi a l put on the outside causing i t to appear black or o f a,
din gy yellow color This un favorable appearance d oes not n e ces

.
sa ri l y indicate that the fuse is damaged I t is pr obably perfectl y .
good bu t i t should be tested and this will readily d etermine i t s

, ,
con d i tio n .
I f f use is stored too long i t may be dry and hard or th e , ,
powder ma y be impaired by age G u tta pe rcha f use is most .

-
likel y to deteriorate from age because the g utta pe rcha becom es -
oxi d ized by contact with air .
I n tape fuse places may be foun d where the diameter is sligh tl y

,
enlarged for about an inch i n len g th This is caused b y the o v er .
58
Du Po n t C a p S e a l i n g Co m po u n d
Du Pon t C ap Sealing C ompo und is a material for se aling water
tigh t the space between the shell of a blasting cap and the fuse
which is inserted into the bla sting cap .
H owever well the cap may be fastened to the fuse by the

c r impe r i t i s almost impossible to make a j oint that will preven t
,
water from leaki ng i n and spoiling the cap The cap is especially .
“ ”
liable to damage from water when counte red fuse is use d ,
because the uneven surface o f such f use formed by the spirally

wound cords leaves small air spaces between the f use and the
shell throu gh which water may leak down
into the ca p Therefore whenev er the ca p
.
,
is to come in contact wi th water it should ,
be made waterproo f by sealin g with D u

Po n t C ap Sealing C ompound .
A fter the bl asting ca p is crimped on the

fuse the cap wi th two o r three inches o f
,
the fuse is dippe d fo r a few seconds i n to

the cap se aling compoun d a n d hung up t o
dry . I t is not necessary to soak the c a p
in the compound B y the ti me the co m .
D U PO N T C A P
S E AL I N G C O M PO U N D
pound has d r ied for about thirty minutes a ,
water tight joint is formed which will resi st

-
almo st any amount o f water commonly encountered in blasti ng

wi th cap and fu se T h e cap should be u sed soon a f ter i t i s d r y
.
,
as the C ap Sealing C ompound becomes b rittle after a few days

and is liable to crack and admit water .
Du Pont C ap Sealing C ompound is put up in half pin t pi n t -

, ,
q uar t and gallon cans .
C AP I
S E AL N G C O M PO U N D A P PL E D T O I CR IM P
Ma k in g Pr im e r s
A high explosive cartridge containing a n electric blasting cap
or o ther detonato r is called a primer .
Primer s must be properly made to insure the complete detona

tion of the explosive " to keep the detonator fr om pulling out o f
the explosive " to guard against moisture " to pe r mi t eas y and
safe loading of bore holes " to keep the safety fuse when bl a s t ,
ing caps and safety fu ses are used fr om pulli n g ou t of the

,
blasti n g cap .
60
Pr i m in g a C a r t r i d g e w it h B l a st i n g C a p
a n d S a f e t y F u se
I n making a primer wi th blasting cap and fuse cut off a ,
s u ffi cient length of fuse to reach from the charge of explosives
l o aded i n the bor e hole to three or four inches above the collar or
t o p o f the bore hole I n all Classes o f blasting the length o f the
.
,
f u se must be governed b y the time required for the blaster to

r e ach a sa fe place after li g hting the fuse .
A f ter removing the cover o f the blasting cap box allow a single ,
blasting ca p to slide gently into the hand N ever try to pick a .
blasti ng cap out o f the box wi th a wire kni fe blade stick or , , ,
o ther hard substance S ee that no foreign matter such as dirt or

.
,
g rit
,
is in the open end o f the blasting cap "if there is any shake it ,
o u t gently I f the end of the fuse is flattened r oll it between the

.
,
thumb an d finger to round i t out again and slip the blasting cap
g en tly over the end of the fuse so that the fuse reaches down to
t h e explosive cha r ge in the blasting cap .
DO not twist the fuse i nto the blasting cap and do not use ,
v iolence or force when handling the blasting caps or when making
p ri mers
.
When the blasting cap is placed on the f use fasten i t securely ,
i n place wi th a Du Pont C ap C r im per The crimp must be mad e

.
close to the open end of the blasting cap as shown on page 6 2 .
T o make the crimp further down would in all p r obability cause

a premature explosion and seriously inj ure the blaster .
When the primer is to be used under water the union betwee n ,
the blasting cap and the fuse should be protected against moisture
by a coating o f Du Pont C ap Sealing C ompound or other sui table
material
—
.
P ri mi n g i n th e S ide of Ca r tridges To prime a cart r idge

i n the side the blasting cap an d f use a r e handled a s has j ust been
described The hole is begun abou t an i nch or an inch and a half
.
from one end o f the cartridge and should point in an d toward

,
the other end so that when the blasting ca p is inserte d i t will

,
be as near l y parallel as possible to the sides o f the cartr idge .
I t shou ld n ever be pu n ch ed stra i gh t th rou gh the ca rtridge as such ,
a hole woul d not place the blasting cap in the proper posi tion for
d etonati n g the explosi v e A blasti n g cap placed i n such a hole
.
woul d be easi ly d isplace d or i nj ure d in load i n g The correct .
l oca tion an d angle o f such a hole are indicated pa ge on 6 2 T he .
hole shoul d be deep enou g h to recei v e the e n tire copper shell o f

th e blasti n g ca p .
T he bl a sting cap wi th f use attache d is slipped into the hole

an d se curely fa stene d by means o f a cord tied around both the
f use an d cartri d ge as is illustrated on page 6 2
.
, .
61
M A K I NG UP A PR I M E R W IT H A BLASTI N G C AP AN D SAF ET " FUS E
62
T his method o f pri min g in the side has the ad v an tage o f leaving
more space for placi n g the tamping stick on the primer bu t i t ,
cannot be used in such small holes as can the en d p r imers o n

accou nt o f the f use lyin g alongside the cartrid ge and thereby
increasing the total diameter This method does n o t place the
.
blasting cap in qui te so good a position as priming in the end .
S uch a primer is waterproofed by covering the j oint between

the f use and paper shell with a waterproofing material
—
.
P ri mi n g i n the E n ds of Ca rtridges There are two good methods

.
o f primin g ca r t ri dges i n t h e en d.
PR IM I NG I N E N D OF CAR T R I D G E
(a ) Wi th the han d le o f the cap crimper or a wooden awl punch
,
a hole straight i nto the end o f the cartri dge to a su fficien t depth
to receive all o f the copper shell of the blasting cap and fasten
i t there by m eans of a cord tie d first aroun d the cartridge and
then aroun d the f u se as is shown above This is an easily made
, .
and hi g h l y satis factor y primer .
T o waterproo f such a primer C lose the hole where the f use

,
enters the cartri dge wi th sui table sealin g materials .
( ) The other meth od is to unfol d the paper from the end o f

b
the c artri dge an d punch a hole di r ectl y in to the cen ter o f the
exposed dynami te Close the loose pa r t of the paper shell aroun d
,
63
the f use and tie it tigh tly The process o f waterproofing is the
,
.
same as stated in the preceding paragraph .
Primi n g in the end h as the a d van ta ge of placing the bl a st i n g

cap or other d etonator i n the be st possible posi tion for d e to
n atin g the explosives use d " but i t so me t i mes has the di sa d
vantage especially when the bore holes are small of be n ding the
, ,
fuse too sharply and causing i t to be scraped or torn an d al so ,
of not leaving su fli c ie n t room to place the ta mpin g stick on the

primer to slip the latter into place in the bore hole .
There are a nu mber of other methods o f making pri mers bu t ,
the three methods d escribed are the only ones that have proved
to be safe a nd reliable .
Fuse should never be laced through cartridges o f hi g h e xpl o

si v e s
, as the po wder inside of the fuse may burn thro u g h the
”
coverin g or side spi t and igni te the dynami te be fore the c a p
explodes This materiall y red uces the force of the bl a st
. .
P r i m i n g w i t h El e c t r i c Bl a st i n g C a ps
Primers can be made wi th electric blasting caps or other electric
detonators by any of the methods described for the u se of blasti ng
cap and fuse The waterproofing is done in exactly the same way
. .
Many bl a ster s however, ,
prefer to use a sligh tly

quicker method which h a s
,
bee n foun d entirely satis

factory Punch a hole from
.
the cen ter o f the en d of

the car tri d ge in a slanti ng
direction so that i t will
come out at the side two o r
t hree inches from the end ,
insert the en d o f the dou

bled over wires of th e elec
tr ic blasting cap loop these
,
around the cartr i dge and ,
punch another hole in the

top a little to one side of
the first and straight down .
I nsert the capsule in this

l a st hole as far as possible
and take up the slack on
the wires " ou then have
.
a primer in which the wire s

d o not cross each other at
E T H O D OF any point and the capsule
is lyin g nearl y alon g the
center line of the cart ridge ,
64
a primer
which hangs vertically so that i t is possible to load it
,
in the bore hole wi thout its lodging against the sides .
The wires of electric blasting caps should never be fastened

a round hi gh explosive cartridges by half hi tching them as a -
,
strong pull migh t ei ther break t he wires or cut the insulation .
Pr i m i n g wi t h O th e r Du Po n t E l e c tr i c De to n a to r s
Primers wi th other electric d etonators such as delay electric
,
bl a sting caps submarine elect ric blasti ng caps and waterproof

,
el ectric blasting cap s are mad e exactl y as are primers wi th

,
el ectric bl a sting caps with the single d i ff erence that d eeper holes
,
in the explosive cartri dge are required to receive the detonators .
Pr i m i n g wi t h Du Po n t De l a y E l e c tr i c I gn i te r s
When delay electric ign iters are used to detonate high e xpl o
siv e s a blasting cap is cri m ped on the end of the fuse and the ,
primi n g then done as wi th blasting cap and safety fuse .
Ope r a ti o n of De to n a to r s
The force of all explosives is exerted equally in all direction s ,
but blasting caps electric blas ting caps and all other Du Pont
,
detonators have copper shells so constructed that the shock f rom

the explosion is greater from the C losed end than from the sides .
This is the end away from the fuse or wires This closed end .
is frequentl y re ferre d to as the busi ness end I t should not

be unde rstood that all of the sh ock f rom an exploding detonator
goe s out from the end for such is not the case
,
There is shock .
in all directions but the greatest shock is from the end

,
Thi s i s .
i ndicate d by the arrow in the following sketch .
V ARROWS I N D I C A T E T H E DI R E C T I O N OF G R E AT
E S T S H OC K F RO M A D E T O N A T OR T H IS BEI NG
I N L I N E W IT H T H E LARG E ARROW
.
The purpose of d etona tors is to give O ff shock an d heat to

charges of high explosives to cause detonation T he gr eater .
the sh o ck the stronger the detonation and the better the work
,
that is done by the explosive For this rea son i t is desi r able t o
.
ha ve the detonators poin t directly toward the explosive C harge A .
be tter understanding of this ma y be ha d by referring to the

a cco mpanyin g fi g ures A shows a detonator pointing directly
.
a way from a cartridge of high explosives Using an insensi tive

.
dynamite the explosion o f the blasting cap woul d not detonate

,
the explosive B shows a b l asting cap the same distance fr om a

.
-
65
cartri dge of high explosives but poin tin g parallel to the cartridge
, .
Us1 n g the same insensi tive dynamite if thi s cap cause d any
,
detonation at all i t would be incomplete and weak

, .
C AR T R I D G E
R TR /D G E
CA R TR I D G E
C shows the same insensi tive d ynamite and the blasting c a p

the same distance away as befor e bu t pointing directl y towa r d
,
the dynami te I n this po sition the detonation of the dyna m i te

.
shoul d be complete .
These posi tions of blastin g cap and dynami te are p u rely

d emonstration examples an d should never be attempted in actual
,
work H owev er they illustrate j ust how a blasting cap or o ther

.
,
detonator S houl d point .
A deton a tor sh ou ld poi n t a s n ea rl y a s possi ble di rectl y towa rd

, ,
the ma i n porti on of th e ch a rge of expl osi ves .
B L A S TI N G CA P
S H OW I NG H O W BLAST I N G C AP S H OUL D PO I N T W H E N B O R E H OL E IS LOA D E D
W I T H SEV E R AL C A R T R IDG ES
Wer e the single blasting cap pointed diagonall y across the

cartridge primer as shown below the shock to and e ff ect on the
, , , ,
cartr idges in the other end o f the bor e hole would be much l ess .
PLACI NG BL AST I NG C AP D I A GO N ALL" L E SS E NS EFFE C T I V E N ESS O F

D E TO NATOR
66
Dy n a m i t e T h a w i n g H o u se H ea ted by H ot Wa t e r
P l a n s a n d S pe c i fica t i o n s f o r T h i s an d Ot h e r T h a win g H o u se s F u r n i sh e d on Appl i c a t i o n
68
Dyn a m i t e T h a w i n g H o u se H e a t e d by H o t Wa t e r
69
over a fire I t is nece ssary to heat the water i n somethi ng el se

.
before fillin g the water j acket Th e h ot wa ter mu st a l wa ys be tested

.
bef ore fill i n g th e dy n a mi te compa r tmen t I f i t i s hot en ou gh to bu rn th e

.
ha n d do n ot pu t th e explosi ves i n to th e tha wi n g k ettl e N ev er fill the

, .
water j acket unless the explosives compartment is empty S ee th at .
the explosives compartment is perfectly dry before i t is filled .
Thawin g kettles should be kept C lean at all ti mes S hould a n y .
of the explosive compo unds leak out the explosives compartmen t ,
should be tho roughly cleaned wi th a solution of sal soda .
The use of thawing kettles can to a large extent be done away

, ,
with b y using low freezing explosives such as R e d C ross E xtra

-
D y nami te and R ed C ross Gelatin A rctic Powder does not .
freeze and never requires thawin g .
C a pa c i t i e s an d Di m e n si o n s of T h a w i n g Ke t t l e s
Cpa a Ci t y O
D m
u
.
i
i ts d e
en S I O n s
Du Pon t No 1
. .
Du Pon t No 2
. .
T a m pi n g Ba gs
Tamping bags made of heavy pa per
are used in man y places as contai ners
for sand cla y or loam used for ta m p
,
ing They save time and trouble when

.
loading bore holes particularl y those ,
po intin g upward .
Tamping bags are a great con v e m

ie n ce to miners and their use often ,
saves many times their cost in e co n o

m y of explosives .
They are also emplo yed as c o n

t a i n e r s for blasting powder when the
miner or blaster desires to make up the
charge I n cartridge form as is gener ,
all y the custom when i t is used in

m ines in o en work that I s damp and
,
p ,
in holes poi nting upward .
Tamping bags are made a pproxi

mately two inches longer than shown
in the table below in order to provide
fo r folding at the end when filled .
T AM P I NG B AG T AMP I N G B AG
( E mpty) ( Fu ll ) 70
T a mping bags are pu t up in bundles of 5 00 eac h and pac ked ten ,
bu n dles to the b a le They are manufactu r ed in the following sizes :

.
S i No N O in Ba le Shippi n g We ig h t
pe r B a l e
ze . .
B l a st i n g M a t s
B lasting m a ts are closely woven m a ts o f he mp o r wire rope .
They are used over blasts or b e twee n blasts and pr operty to catc h
or h old material flying fr om the blasts H emp rop e is gene r ally
.
used and is consid e red the b est a lthough steel wire rope h a s been
,
tried wi th success The mats are mad e of 1 in c h 1 % inch or

.
,
1 % inch rope ac co r ding to t h e demands of the custom e r They

, .
are n o t carried in stock but a r e woven o n o rd e r and a r e mad e i n

,
any size requi r ed I f t h e bl a sting mats a re to cove r ligh t charge s

.
of explosives they m a y be sp r ead directly ove r the bo r e holes "but

,
A H EM P B LAST I NG MA T
if heavier charges are used railroad ties or lo gs should be put

,
down first and the mats on top of them Sometimes the mats a re.
proppe d on li g htly suppo rted uprights several feet above the bl a st ,
so that when the blast is fired the flyin g rock is stopped by th e

under side of the mat .
These arran gements are very e ff ective in pr eventing the roc k

fro m be ing thrown into the air and should always be adopted
w hen blastin g is done near thorou g hfares or buildings B o a rds .
a n d logs alone are not su fli c ie n t .
Co r d e a u
C ordeau or detona ting fuse is a small lead tube about t h e
, , ,
s a me diameter as triple tape fuse filled wi th a yellow explosive

,
compound which has a veloc ity of detonation of abou t

feet (m ore than 3 miles ) pe r second I n other words a piece o f
.
,
c o rdeau feet long if detonated at one end will explod e

, ,
throughou t i ts entire le n gth in about one second I t is now used .
principally in deep well drill blast holes and similar lar ge blasts
-
.
I n spite of the gr eat velocity and str ength of the detonati on

o f cordeau i t is very insensi tive and cannot be exploded b y ham
,
mer ing pi nching or burnin g I t is therefore safe to handle and

, .
, ,
load I t is exploded in actual use by means of blasting c a ps

.
,
electric blasting caps or by detonating dynami te

The extr eme violence of the explosion o f cordeau is su fli cie n t
to detonate high e xplosives l y ing alongside i t in a bore hole .
C o rdeau is furnished ei ther wi th the plain le a d cove r ing or with

the lead cove r ing su r r ounded with a second c overing o f cotton
C u t
o n e red
S POO L S O F C O R D E AU
72
cord the first being called plain and the secon d countered C oun
, .
te re d cordeau is more resistant to abrasion o f tampin g materials .
C ordeau is shipped on spools co n tainin g from 1 00 feet to 5 00

feet each not necessaril y all o f one len g th the exact len g th of
, ,
each piece bein g specified on the spool head The fir st number .
shown represents the length in feet of the cord e a u which would

be first removed from the spool the next number the second
,
length and the other number i f a n y the third length

, , , .
C o r d e a u Ac c e sso r i e s
Several accessories are needed when usin g cord eau When i t is ex .
“ ”
pl ode d by means of a b l astin g cap and safety fuse a Union is used ,
to hold the blasting cap firmly in place "when an electric blasting

“
cap is u sed a S pecial Union is used as shown in sketch below
”
.
U N I O N FO R ATTAC H I NG A BLASTI NG CA P TO C O R DEAU
S P EC I AL U N I O N FO R ATT AC H I NG ELE C T R I C BLASTI NG C AP T O C O R DEAU

For splicin g two lengths of cord eau to gether a brass coupling
is used A lon ger sleeve for making a stronger splice is shown
.
in the followin g sketch :
SL EEV E FO R FASTE N I NG TWO P IE C ES

O F C OR DEAU TOG ET H E R
B RASS C OU PLI NG FO R FASTE N I NG TWO

P IE C ES OF C OR DEAU T OG ET H E R
The C ordeau R ipper is a

special tool for rippin g or S plit
ting the cordeau covering at t h e
end when making connections to
a surface main line for a branch
or bore hole line as described in
the para gr aph at the bottom of
the next page .
C OR D E AU R I PPE R
I
The en d o f the cor deau is
ti ed to or l ace d th ro u gh a
‘E c m 'c
d ynami te cartr idge and i t i s E
allowed to run off the spool

until the ca rtrid ge reaches bot
tom and the cord eau extends
full length o f the hole The .
rest o f the charge is loaded in

the usual manner I f there is
.
water i n the hol e the end of

,
the cordeau should be sealed

by hammering the lead to
gether .
When the hole is
tamped the cordeau is cut
,
allowi ng six inches to extend

abov e the collar o f the hole .
A n electric blasti n g cap is

attached to the end o f cor
deau at each hole b y means of
a brass union made for the
purpose Then the electric
.
blasting caps are connected up

an d fire d in the usual manner .
The use of an electric blasting

cap at each hole is cheaper
an d surer than using a sur face
cordeau connection The sur .
face line d oes no work other S H OW I NG L OCATI O N O F C OR DEAU

tha n carry de to n a tI O n R E A C H I NG T o B O TT O M O F B OR E
,
H OLE
.
.
Me t h o d of M a k in g S u r fa c e Co n n e c t io n
The end of cordeau extending f rom the hole is split i n half fo r
about 3 in c hes in length and separate d A special tool called a
.
rippe o r sli tter is used fo r this A main or trunk line is l a i d

r .
alon g the to p o f holes on the surface so that the main line lie s i n
is a right angl e The explosive in the tube will not stand water
.
and in ra iny weather extreme care is necessary if surface c onnec

, ,
t I O n s are used
.
74
E l e m e n t a r y El e c t r i c a l P r i n c i pl e s Appl i c a bl e to
De t o n a t i o n o f Expl o siv e s
1 . I n Fig 1 is shown an ordin a ry dry cell battery wi th its
.
,
two bindin g posts or connectors (A B ) These are called r espe c -

.
,
t i v e l y the po si tive and negative po les

, .
I f the poles are connected wi th a piece of wire (C ) an electric

current will flow throu g h i t i n the direction indicated by the ,
a rrows and will continue to flow until the chemicals are exhausted
,
.
2 S uch a wire a ff ording a path for the current

.
from the posi tive to the ne gative po le of a battery

is called a circuit The current flows only when the .
circui t is complete and a single break i n the con ,
t i n u i ty of the wire stops the flow of current throu g h

out the entire circui t .
The wire comprisin g the circui t Can be much

—
longer than shown i n Fig 1 e ven man y miles in
—
.
length and still the curr en t will follow i t through

o u t i ts entire length as long as so me shorter or ,
easier path be t wee n the two po les is not o ff ered I f .
the wire is covered wi th some insula ti n g material

like silk rubber or cotton so a s to prevent the cur
, ,
r ent from escapin g f rom i t and followi ng some
shor ter or easier course then the wire may be ,
wound many times around other obj ects or make ,
any number of bends and twists and still the cur ,
rent will follow i t from one po le of the batter y to

the other wi th almost a s much ease as i t did the
,
F 1 IG
s hort piece of wire in Fi g 1
.
. .
3 N ow how do we know that a curr ent is fl owing through

.
,
t h e wire i n the manner described ? We know i t by i ts ejects and ,
a few of these e ff ects which are o f g reat impo rtance i n under

,
standing blastin g by electrici t y will answe r for the present con ,
sideration .
a. First if part o f the ordinary thick copper wi re used in Fig 1

, .
be replac ed by a very fine piece of wire (G Fig the fine wire ,

.
being preferabl y of iron platinum or German silver then the , ,
di fli cu l ty which the curren t has in passin g through this small

“ "
piece of wire or as electricians say overcoming i ts resistance
, , , ,
will tr ansfo r m part o f the curren t i nto heat The fine wi re will .
b e come red h o t and eve n mel t i f the current is str ong This is
, .
the princi ple made use o f in fir ing electric blasting caps A nother .
familiar application is t h e incandescent electric light wher e a ,
fine carbon or tungsten wire is forced to car ry a large a mount of

current and becom e s so intensely whi te hot (incandescent ) that it
,
gives o u t light .
76
b Seco nd if wi re insulated wi th cotton o r .

,
"
silk be wound many times around a ba r o f ordi
na r y soft iron (Fig t h e ends o f the wire .
bei ng con nected with a batter y so that th e

current will fl ow through i t the i ron bar will ,
become powerfully magnetic As soon as the .
circui t is interrupted ? at an y poin t whether ,
by remo v ing o n e or both wires from the battery ,
or breaking or cutting the wire anywhere

throughout i ts length nearly all the magnetism ? ,
immediatel y departs fr om the iron A s soon a s .
the circui t is closed the magnetism returns even , ,
though the opening and closing of th e circui t is

performed man y times a second and the poi n t of
interruption is in a far distant part of the circui t .
I f another piece o f i r on
for the magnet to a t
pm 2 tr act is balanced by a
,
spr ing over the magnet ,
ever y ti me the circui t is closed i t will be

dr a wn towar d the magnet and when the ,
ci rcui t is opened the sprin g will draw i t

awa y S uch a piece of iron provided for th e
.
magnet to act upon is called an armature T h e .
telegr aph sounder (Fig 4) works on this pri n .
c i pl e the armature i n i ts up and down movemen t s

,
causi ng a lever to s trike resonant metal pe gs ,
which gi ve ou t the familiar clicks by the so und ,
o f which the operator reads the message M a ny .
other electr ical instruments also work on t hi s

same pri nciple .
c Thi rd that an electric current is flowi n g

.
,
th rou g h the wire (Fig 1 ) can be shown by .
F G 3
crossing part of the wire over a compass as ‘
du t
" N o n -c on th ub t
c ors a re whi h d t y th l t i u t C du t
ose s s a nces c o no ca rr e e ec r c c rre n on c o rs
ub t y it dily " p y t bu t w t h
.
a re th ose s whi h s a n ce s cdu t ca rr th wh h rea oor con c ors a re ose ic ca r r I 1

l t y St i t ly p k i g th p f t du t t u t
,
difli cu r c s ea n d p f
e re a re n od " e r ec n on -c on c ors . a n no e r ec con c or s
bu t th t m v i t d u bj ti bl if t b
. ,
e i
er mm
s a re dn co on use a n m d a re con en e n an no ec ona e I Is or n e I n in
t h t th y e l tiv M t l
a re re a th b t du t " il v h d th li t f ll w d t u
e a s a re e es con c ors s er ea s e s o o e In rn
pl ti u m l d m u y t Am g t h b t
a e
by pp z i i du t gl
. .
co er, nc , ron , a n ea e rc r e c on e es n on -con c or s a re a ss

u bb ulphu il k tt p ffi t i u m t i l il t W t
. .
, , ,
r er , s r. s co on , a ra p n, t tw a r , re s n o s a e r a s. o s, e c a e r I s a re re se n a e
du t b u t it d u ti v ity i g tl y i d wh v i u l t u h t h
.
,
o f p oor c on c ors, s con c s r ea n crea se en ar o s sa s. s c as ose

lik ly t b d iv d f m k i d i lli ng
e o e er e rodi l v d i it A id l i
roc s n th r du a re sso e n c s a so n cre a se e con e
f w t
.
,
ti i ty
v o a er .
t i t t
n e rru
p i g b k i n
g i u it t y p i t i f d t by l t i i
or rea n a C rc
s p i g th
a an o n s r e e rr e o e ec r c a n s a o en n e
i u it "
c rc t bli hi g it th t t h u t
re-es a s n p . so l mg t h a t e c rre n ca n a ss , as
“
c os
o
”
e c i rcu 1 .
ts i t i o d ily l
ron rea ly ll i t m g ti m
ose s n ea r th u t t p d th ft t h
a s a ne s a s soon a s e c r re n s o s, a n e so er e
i th m
ro n e d ily it b
ore rea m d m g t i z d l t h u g h it eco v l esl l f it H d t l
e a ne e a o ne er ose s a o ar s ee on
t y t i g t d l f m g ti m i t h b m g tiz d d t hi p i pl
.
.
th e con r a r re a n s a rea ea o a ne s o nce as ee n a ne e an on s r nc 1 e

d p d p m t m g t T h m g t i m l ft i l t m g t ft t h th
. ,
e en s a er a nen a ne e a ne s e n a n e ec ro a ne a er e c ur re n as
ll d idu l m g ti m
.
“
ce a se d i s ca e re s a a ne s .
77
in Fig 5 O rdina r ily of . .

,
course the needle of the com ,
pa ss will point north a nd

so u th and the wire above it ,
should run in the same dirce

tion B ut a s soon as the con .
n e c t i on with the batte r y i s

F 4 ‘G
t a bl i sh e d t h e needle will b
'
deflected so that i t will stand at right angles t o the wire or i n

, , ,
other wor ds po in t east and west I f the end of the wire tha t is
, .
connected wi th the positive pole of the battery be tr ansfer r ed

to th e negative pole and vi ce ver sa ( that is if the poles be ‘‘
, ,
”
changed ) the n eedl e wi l l reverse i ts di recti on so that the e n d ,
which poin te d east befo re will now poi n t west .
4 The needle will a lso re verse i ts di r ection if the wire C

.
,
Fi g 5 be moved from its posi ti on

.
,
above the needle t o o n e below i t as ,
shown by the dotted line I n o t her .
wor ds the di r ection of the

,
electr ic curr ent a ff ects the

direction I n which the mag
n e tic needle is de fl ec te d ,
’
'
deflecting it one way when
pa ssing above the n ee dle ll
and i n the oppo site way
when passing below it T h i s fa c t e n a bl e s u s t o
.
ve r y gr eatly intensify the acti o n o f t h e c u r r e n t upo n

the magneti c needle b y pu tti n g a coil o f i n sulat e d
,
wire about the compass a s sho wn I n Fig 6 Wi th ,

. .
such an arr angement all the str a n d s o f wi r e above

,
the needle are carrying the curren t i n one di r ec t ion

and all those below i n the opposi te di r ection They F 5 . IG .
all therefore tend to deflect the needle in the same

, ,
m anner and the e ff ect is very gr eatl y m agnified "so much so that
, ,
an instrumen t constructed o n this principle indicates the p a ss

age O f curren ts that are too feeble to be detected by any
other means S uch an instru m ent is ca lled a galvanometer
. .
5 P ra cti ca l Ma gn ets
.
— The electromagnet is m uch mo re
.
p o w de r fu l when instead o f the ,

wires being wound on a straight
bar a s in Fig 3 the bar is bent U shape as shown in A and B Fig
-
.
, . ,
.
7 for in th is posi tion both ,
ends can be made to act at

once upon the same piece of
iron and they can attract it ,
with double or more than ,
P m6 double force I t is also found

. , .
78
that the wire in the middle o f the elect romagn e t d oes n ot hav e as
much of an e ff ect as that near the ends and for this r e ason t h e ,
wire is n o t generally wound on the middle part but only on the ,
e nds as shown in B Fi g 7
, A gain i t is ordinarily advantageous
,
. .
, ,
fro m the manufacturing standpoint to make the iron core of a ,
ma gnet in sections afterward s fastening them together as shown

, ,
in C Fig 7 T h e s e ctions H I ca n th e n be wound wi th the

, . .
-
wi re j ust as th r ead is wound on a spool s ecuring great e fficiency

, ,
a s well as c a se in manufacture ( D Fig , .
S uch elec tromagnets when of large size and actuated b y

,
powerful currents are of tr emendous power and will lift masses

, ,
of i r on weighing tons .
6 I f a piece of soft iron i e an armature (paragraph 3 b

.
,
. .
,
-
,
page be placed b e tween t h e poles of a conveniently shaped
FI G 7 .
m agnet as shown in Fig 8 the piece o f soft i r o n is also caused to

,
.
,
become magnetic N orth polari ty is induced in the end near

.
,
o r in contact wi th the south pol e and vi ce ver sa

, I f t h e position ,
O f the arm a ture is revers ed so that the end A is n e arest t h e ,
so u th and B neare st t h e north pole o f the m a gnet th e n t h e

, ,
arm ature r everses i ts polari ty so a s always ,
to pre sen t its south end to the north

“
end of the controlling ( field magnet .
This i t does even though the reversal o f

,
ends is ver y rapid such as would resul t ,
from fixi ng a shaft into the armature at

" ,
and rotating i t rapidly in the direction
shown b y the arr ows .
We have seen (pa r agraph 3 b page 7 7 ) FI 8

-
,
G
that passing an elect r ic current through
.
wi r e wound upon a soft iron bar is capable

of causing i t to become m agnetic The reverse of this proposi tion .
,
namely the induction of an electric curren t in the wire abou t an

,
iron bar by causing the bar to become magn e tic is also true wi th ,
certain li mi tations Take such a bar wound wi th wire (A Fig

.
, .
9) and connect the ends of the wire with a galvanometer ( the

construction of which is explained in paragraph 4 page ,
so that we will know whene v er a curre nt p a sses N ow ca use .
79
the end o f the bar to approach the live electromagnet B Fig 9 , . .
A ll the time it is a ppro achi ng B the galvanometer shows th a t

,
an electr ic curre n t is passing When the mo v emen t is stoppe d

.
,
the current stops .
I f the movemen t be reverse d that is i f the wire wo u nd bar

, ,
-
be moved away from the mag net the galvanometer will again ,
S how that a current is passin g but i n th e opposi te di recti on

,
.
FI G 9 .
The reason the curren t is set up (induced ) in the wire around

t h e l i ro n ba r is that the i ron ba r is cau sed to become magn e ti c
a s i t approaches the live magnet (para g raph 6 page and ,
loses this induced magnetism as it is wi thd r awn " and the r e is a

n a tural law that a n y cha n ge i n the ma gn eti c condi ti on of a n i ron
core wi ll i n du ce a n el ectri c cu rr en t i n wi re a rou nd it .
I t may be a r gu ed that the resul t is n o t an electr i c cur r e n t ,
bu t a series of electric pulsations That is perfectly true " but if

.
the pulsations are su fli c ie n tl y frequent th r ough rapid rotation of ,
the armature shaft they produce similar enou gh e ff ects to th e

,
steady flow o f a battery current to be available for most pu r poses .
B ut the currents induced in the armature do more than pul

sate I f the ends of the armature wire are connected wi th a gal
.
FI G . 10
v a no m e te r
and the armature sl owly revolved so that the move
,
ments O f the needle can be watched the needle will be found to ,
swing first to the east then to the west then east then west again
, , , ,
chan gi ng direction wi th each half revolu tion of the armature I f .
the end o f the galvanometer needle should be equipped wi th a

pen so that i t co uld make a mar k on a paper tape moved steadily
,
beneath i t by clockw or k the tr acing that would be obtai ned by

,
this experimen t would look like Fig 1 0 . .
80
I n this illustration Fig 1 0 the s traight li n e A B is the ma r k

,
.
,
th e pen would make i f the p a p er we r e moved forward with t h e

needle at rest and pointing to zero or north The wavy line , .
C D i s the ma r k m a d e by the needle when such a current co n ,
ti n ua l l y reversing i t s di r e cti o n is sent through the apparatus , .
S uch a curren t is called an a l tern a ti n g cu rren t .
B ut i t is eviden t from what has already been said (paragr ap h

4 page 7 8 ) that such a n alternati ng current would not do to
,
en ergize the field magnet I n order to m a intain the constant

.
polari ty of the field magnet the curr ent supplying i t wi th en e rgy ,
m ust be in o n e direction like the battery current This is called

, .
a di r ect cu rr en t The al te r nat i ng current induc ed in t h e a r m a tu re

.
is therefo r e re ctified or C hanged into a direct cu r re nt by mean s

, ,
O f t h e commu ta tor ( Fig .
FI G . 11
The commutator in the bl a sting m a chine consi sts of a cyli nder

of hard fiber o r rubber covered wi th copper and mounted o n
, ,
the same shaft which drive s the armature The coppe r is cut .
lengthwise into two sections (A and B Fig These are , .
firmly attached to the su r face of the hard fiber ve r y close togeth e r ,
bu t not touching " th a t is they a re insulated from each other by

,
the fiber which carrie s them O ne end o f the armature wi r e is .
con n ected with section A the other wi th section B , .
The current i s taken o ff o f the c ommutato r fo r use by copp e r

bru shes C and D (Fig
, N ow a s the commutator revolve s
.
,
wit h the shaft while t h e b r u sh e s remain stationa r y the se ct io n

, ,
A i s in contact with br u sh C for h a lf a r evolution th e n with ,
b r u sh D for the othe r hal f T h e sa me thing happe ns t o .
se c ti o n B . Th e re fore the e ff ect o f the commutato r i s to

,
change the a l tern a ting a r matu r e c u r rent in to a di r ect cu r r en t ,
a n d the tracing which t h e r ecording galvanometer will make o n
the tape when i t r eceives the current from the dynamo equipped
,
wi th the commutator is shown in Fig 1 2 , . .
The alternating cu r rent would fir e electric blasting caps as well

as the direct current " but if i t were not conver ted into a direct
cu r rent as i t i s we would eithe r have to energiz e the field magnet
,
wi th a battery o r use a permanent magnet With the present .
arrangement we simply lead the rectified curren t fr om the arma

,
ture through t h e wire o n the field magn e t whi c h i s thus energized ,
81
Fl b . 12
by the current fro m i ts own ar mature A t t h e start th e v ery .

,
slight residual magnetism which is retai ned b y the field ma gne t

(see paragraph 3 b pa ge 7 7 ) is su fli c ie n t to set u p a feeble
-
,
curren t i n the ar m ature This in tu r n makes the field magn e t

.
stron ger and the stronger field magnet develops a stron ger cur
,
“ ”
r en t i n the armatu r e Thus the machine builds up a s i t is
.
,
called un til after a few revolu tions i t is worki ng at i ts f ull power

, .
" o u can notice this when you push down the r ack bar of a blast
in g machine The first par t of the stroke is easy bu t a f ter the
.
,
armature has m ade a few revolutions i t pus h es q ui te hard be ,
cau se the magnet has become stron g and pulls back on t he

armature tendin g to resist our e ff orts to turn it
, .
The dynamo j ust described which is used in most A merican

,
blasting machines is one of the si mplest and earliest forms of

,
dynamo Those used for generating powerful curren ts for elec

.
tric lighting and power are mor e complicated and more e fli cien t ,
electr icall y than those made on this simple design " that is if t he ,
blasting machine dynamo were constr ucted on moder n pri ncipl es

it would take less power for the same ou tpu t o f current or give
greater output wi th the same amount of power whichever way ,
one C h ooses to loo k at it B u t for the purposes to which a blast

.
,
ing m achine is put considerations of simpli ci ty ou twei g h this kind

,
o f e fli cie n cy B lasters would rather exert a li ttle more muscl e in

.
operating the blasting machine than pay for the increased cost
o f repairs to a more moder n dynamo not to mention the increased ,
i n i tial cost I ndeed i t is doubtful if a more satisfacto r y blasting

.
,
machine could be reasonably asked for than the ordi n a rv pu sh

down blasting machine j ust as i t is now made C e r ta 1 n ly no .
other piece of electr ical machine r y would stand the misuse to

which m any of these blasting m achines are subj ected i n practice ,
and still continue to do good work da y after day and year after ,
year a s many of them do in spi te of i t all

, .
Let us now dissect an ordinary bl a sting machine as a review , .
a n d see how these electrical pri nciples apply Fig 1 3 shows a . .
two post blasting m achine

-
N ote the field ma g nets 8 and 9
.
wi th their winding o f coarse wire I n the figure the armature 1 6 .
can be seen with i ts winding of finer wire .
N ote the brushes 20 bearing on the c o mmu tator j ust a s

,
al r eady descr ibed and see where the ends of the armature wire
,
are sold e red each to its respective com mu tator section On the
,
.
other side is the rack and pi nion ra tchet m ov e m ent by which the ,
downward thrust o f the rack bar I imparts rotary movement to

82
and causin g the less sensi tive ones to miss By emplo ying t h e .
shun t on the other hand no current is sent ou t from the blasti n g

, ,
machine unti l there is ample power to fire even the least sensiti ve .
Effec t iv e Use of
E l e c t r i c Bl a st i n g Appa r a t u s
A lmost an yone can use electric blastin g accessories and O bt a i n
good resul ts merel y b y followin g gener a l i nstructions H owe v e r
, .
,
the knowledge o f the principles un d erl y ing their action which w i ll ,
have been gai n ed b y read in g the prev ious C hapte r will be a grea t ,
aid in obtainin g their highest possible e ffi cienc y A gain w h e n .

,
the man wh o understan d s the pri nciples encounters di fli c u l tie s h e ,
knows how to overcome them while the ma n who d oes n o t under ,
stan d has to be helpe d out o f his troubles .
Ca r e of Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e
O ne who knows the internal construction o f the b l asti n g
machine and has learned from examination an d study what a
,
nice piece o f m echanism i t r eally is will generall y take good c a re ,
o f it K eeping i t when not in use i n a clean d r y place is t h e

.
, , ,
first thin g you ca n d o to help the blasting machine h elp y o u .
Down i n a wet tunnel or m ine is n ot a good place to store such

a n instrument and i f i t must be use d in such places as is o f ten
, ,
the case and i t cannot be taken to the surface between times

,
(which 1 s sometimes the case ) a water tigh t closet or bo x should

,
-
be buil t for it i n as good a location as can be found R emember

,
.
that the case is onl y wood and i f sat u rated wi th water may
, , ,
swell an d put the internal parts out of adj ustmen t Occasionally

— —
.
rubbin g a li ttl e oil pre ferably thick c ylinder oil into the grai n
of the wood will help i t to resist the water The best way to .
appl y the O i l is by rubbing the box wi th a greas y rag .
When you use t h e blasting m achi ne try to fin d a clean level , ,
place to stand i t on such as a dr y plank so that the bottom will

, ,
not be all wet when you pu t i t away a f ter using .
A fter the principles o f i ts operation are thoroughl y understood ,
the e fli cie n cy of the blasting machine may be kept up to the maxi

mu m by occasional inspection and ca r e o f the i nternal parts ,
although they are so constr ucted as to seldom r eq uire much care .
The first thing to be considere d in caring for the d y namo and

working parts is occasional oiling M uch j udgment should be .
used here for too much oil is worse than none at all The onl y
,
.
parts that need oil are the bearings o f the armature shaft and o f
the armature pinion: The other iron parts that can be rea c hed ,
particularl y the f aces o f the armature (n o t the wire ) should ,
be wipe d off wi th a gre a sy rag to prev ent them from rusting N o .
oi l sh ou ld be u sed on , or a ll owed me i n con ta ct wi th th e br u sh es

to co ,
a n d co mmu ta tor , n or wi th th e con ta ct spri n g a n d i ts con ta ct poi n ts .
84
For this reason the amount o f oil used in any part o f the bl a stin g
,
machine should be small " i f too much is used the oil will a f ter ,
wards fl ow over into places where i t is not wanted This is .
especially the case when the rack bar is oiled Too much oil .
here will inevi tably flow d own upon the contact spring an d
i ts contact points and cau se a poor electrical connection wi th
,
the bridge I n fact a poor electrical connection at this point is one

.
,
o f the most common causes o f the poor work an d e rratic behavior

of the blasting machine Wiping off the rack bar an d guide rod
.
wi th a greasy rag will give them all the lubrication they require .
The friction inci d ent to ord inary usage will generally be su fli

Cien t to keep the sur faces brigh t where the brushes bear upon the
co m m u tator u n less some misguided person h a s Oiled them I n
, .
th at case the oil shoul d be removed a s well as possible by thor

,
ou g h C leanin g wi th a ra g satura ted wi th gasoline I f the brushes .
se e m to be too rapidl y wearing into the commutator so that they ,
absolutel y d emand some kin d o f l ubricant use a li ttle graphi te ,
taken f rom a so f t lead pencil A f ter removing the oil b y the use o f
.
g asoli ne be sure that all the gasoline and i ts vapor are out o f the
,
bo x be fore closin g i t up " i f confined the v apor may a f terwards ,
i gni te and blow the box apart .
A ll conta ct points on the contact spring bridge an d else , ,
where may be cleaned occasionally wi th fine san d paper H ow .
ever sandpaper should be use d in or about a blasting machine

,
only wi th the greatest care Dust or fine particles f rom the .
sandpaper must n o t be allowed to get into the working parts o f

the machine a s they will cau se the se parts to wear ou t rapidly
, .
C are must also be taken especiall y when cleaning the platinum

,
c on tact poin ts not to rub too vigorously

, A gen tle rubbing is .
su fli c ie n t to remove any dirt or oxide and bri g hten the parts ,
whereas a few vigorous rubbings will grin d off the platinum

points themselves I f the platinum is ground away so that only
.
brass remains the working o f the machine will be impaired for

, ,
the brass quickly becomes oxidized by the hot flash given off when
the circui t is broken an d therea f ter fails to make a good contact
, .
M a k i n g "o i n t s
The j oi nts connecting the v arious electric blasting caps lead ,
ing wires and connectin g wires that are to comprise the ci rcui t
o f ten d o not receive as much attention as they shoul d I t is true .
that mere con tact between per fectly c lean wires is su fli c ie n t to

permi t the passage o f the current bu t i t is almost impossible to ,
ge t them perfectly clea n a n d the j o int should there

, fore be made , ,
in such a mann e r as to press toge ther a considerable amount of

the wire after i t has be en cleaned as thoroughly as possible
, .
This preliminary C leaning or scrapi ng should never be neglecte d .
There is sure to be tar or gr ease prese n t f rom the waterproo fin g

85
material used as well as oxides d irt an d some k in d of forei gn

, ,
material that has ad hered to the wi re .
There are many methods o f making j oi nts some o f them good ,
and some bad The one generally recommended is made as

.
show n in the following illust ra tion :
A nother good way i f one has plie rs to finish up t he j oint is

, ,
that shown in the lower cut This is made in the same wa y as

.
the joint in the previous figure except that the ends which are , ,
le f t lon g for that purpose are twisted together

, .
I t is much easier to connect together wires o f the same size

than wire s o f di ff erent sizes such as leadin g and electri c blasting
,
ca p wi res For this pu rpo se a joint like that shown on page 50

—
.
,
is good the spring of the thick wire keepin g up a tension on t he

small wi re and causin g i t to make a good contact I t is di fli cul t
, .
to make a nice j oint under such circumstances but it can be ,
mad e good electrically i f the wi res are first thorou ghly cleaned .
" oints in the leading wire when they m ust

, be made should be ,
made with special care Those in the connecting and electric

.
blasting cap wires as a rule have to do service only for a few

, ,
minutes or hours "bu t those in the leading wi re will be there while

the leading wire lasts and i f poorly made will give trouble long
,
a f ter their location is forgotten The above illustrations show .
how such joints should be mad e The method is j ust the same .
as that recommended for the electric blasting cap wi res except ,
that the se joints should be about 2 or 3 inches in length I t pa ys .
to have j oints in the leading wire soldered S ome o f the most .
peculiar and erratic troubles are d ue to de fective join ts in the

lead ing wire which worked satis factoril y for a number of shots
, ,
but a f terward s became bad through corrosion havi ng formed

be tween the contact surfaces The electrical condi tion o f such
.
a joint is liable to C hange on the slightest movement of the wire ,
to be good one minute an d bad the next and for that reason to ,
cause a trouble di fli c ul t to locate .
86
Of course wherever a joi n t has been made the wire will be

, ,
bare o f insulation and the question is O f ten asked whether in

, ,
such cases i t is always neces sary to use insulating tape for

,
covering the bare places Where these joints are in the leading
.
wire and especially where they are in electric blasti ng cap or

,
connecting wi re which is to be inside of the bore hole and covered

with tamping they shoul d be taped I f the joints are not to
, .
go underground it is n o t absolutely necessary to tape them "

,
it will be su ffi cient if they are elevated and kept off the ground ,
or from touching anything by placing blocks of wood under ,
the wi re near the j oint "oi nts in the leading wire can be treated
.
in this way also thus avoiding t he necessity of taping them "

,
bu t it is a nuisance to have to go all over the line blocking up

bare places be fore a blast when the whole trouble could be ,
avoided by a few turns of insulating tape I n fact a well mad e .

, ,
sol d ered a n d taped j oi nt puts the leading wire in almost as good

con d ition as when new while a few questionable joints are sure
,
at some time to be a source of annoyance delay and danger , .
I t is best not to have any more j oints in the Circui t than are
absolutely necessary "oints are especially obj ectionable when
.
they have to be lowered into the bore hole because the electric
blasti ng cap wires are too short These wires should be long .
enough to prevent the necessity o f making this kind o f j oi nts I t .
is even better to have them long enough to connect directly with

the wire o f the electric blasting cap in the adj oining bore hole ,
thus avoiding the u se of connecting wire as w ell as sav i ng ti me .
When connecting wire is req uired old el ectri c bl a sti n g ca pwi re that ,
is f ull of j oints and bruis es from ha v ing al r ea dy b een through a

blast shou ld n ot be u sed Use new connecting wire The use o f
. .
old d amaged electric blasting cap or connecting wire is the worst

,
kin d o f false economy N o experienced contractor needs to be

.
told how expensive it is to have a long period o f d elay after the

men have been ordere d away from the work while the bl aster ,
“
pokes around looking for the reason wh y the shot did n otj
, go ,
"
all men horses and machi n ery idle meanwhile

,
.
P r e pa r i n g P r i m e r s
Pre paring the primer is really one o f the most important steps
in all blasting operations A nd yet how frequently we find this .
,
work entrusted to one o f the least S killed among the workmen .
I t ough t to be d one in the safest s ui table place that can be foun d ,
and i t shoul d also be done in the manner which is calculated to

secure the best resul ts " e t both of these considerations are fr e
.
quently v iolated and the priming is done i n the thawing house or

,
magazine whe r e an accidental explosion would be certain to cause

wi d espread d isaster and is al so done in a manner j ust the oppo
,
si te to that recommended by the manu fa cture r s o f explosives and

blasti n g accessories These methods have been given in d et ai l

.
in other par ts o f this book .
I n spite o f the recommendations o f the manu facturers h ow ,
ever i t is ve ry se ldom one finds a blaster ma k ing primers in t h e

,
righ t way the reason generally given being that i t is too m u c h

,
”
trouble to hunt up str in gs and tie them O f all operations wher e .
resul ts j usti fy a little extr a tr ouble none can exceed in im po r ,
tance the m aki n g o f the pri mer for upon this d epen d s the success ,
o f the entire blast O f course i t takes a little longer to ma k e

.
,
primers in the proper wa y than i t does by the hal f hitch meth o d -

,
bu t the extr a time is well spen t and i t should be borne in m i n d ,

“
that i t is the time of on e ma n while the time spent in hunti n g ,
”
trouble is the combi n ed ti me of a ll th e men horses a nd ma chi n er y , .
There nev er yet was a cheap misfir e .
T he pri mer especia ll y mu st be well tha wed a nd i n th e best possi bl e ,
con di ti on I f the bore holes are we t i t is well to seal up the pl a c e

.
,
whe re the detonator has been in serted in the cartridge by mea n s

o f soap tar or some other waterproo fing material since i f t h e
, , ,
explosive i mmed iately surrounding the detonator is impaired i n

a n y way i t is likely to cause a failure or in ferior work o f the enti r e
,
b ias“
Fi r i n g S h o t s P r o m pt ly
O nce the loading has commence d a blast shoul d be loaded a n d ,
fired a s q uickly as possible M any things may happen to detra c t .
from the e fficiency of a charge after i t is load ed and the chan c es ,
increase wi th eve r y minute that elapses between loading a n d

fi r ing The dynami te may freeze i f the rock or gr ound is col d
.
e nough Water m a y work i ts way into the explosive charge o r i n t o

.
the electric blasting caps The insulation o n the wires may be .
a ff ected by moistu r e so that the leakage of curren t will cau se on e

,
or more charges to miss .
O pe r a t i n g t h e B l a st i n g M a c h i n e
The blasting machi ne should always be operated wi th as muc h
force as the operator can exert Try especially to finish the las t .
part o f the stroke wi th your full power for when the rack ba r ,
nears the en d o f the stroke i t will push qui te hard ten d ing t o ,
check the movemen t and yet the end o f the stroke is the most,
i mportant o f all I t takes a man with con siderable strength a n d

.
wi th some skill to get the f ull fo r ce ou t of a large blasting machi ne .
I t is of course ob v ious that n o m o re current is req uired to

, ,
fire strong electric blasting caps than weak ones Those wi th .
very long wires h owever do require more curren t for the small
, , ,
copper wire which is used has so me resistance A n electric blast .
ing cap wi th 26 foot wi r es would take abou t twice as strong a

-
current to fir e it as i t wo uld if the current could be delivered clos e

to the electric blasting cap instead of havin g to go throu g h t h e
2 6 foot wires
-
.
88
Te st i n g Bl a st i n g M a c h i n e s a n d E l e c t r i c
Bl a st i n g C a ps t o Av o i d M i sfir e
Man y care ful blaste r s have long wished for some means to
guard against m isfir e s by which the blastin g machine and the
indivi d ual electric blasting caps could be tested be fore attempt ,
in g to use them I f they coul d always be used j ust as th ey come

.
from the factory wi thout being subjected to the un favorable con

,
di ti on s they so O f ten meet with in transportation an d storage i t ,
is probable that there would be li ttle need for testin g because

ever y manu facturer carefull y tests his goods before sendin g them
ou t The Du Pont C ompan y tests i ts detonators twice E lectric
. .
blasting caps are liable to damage durin g t r ansportation an d

stora ge and particularly so if t hey a re sto red in a damp place
, .
The Du Pon t R heostat shoul d be used in testin g blastin g

machines For testin g electr ic blasting caps and the blastin g
.
circui t the Du Pon t Galvanometer is recommended

, .
A test with almost an y kin d of testin g instr umen t woul d be

s u fficient to reveal the most common d efect the presence of a ,
broken b r idge in an electric blasting cap A ll instruments .

,
however will not indicate those electric blasting caps which are
,
defective throu gh a short circui t such as those in which the

,
electric blastin g cap wires are not i nsulated from each other
within the e lectric blasting cap or have accidentall y come into
,
contact after having been manufactured I n such cases the .

,
electric blasting caps wo uld fail to fire o f course because the , ,
current would follow the sh o rt Circui t and not go through the

bridge To identify el e ctric blasting caps defective from this
.
cause i t i s necessary to have some form of inst r u ment which

,
will show fai r ly accuratel y the ele c t r ical resi stance .
When te sting electric blasting caps the y should always be ,
placed i n such a posi tion that if one o f them should happen to

explode accidentally no one will be inj ured Placing them aroun d .
the corner of a stone wall or behind a stu mp or stone is an eas y

an d safe way or i f there are but a few o f them they can be buried
, , ,
u nder a foot of d ry sand I f there are many so that the total

.
,
amount of fulmi nate is considerable the particles of san d them

,
selves would become proj ectiles capable o f inj uring anyone near by .
O f course there are occasions as for instance when there h a s

, , ,
been a m isfir e an d i t is necessary to locate the trouble when some ,
risk must be taken even to making use of the galvanometer in

,
testing electric blasting caps that are loaded i n bore holes wi th

explosive s and o f ten i n locations where the firing of the charge
,
du ri n g the test would be disastrou s to the tester B ut under .
such conditions the very remote danger o f the test replaces

,
the much g reater d anger which always exists whenever a blast

misfire s an d the blaster is hunting about for the reason .
89
Under such Circ ums ta nces there is no doubt that a great savi ng
,
in the total amount o f risk resul ts from loca t in g t h e trouble

wi th accurac y and celeri ty even though there be a remote ri sk in
,
the test i tself The curren t from a D u Pont Galvanom e ter h a s

.
never been known to explode an electr ic blastin g cap T h e Chances .
of firi n g an electr ic blasting cap while testin g a re thou sand s of

times gr eater when an ordinary se ri es mag neto telephone be ll or
other unsui tabl e instr ument is used Se veral per sons ha v e be en
.
bad ly inj ured in this way becau se they not only mad e use o f an
improper testin g i nstr ument bu t also ne glected to place t h e
,
elec tric blastin g ca p in a sa fe location I t is remarkable what .
extensi v e d ama ge the flying particles o f copper from on e of th ese

e l e ct r ic blastin g caps are capable of doi n g .
The current from a magneto bell is too weak to fire an electri c

blastin g cap by heatin g its bri d ge bu t i t is o f su fli ci e n t in tensi ty
,
to j ump across small gaps such as woul d result i f an el e c t ri c

,
bl a stin g ca p had a broken bri dge and the broken ends were v ery
,
Close to each other When the curr ent j umps across such a g ap
.
,
a spark is prod uced which is often su fli cie n t to igni te the explosi ve

mixture A nother wa y i n which an electr ic blasting ca p migh t
.
become sensi tive to the current from a magneto bell is by the for
mation o f corrosion betwee n the en d s o f a break such a s where , ,
through the entr ance of moisture the copper wire had corroded
,
O ff the brid ge at one of the soldered j oints S hould the electric .
blasting cap subsequently dry out i t may show a resistance ,
se v eral h undred times gr eater than normal and woul d be very ,
li kely to fire from the curren t from a magneto bell while there ,
would be v ery little likelihood o f i ts firing from the weak cur

ren t from a sui table testing battery like that in the Du Pon t
Galvanometer .
What lulls the suspicion of a blaster who tests wi th a magneto

( an d the m atter is mentioned here becau se there are many who
do ) is the fact that he is often able to test a great many electri c
blasting caps with i t be fore one o f them explodes i n the testi ng
process B ut some day one that is defective in the m anner above
—
.
descr ibed is encoun tered and then too freq uently i t means a , ,
maimed hand blindness or worse For this reason the use o f

, .
,
an y kind of testing current except that from a weak battery

,
used i n connection wi th a galvanometer or Wheatstone brid g e , ,
is most earnestly condemned and further the electr ic blastin g

, ,
caps should be placed in some location where they will do n o

harm if one should explode When the test of a loaded bore hole
.
m ust be made and i t is impracticable to attach the l e adin g wire s

,
and test from a safe distance the test should be undertaken wi th

,
the full recognition that it is a risk even though a remote one ,
when a suitable i ns trumen t is used an d no one but the tester h i m

,
se lf should be expo sed to the risk .
90
DO N T use frozen or chilled explosives Dy namite other tha n

’
.
,
R ed C ross o f ten , freezes at a tem pe rat ure be twee n

45 F and 5 0 F
° °
. .
DO N T use any arran gement for thawin g d y nami te other th a n

’
one o f those recommended by the D u Pon t C ompan y .
’
D O N T thaw d ynami te on h e ated stoves rocks bricks or m e ta l , , ,
’
or in an oven and don t thaw d ynami te in fron t of ne a r
, ,
or over a steam boiler or fire o f any kind .
’
D O N T take dynami te i nto or near a blacksmi th shop or near a
for ge on O pen wor k .
’
D O N T put dy nami te on shelves or anythi n g else directly o ve r
steam or hot water pipes or other heated metal surfac e
-
.
D O N T cu t or break a d ynam i te cartridge w hile it is f rozen a n d

’
,
’
don t rub a cartrid ge o f d ynamite in the hands to co m
p l e t e thawin g .
DO N T heat a thawing hou se wi th pipes contai ning steam und e r

’
pressure .
’
D O N T place a hot water thawer ov er a fire an d never pu t
-
,
dynami te into hot water or allow i t to come i n contact

wi th steam .
’
D O N T allow thawed dy nami te to remain exposed to low tem
p e r a t u re bu,t u se as soon as possible .
D O N T allow priming (the placing o f a blasting cap or electric

’
blasting cap in dynami te ) to be done in a thawi ng house .
D O N T prime a dy n amite car tridge or C harge or connect bore

’
holes for electric firin g during the immediate approach

or progr ess of a thun d erstorm .
D O N T ca rr y blasting caps or electric blasting caps in you r

’
pocket .
’
D O N T tap or otherwise investigate a blasting cap or electric
blasting cap .
D O N T attempt to take blasting caps from the box by in se rting

’
a wire nail or other sharp instrument

,
.
D O N T try to wi thdraw the wires f rom an electric blasting cap

’
.
D O N T fasten a blasting c a p to the safety f use wi th the teeth o r

’
by flattening i t with a k n ife " use a cap cr imper .
D O N T keep electric blasting caps blasting machines o r bl a stin g

’
c a ps i n a damp place .
D O N T attempt to u se electric blasti ng c a ps with t h e regular

’
insulation in very wet work For thi s purpose secure .
Du Pont Waterproo f or G utta percha C overed E lectr i c -
B lastin g C aps .
DON ’
T worry along wi th old broken leading wi r e or connecting
,
wire A new supply won t cost much and will pay for
’
.
i tself many times over .
’
DON T handle safety f use carelessly in cold weather for when ,
cold i t is sti ff and breaks easily .
DON T
’
store or transport blasti ng caps or electric blasting caps
with high explosives .
DON T
’
store sa fety f use in a hot place as this may d ry i t o u t ,
so that uncoiling will break i t .
’
DON T lace sa fety f use through d ynamite cartridges This .
practice is freque n tly responsible for the burning o f the

char ge .
DON T ’
operate blastin g machines half heartedly They are buil t - .
to be operated with f ull force They must be kept clean .
and dry .
’
DO N T cut the safety f use short to save time I t is a da n gerous .
econom y .
’
DO N T expect a cheap article to give as goo d resul ts as a high
grad e one .
’
DO N T expect explosives to do good wo r k i f y o u try to explode
them wi th a detonator weaker than a N o 6 (red label ) . .
’
DO N T leave detonators exposed to the direct rays o f the sun .
’
DON T leave detonators where the rays o f the sun will strike
them a f ter passi ng through gl a ss .
have matches abou t you while han dling explosi v es

’
DON T .
’
DON T store explosives so that the cartridges stan d on en d .
DON ’
T open cases o f explosives in a magazine .
’
DON T open cases o f explosives with a nail puller pick or chisel , .
’
DO N T prime both ends o f a cartri d ge o f explosive when making
primers o f hal f cartridges wi th a blasti ng cap or electric
,
blasting cap be fore cu tting i t in two C u t the cartridge

,
.
in hal f an d prime each piece separately .
DON T '
use a needle o f iron or steel when firing by m e ans o f
miners squibs Use one o f copper or brass
’
. .
D ON T ’
keep blasting caps or electric blasting caps in the same
box or container wi th other explosives in the field Keep .
them separate .
'
DON T use electr ic blasting caps o f di ff erent manufacture in the
same blast .
93
I N DE X
’
Advantages of S trong Detona tors
B ags Tampi n g
,
dFrise
.
B lasting by C ap a n ”
B lasti ng by E lectricity ”
B lasti ng C aps
—
B lasti ng C aps E lectric .
B lasti n g M achines
B lastin g M achine Parts .
B lasting M ats .
B urni ng S peed o f Fu se .
C ap C rimpers .
C ap Sealing C ompound
C apacities of B la sting M achine s .
C are o f B lasting M achi n e s .
C o r deau .
C o rdeau A ccessories .
C onnecting Wi re
Delay E lectric B lasting C aps .
Delay E lect ric I gni ters
E lectric B lasting C aps

E lect r ic S quibs .
E ff ective Use of B lasting A pparatus .
E lementa r y P r i nciples o f E lectric B lasting .
E quipment R equi red for E lectrical B lasting .
Fuse .
—
Fu se S to r age and H andling
—
I gni ters Delay E lectric
Lead i n g Wire
Leading Wire R eels
Locating a B r eak .
94
—
I N DE X C o n t in u ed
Making Wi re C onnections .
Method of O perating Galvanom e ter

O perating the B lasting M achin e
O pe r ating G alvanom e ter .
Package s of E lect r ic B lasting C aps .
Packages o f B lasting C aps

Packages of Fuse .
Parallel C ircuits .
Parallel S erie s C i r cui t .
Pa r ts of B lasting M achine s .
Photographic S quibs .
Pocket B la sting M achine s .
Precauti o ns .
Priming C a r tridge s
R eel s , Leading Wire .
R e si stanceTables .
R e sistance o f B la sting C i r c u it .
R heostat s .
R heostat
S afety Fuse .
S afety Firing Swi tch

S pecial Leading Wire fo r ine rs M
.
—
S quibs E lectric
—
”
S quibs P hoto gra phic

S ubma r ine E lectric B lasting C aps .
S torage H a n dli n g of Fu se
Tamping B ags .
Testing B lasting Ma chi n e s

Thawi n g K ettles .
Thawing H ouse s Plans for ,
Waterp r oof E lectric B lasting C aps

Wiring for E lectric B lasts .
Wire C onnections .
—
Wi re C onnecting .
—
Wi re Leading
95
S AFE T " FI RS T R UL ES
Fo r H an d l i n g , S to r i n g , De
l i ve r i n g an d S h i ppi n g
E X P L O S I VE S
H E Du Pon t C om pa n y will fu r n i sh ,
u po n r e q u e st,a se t o f r u l e s pr i n t e d
on cl ot h fo r po st i n g i n m a ga z in e s .
P ro v i si on i s m a de fo r t h e sign a t u r e o f t h e
o ffic i a l i n C h a r ge of t h e m i n e o r ot h e r
wo r k r e q u i r i n g expl o si v e s .

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B L AS T I N G AC C E SS O R I E S

BLAST I NG C A PS SA FE T " F USE C AP C RI M P ERS

ELEC T RI C B LAST I NG C A PS D ELA " ELE C T RI C

K ETT LES B LAST I N G M A TS

TAM P I N G B AGS ETC , .

M AN U FAC TUR E D B"

X PL OS I V E S d e ma n d ﬁrst con sid era

e spe c ai ll y d esigned for th e pu r pose I n a dd i tion t o .

a l t h ou gh t h e y ma y n ot be a bso l u te l y re q uisi te con t rib ,

T h e i m port a n ce of u s n g i B l a sti n g A ccessorie s t h a t

t ri ﬂ e i n com pa ri son wi t h t h e ch a rge of ex pl os v e si wi t h

T h e Du Pon t C ompa n y h a s l ea rn ed by more t h a n a

De ﬂ a gr a t i n g E xpl osi ve s — This class of explosives includes

This class o f explosives may also be ﬁred by means o f any of the

gra ting explosive is blasting powder

De t on a t i n g E xpl osi ve s This class o f explosives includes all

the dynami tes nitroglycerin ammonia gelatin and A rctic and

"ud s on powders They

De ﬂ a gr a t i n g explosive s when loaded in large quanti ties are

f requently ﬁred or exploded by cha r ges of high ex plosives .

the initial shock the more effective is t h e detonation of the charge .

o f the explosive charge i t must be detonated completely I f th e

detonation is incomplete a greater quanti ty o f explosive is

required to do the work and large volumes o f poi sonous gases

may be evol v ed a matter of serious consequence when the work

killed by gase s given off from partially detonated or burni n g

C omplete d etonation resul ts in a minimum o f ﬂame a poi n t ,

of ﬁrst importa nce wi th those explosi v es intended for use in the

or other d etonators too weak to detonate completely a cha rge o f

The e ffect o f a d etonator on a charge o f high explosives i n

I t is t here fore easy to understand the necessi ty for using detona

tors strong eno ugh to ensure the e ﬂ e c t o f the detonator bei ng

this wo u ld be considered correct had not numerou s tests shown

rea so n i t is advisable to hav e deton a tors po inted toward the

large charge acts also a s a safegua rd against the danger o f an

farther apa r t in deep h o les than from tw en t y to tw enty ﬁv e

feet a n d fo r the lower strengths of insensitive explosives i t is

A point to be remembe red in buying detonators is that the

o f sa fety i n strength should be allowed B lasting caps being .

open at one end are more quickly weakened by dampness tha n

are electric blasting caps .

A nother strong argument for allowing a fair margin o f sa fety

one in order to save a few cen ts on the price of a hundred d etona

to r s would risk the misﬁre partial detonation or imper fect

work of the charge of explosives i n a bore hole which would ,

resul t at best in the loss of several d olla rs and ma y cost thousands

The extended stu dy and tests o f explosives conducted d uring

The Du Pont N o 6 B lastin g C ap and Du Pont N o 6 E lectric

B lasting cap recommended throughout this ca t alogue for

detonating high explosives comply with the speciﬁcations for

strong detonators The N o 8 E lectric B lasti ng C ap and the N o

8 B lasting C ap have nearly double the strength of the N o 6 . .

S trong electric bl a sting caps and blasti ng caps should be used

They inc rease the execution of the explosive .

They tend to counterbalance careless and improper usage .

The y o ffset to some extent deterioration of explosives and

detonators d ue to imprope r storage .