The SierraBlaster rock fracturing technology is a safe, compact, fast, economical, and innovative solution for your rock and masonry fracturing needs. With the SierraBlaster System you can reduce large boulders, rock formations and masonry to sizes that are more manageable to move and/or transport, wether you have heavy equipment on site or not. The SierraBlaster can be used for construction, mining, trail and road building, rock quarries, and road maintenance. Imagine not having to call for expensive oversized heavy equipment to aid in removing a giant boulder that has found its way onto a road or railroad. You could fracture the boulder to smaller pieces that are movable by standard equipment or even personnel.
Safety:
The SierraBlaster is safe to use next to, inside, or under structures (as long as properly ventilated). If Flyrock must be kept at an absolute minimum then a carpet remnant may be placed over the blasting area. See the section “Technical Overview” below for additional information about why the SierraBlaster is safe.
Compactness:
The SierraBlaster is quite compact compared to its great power and conveniently fits into a duffle bag and can be stored behind the back seat or in the toolbox of your work truck, a tractor mounted hydraulic hammer cannot. Gone are the days of needing to have a backhoe and a hoe-ram on site or spending the time switching between the bucket and ram attachments. Also gone are the increased maintenance costs required by the extended use of your hydraulic hammer attachment. (Using your hydraulic hammer in conjunction with the SierraBlaster may be helpful in certain situations as well, don’t sell it yet)
Fast:
The SierraBlaster is a fast way to demolish rock and masonry. Setup time can be as little as five minutes then successive blasts can be as little as three minutes. The longest step is drilling the borehole, however, drilling a 10mm borehole is done quite quickly. Materials like concrete, andesite, or certain granites drill very quickly. You can generally reach 12” in 20-30 seconds. Some harder materials like quarts may take as long as a few minutes and of course depth is a factor. The SierraBlaster is also fast for larger more involved blasts. I did several 8 head blasts all with 24” deep boreholes on some large pieces of Lahar; the complete time between blasts was 20 minutes with only one person.
Economical:
Systems start at $670 and cartridges are around a dollar keeping both the initial investment and reoccurring expenses (cartridges) low. We also sell our quality SDS bits at very reasonable prices. The SierraBlaster is a great way to save time and money. For example: You are trenching for electrical, water, sewer, etc. and you come across a large bolder. Simply fracture the boulder and toss it out of the trench by hand or with your backhoe. No need to dig the entire boulder out and arrange for transport off site.
Innovative:
Rock and masonry have a high compressive strength which is why they make great foundations for heavy loads. However they have a low tensile strength. The innovative SierraBlaster takes advantage of the low tensile strength of rock and masonry and fractures by placing the force/power on the inside of the material. Hydraulic hammers and other mechanical means of demolishing are fighting against the high compressive properties of the material leading to slow demolition with high maintenance and equipment ware.
The SierraBlaster System is also much quieter than most people expect. Noise creation is much less than a large rotohammer or any hoe-ram making your residential or commercial neighbors much happier during your demolition. In most cases the SDS drilling is the loudest part. If you blast wet (water in the borehole) the fracturing can be quieter than a clap of the hands.
Speaking of water: Since the SierraBlaster Cartridges are extremely water resistant they work in damp or completely submerged environments. This also allows for drilling a borehole much deeper than the Blast Rod and Cartridge length. When you fill the borehole with water you are taking advantage of the incompressible properties of water allowing for a larger splitting plane across the entire length of the borehole wether it be 18” or 40”. Its almost like free power. Adding water will also fill any voids that may be present making materials that may not otherwise be blast-able, blast-able.
Technical Overview
The SierraBlaster uses a propellent based rock fracturing cartridge with a completely inert ignition system. The inert igniter is electrically initiated creating a very powerful ionization effect that initiates the propellent. This ignition system is much safer than other pyrogen or percussion (primer) based initiation systems aiding in the superior safety of the SierraBlaster. Another safety feature is the method in which the powerful propellent utilized in both the 375 Magnum Cartridge and the 375 Magnum Booster Charge takes advantage of a synergistic loop and is thus basically self regulating. The synergistic loop is as follows: 1. The propellent burns creating pressure. 2. The pressure allows the propellent to burn faster creating more pressure. 3. The additional pressure generated allows the propellent to burn even faster and so on. Once the containing vessel ruptures the loop is instantly ended so generally no excessive pressure is generated. In other words the pressure the propellent generates is limited by the containment ability of the containing vessel (cartridge tube or rock or concrete). This is how the cartridge can be used on such a wide range of material such that the cartridge can fracture car sized boulders and then much smaller rocks without sending flyrock everywhere. The harder the material the better it breaks.
This synergistic loop is essential for the self regulation of power and is responsible for a large part of the safety of the SierraBlaster System. However, this loop has its disadvantages. Material that is too soft and/or has many fractures will not allow the cartridge to generate enough pressure to fracture the material. Conveniently material that is this soft or fractured is usually easily broken up by a large sledge hammer or a rotohammer with a chisel tip. If attempting to break soft or fractured rock it is important to add water to the borehole to fill any voids that may be present. If the borehole holds water then your blast will most likely be successful, if it does not then the pressure will most likely be insufficient to fracture the material.
Single Head Blasting System
The Single Head Blasting System is the entry level System. It has plenty of power and can break small and large boulders However, do Keep in mind that you can not direct the crack with a Single Head System. You can always purchase this system to see if it fulfills your needs then purchase more Blast Heads later.
Choose your Blast Head types below. Lightweight Aluminum Heads and Heavy Duty Stainless Heads are the same price. Stainless Steel Piggyback Heads have an additional cost. Price: $670.00–$730.00
Two Head Blasting System
The Two Head Blasting System is the smallest system you can direct a crack with. You can direct the crack by placing the two heads in a row.
Choose your Blast Head types below. Lightweight Aluminum Heads and Heavy Duty Stainless Heads are the same price. Stainless Steel Piggyback Heads have an additional cost. Price: $920.00–$1,040.00
Three Head Blasting System
The Three Head Blasting System is a great all around system. You can direct the crack by placing the three heads in a row or you can make a triangle pattern to crack the material into multiple pieces. Of course you don’t have to use three heads every time you blast but you have the three if the job warrants.
Choose your Blast Head types below. Lightweight Aluminum Heads and Heavy Duty Stainless Heads are the same price. Stainless Steel Piggyback Heads have an additional cost. Price: $1,170.00–$1,350.00
Four Head Blasting System
The Four Head Blasting System is a great system for small or large jobs. You can direct the crack by placing two to four heads in a row or you can make a triangle or square pattern to crack the material into multiple pieces. Of course you don't have to use all four heads every time you blast but you have them if the job warrants.
Choose your Blast Head types below. Lightweight Aluminum Heads and Heavy Duty Stainless Heads are the same price. Stainless Steel Piggyback Heads have an additional cost. Price: $1,420.00–$1,660.00
Blast Head
This is the same blast head unit that comes with the SierraBlaster Blasting System.
The Blast Head is reusable and helps contain the explosion inside the material to be blasted so that the power is used to split the material instead of escaping out the borehole. Without the Blast Head the powerful 375 Magnum Cartridge will not develop its power thus you have an important symbiotic relationship between the Blast Head and the 375 Magnum Cartridge.
Remember if purchasing additional blast heads for your system you must also purchase a Blast Cord for each Blast Head. Also keep in mind if purchasing more than one Head the price is reduced by $45.00 per Head! Price: $295.00–$355.00
Piggyback Weight
For more performance when blasting horizontal or inverted purchase a PiggyBack Weight.
The Piggyback Weight almost doubles the mass of the blast head. The stainless steel Blast Head is heavy enough to use in any position, however, adding the Piggyback Weight increases performance and is especially helpful for those who will be blasting in the horizontal and inverted positions due to the difficulty in adding a rock or weight when blasting horizontally or inverted. The Piggyback Weight comes with the necessary hardware to attach it to your stainless steel Blast Head. Price: $59.95
SierraTuff 5mm x 110mm
(4″ Anchor Drill)
This is the same 5mm anchor drill that comes with the SierraBlaster Blasting System.
The SierraTuff 5mmx110mm drill is used for drilling the hole that the Stainless Steel Anchor will attach to via the 1/4″ masonry screw. Price: 2.95
SierraTuff 10mm x 210mm
(8″ Borehole Drill)
The SierraTuff 10mmx210mm (8″) drill is great for starting holes.
The SierraTuff series are good quality and make great all-around multipurpose bits. You can use them to drill in any material including soft materials such as concrete and hard materials like solid quartz. Another great aspect is that in our tests usually 95% of the rock dust was removed during the drilling process thanks to the superior flute design; This means less time pumping rock dust if you are going to blast dry. The SierraTuff bits work in any SDS and SDS+ drill, you can also use an SDS Max with an adapter however this is a slower system due to the lower BPM produced by the SDS Max. Price: $3.75
SierraTuff 10mm x 310mm
(12″ Borehole Drill)
The SierraTuff 10mmx310mm (12″) drill is the perfect length for blasting with only a Cartridge. However, a 12″ hole will facilitate one Cartridge and one Booster.
The SierraTuff series are good quality and make great all-around multipurpose bits. You can use them to drill in any material including soft materials such as concrete and hard materials like solid quartz. Another great aspect is that in our tests usually 95% of the rock dust was removed during the drilling process thanks to the superior flute design; This means less time pumping rock dust if you are going to blast dry. The SierraTuff bits work in any SDS and SDS+ drill, you can also use an SDS Max with an adapter however this is a slower system due to the lower BPM produced by the SDS Max. Price: $5.00
SierraTuff 10mm x 410mm
(16″ Borehole Drill)
The SierraTuff 10mmx410mm (16″) drill is the perfect length for blasting with a Cartridge and two boosters. You can also blast with just the Cartridge and fill the remaining space with water for an increased splitting plane.
The SierraTuff series are good quality and make great all-around multipurpose bits. You can use them to drill in any material including soft materials such as concrete and hard materials like solid quartz. Another great aspect is that in our tests usually 95% of the rock dust was removed during the drilling process thanks to the superior flute design; This means less time pumping rock dust if you are going to blast dry. The SierraTuff bits work in any SDS and SDS+ drill, you can also use an SDS Max with an adapter however this is a slower system due to the lower BPM produced by the SDS Max. Price: $7.50
SierraTuff 10mm x 600mm
(24″ Borehole Drill)
The SierraTuff 10mmx600mm (24″) drill is a must for blasting wet (with water in the borehole). A 24″ deep borehole can facilitate the use of just a Cartridge or a Cartridge and one Booster or a Cartridge and two Boosters. Whenever possible drill a 24″ deep borehole add water and get an extend splitting plane using the incompressible properties of water. This is as close to free power as you are going to get. Note: This bit can only be used when blasting wet (with water in the borehole). Do not drill a 24″ deep hole and fill it full of Boosters, one Cartridge and two boosters maximum per borehole.
The SierraTuff series are good quality and make great all-around multipurpose bits. You can use them to drill in any material including soft materials such as concrete and hard materials like solid quartz. Another great aspect is that in our tests usually 95% of the rock dust was removed during the drilling process thanks to the superior flute design; This means less time pumping rock dust if you are going to blast dry. The SierraTuff bits work in any SDS and SDS+ drill, you can also use an SDS Max with an adapter however this is a slower system due to the lower BPM produced by the SDS Max. Price: $15.95
Cheetah 10mm x 350mm
(14″ Borehole Drill)
The Cheetah 10mmx350mm (14″) bit is an exceptionally fast bit and is long enough to facilitate blasting with one Cartridge and two boosters.
The Cheetah Series bits are our fastest bits they perform exceptionally well in concrete so we highly recommend these bits for our construction customers. When time is important use a Cheetah; during our tests the Cheetah bit was around 50% faster than other bits we tested. Cheetah bits The Cheetah bits work in any SDS and SDS+ drill, you can also use an SDS Max with an adapter however this is a slower system due to the lower BPM produced by the SDS Max. Note: Due to the characteristics of the Cheetah that allow it to drill exceptionally fast it has limitations and should not be used on very hard materials such as quartz. Price: $9.00
Blast Cable 100′
This is essentially the same as the high quality SJEOW 40′ Blast Cable that comes with the SierraBlaster System except that it is 100′ long. This cable can be daisy chained together with other 100′ Cables or with 40′ Cables to extend your distance from the blast. This is helpful if blasting in tunnels or mines where there may be structural concerns. Price: $119
Blast Cable 40′
This is the Same 40′ Blast Cable provided with the SierraBlaster System. These quality SJEOW jacketed cables can be daisy chained together to get you farther from the blast area. Also check out the 100′ Blast Cable. Price: $79
Standard Blast Cord 10′
The standard blast cord goes from the distributor to the head. Even though we use high quality components for this stout cord; it is the most likely part of the SierraBlaster Blasting System to become damaged during blasting. Make sure to rout this cord away from the potential path of blasted material and of course pack a few extra so you can keep on blasting in the event the cord becomes damaged. Price: $27.95
Trigger
This is the same trigger provided with the SierraBlaster System. This trigger plugs into any 110v power source and can be used to fire up to TEN Blast Heads at the same time (provided you have enough watts). Price: $95
Distributor
This is the same distributor provided with the SierraBlaster System. See below for additional details.
The Distributor connects to the end of the Blast Cable and distributes electricity to the Blast Cords via two ports that are compatible with the Blast Cord plugs. Blast Cords can be piggybacked onto each other for a total of 10 Blast Cords leading to a maximum of 10 blast heads. Price: $49
Tether 4′
This is the same tether that comes with your SierraBlaster System. The tether is important for safely securing the Blast Heads and a must for inverted blasts. For inverted blasts the elastic tether can be adjusted to place cross tension on the Blast Head creating more friction between the borehole and the Blast Rod thus holding the Blast Head in the borehole even when inverted. This is another component that may become damaged while blasting so it is a good idea to have a few extra. Price: $9.95
Stainless Anchor
The Stainless Anchor is an important part of they safety tethering system. They are also very handy for making “ledges” on rock faces where there are none. One or several Anchors can be placed so that the blast cord can be routed across a smooth rock face clear of the material that may fall during blasting. Price: $7.95
Masonry Screws 20 Pack
These are the same Tapcon masonry screws that come with the SierraBlaster System. These can usually be purchased at your local hardware store but we offer them anyway.
This is a bag of 20 and comes in a high quality resealable plastic bag made of thick 4mil plastic. Price: $5.95
Double Acting Air Pump
This is the same double acting air pump that comes with the SierraBlaster System. This pump is great for removing dust from the borehole. Removing dust is an absolute must for blasting dry. Price: $4.95
6 in 1 Tool
This is the same 6-in-1 tool that comes with your SierraBlaster System. This tool is useful for cleaning the Blasting Rod groove and for attaching the Stainless Steel Anchor with a masonry screw. Price: $5.95
Duffle Bag
This is the same duffle bag that comes with the SierraBlaster System. It has one main area with two auxiliary pouches and a mesh pouch. The bag also has special holders that four Blast Heads fit snugly into. Currently there are two colors: Dark Green and Light Green (Only Light Green is in stock). Price: $69
100′ 12/3 Arctic/Tropic
Features:
100′ in Length.
Three 12 Gauge Conductors
SJEOW – Means This is Not a Low Quality Vinyl Cord.
LED Lighted End
Is super flexible even at extreme temperatures. MADE IN THE USA! Price: $87.95
50′ 12/3 Arctic/Tropic Extension Cord
50′ in Length.
Three 12 Gauge Conductors
SJEOW – Means This is Not a Low Quality Vinyl Cord.
LED Lighted End
Is super flexible even at extreme temperatures. MADE IN THE USA! Price: $44.95
GFCI Power Block
This unit turns any standard 120v receptacle into a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). This is the same style of outlet that is found in your kitchen or bathroom. It helps alleviate some of the issues with electricity and damp locations by sensing if there is any current leaking to the ground (possibly through you) and shutting off the current flow. You do not need to plug the Blasting System into one of these but it is advisable to use one when drilling in damp locations. This unit has an output of three receptacles. Price: $29.95
375 Magnum Booster Charges
After you have created an account and successfully completed the cartridge certification process the option to purchase boosters will become available.
375 Magnum Cartridges
After you create an account and successfully complete the cartridge certification process the option to purchase Cartridges will become available.
3 Way Adapter
This is a simple 3 way power adapter turning one outlet into three. Price: $4.95
