Method of manipulating tapping rods for blast furnace tapholes is claimed, in which the tapping rod is driven into the incompletely hardened tamped mass in the taphole at the end of a tap, by means of a work tool which is moved on a taphole drill frame by a pneumatic motor, the tapping rod being retracted from the tamped mass by the work tool to effect the next tap. The work tool starts its displacement from its extreme retracted position on the drill frame and advances to an extreme advanced position while holding the tapping rod. At the moment of extracting the tapping rod from the tamped mass, the work tool is stopped automatically at a predetermined intermediate position between the extreme positions, before it has reached its extreme retracted position. After reaching this intermediate position, the drill frame as well as the work tool and the tapping rod are moved to the side of their working position in front of the taphole.32mm,35mm,38mm blast furnace drill rod and bit.
