EXHIBIT 3.4


                       CERTIFICATE AMENDING THE RESTATED
                         CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
                                 BY ACTION OF
                      BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS
                              (Stock Corporation)

  1. The name of the corporation is Bolt Technology Corporation.

  2. The Restated Certificate of Incorporation is amended by the following
resolution of directors and shareholders. 


     RESOLVED, that the Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the corporation
     be, and it hereby is, amended by adding paragraph 9 to read in its entirety
     as follows:

     9. A director of the corporation shall under no circumstances have any
     personal liability to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary
     damages for breach of duty as a director for an amount in excess of the
     compensation received by the director for serving the corporation during
     the year of the violation except for those specific breaches as to which
     Section 33-290 of the Connecticut General Statutes prohibits limiting such
     personal liability. This provision shall not be effective prior to its
     adoption by the directors and shareholders of the corporation.

  3. (a) The above resolution changes the provisions of the Restated Certificate
of Incorporation by limiting a director's personal liability for monetary
damages for breach of duty to an amount that does not exceed the compensation
received by the director for serving the corporation during the year of the
violation, subject to certain statutory exceptions.

     (b) Other than as indicated in paragraph 3(a), there is no discrepancy
between the provisions of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation as
supplemented and amended to date, and the provisions of this Certificate
Amending the Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

  4. The above resolution was adopted by the board of directors on October 18,
1989 and by shareholders on November 21, 1989.

  5. The corporation has at least one hundred recordholders.

  6. The holders of shares of common stock outstanding on

 
October 13, 1989 were entitled to vote upon the above resolution since there was
no other class of stock then outstanding:

Designation of Class,                                                     
Number of Shares Outstanding        Vote Required           Vote Favoring   
and Entitled to Vote                For Adoption              Adoption    
- ----------------------------        -------------           ------------- 
4,695,310 Shares of                  2,347,656               3,504,228
  Common Stock


     Dated at Norwalk, Connecticut this 9th day of August, 1996. 

     We hereby declare, under penalties of false statement that the statements
made in the foregoing certificate are true.



                                                  /s/ Raymond M. Soto
                                                      --------------------------
                                                      Raymond M. Soto, President


                                                  /s/ Alan Levy     
                                                      --------------------------
                                                      Alan Levy, Secretary

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