New Innovations and Bit Maintenance

Let’s reflect on Groundwater Week 2024 and service our hammers and bits.

By LaTisha Shipman

The National Ground Water Association’s Groundwater Week 2024 in Las Vegas was great once again! It’s always enjoyable to meet up with vendors and customers, to make new acquaintances, and forge new partnerships.

It’s also exciting to see new equipment and tooling, and I’m interested in some new innovations with hammers and bits that were on display.

Mitsubishi has rolled out its new carbide design with great results, and I’m personally excited to get this out into the field. I know some of my customers will greatly benefit from using this carbide.

I’m also eager to try Halco’s new H Series hammer, which is easily converted into four different hammer types with just one base hammer. The variations cover low volume, high power, foot valved and tubeless depending upon your preference and job requirements, or compressor strength.

While it sometimes seems that the wheels of progress move slowly in the hammer and bit business, those were two exhibits that I took in at the show that in my personal opinion are the most innovative DTH products I have seen recently.

Another event I was honored to participate in was the roundtable session “Advancing Women in the Groundwater Industry.” Thank you to NGWA’s Sue Tenney for taking the lead on organizing this unique event.

And thank you to all the ladies who took time from busy Las Vegas schedules to participate, share your thoughts and ideas, lift each other up, and encourage each other. I was truly energized from this event and know we will see great things from this meeting.

I would also like to plug here that if you are a woman in this industry and struggling to make connections, please reach out to me. My contact information is located at the end of this column. I would love to hear from you, connect with you, and help put you in contact with other women in this industry who are in your area.

I encourage all women reading this to get involved with your local state groundwater associations. My female counterparts in this industry span over many different positions. Some are vendors, some are customers, and some are in outlying industries that support ours like insurance representatives and financial advisors. Others yet are in sales and some are accountants, receptionists, scientists, hydrologists, geologists, and some are even drillers!

Some of you are wives who wear so many different hats. The wives of drillers or owners are often the backbone of a drilling company, making sure lunches are packed and everyone knows the schedule for the day, while also fielding customer calls and communicating to your team in the field, scheduling, bookkeeping, invoicing, and ordering parts. You gals carry this industry; know that we see you and we appreciate you.

I had the privilege of spending time in Las Vegas with Margaret Schrock, the wife of Freeman Schrock of Schrock Well Service LLC in Thomas, Oklahoma. As a driller’s/ owner’s wife, one of the things she shared with me was the difficulty of running a family-owned and family-operated business. She also pointed out knowing what not to say during the day is as helpful as knowing what to say.

As the matriarch of her family, she knows and understands everyone’s personality and knows what information can wait for later and what can’t—that’s the best kind of filter there is. She is the confidante of her family crew. Not that Margaret expressed this to me, but I also know firsthand that while working with family is extremely rewarding, it is not without its difficulties. Just remember, at the end of the day, family ties are much more important than coworker ties!

Time for Service

Finally, I want to tackle hammer and bit maintenance. These cold winter months are a good opportunity to take advantage of any downtime you might have by working in the shop rather than in the field.

I know you guys are drilling even in the harshest of weather conditions, but if this time of the year you are running slower, it’s a great time to service your hammers and bits so that you’re ready to hit the ground running when it thaws out.

Here are some suggestions to keep your hammer and bits in tip-top shape:

Hammer Maintenance

• Replace all O-rings.
• Replace check valve spring.
• Replace make-up rings, or any other neoprene/rubber materials in the hammer. These break down over time and need to be replaced to maintain the proper standoff of internal parts.
• Tear down the hammer and inspect parts for wear, measure parts for discard limits, specifically the piston OD (outside diameter) and cylinder ID (inside diameter) as well as the piston case ID/OD. Check with your distributor for a list of wear limits from the hammer manufacturer or refer to your hammer manual.
• Check driver sub splines. If the steel is rolling over or if the splines are starting to wear, especially if wearing unevenly, it’s time for a new chuck.
• Check the top sub for corrosion and thread damage. If damaged, replace the top sub. Reapply thread compound liberally.
• Check the air distributor for any cracks and replace if necessary.
• Inspect the piston anvil end for debris and cracking. You can resurface the striking face if needed.
• If you have a hammer that has a reversible wear sleeve, go ahead and flip it to get the extra life out of the piston case.
• Wipe all parts clean, lightly oil parts with rock drill oil, and reassemble the hammer.

Bit Maintenance

• Inspect carbide buttons on your bits for wear, cracking, sloughing, and breakages. Regrind buttons when the wear covers approximately one-third of the carbide surface to extend bit life.
• Check for steel wash on the bit face as the steel might wear away faster than the carbide.
• Make sure exhaust holes are clear of debris. Grind or reshape if they are deformed.
• Inspect blow tubes for cracks or breakages. Make sure the tube is not spinning. If so, it might need to be replaced. Make sure the blow tube is properly seated and has the correct protrusion.
• Inspect the anvil end of your bits for corrosion or pitting. If you see problems in this area, you need to also check the piston striking face.
• Inspect the bit shoulder for air pitting and cracking. Resurface as necessary, but if the pitting is severe, it’s time to retire the bit before failure.
• Inspect flushing grooves for deformity and reshape as necessary.

Remember that taking the time to maintain your tooling will result in longer hammer and bit life, and that will save you money in the long run.

LaTisha Shipman is the Texas branch manager for Drilling Equipment Resources. She has more than 20 years of experience in the drilling industry, with most of that time spent working in manufacturing with DTH hammers and bits. She can be reached at latisha@drillingequipmentresources.com.