Shoutout to the old timers who taught me about cutterhead pressure

I keep seeing guys on newer rigs force the ladder down hard when the material gets tough, that just chews up your teeth and stalls the pump every time. My mentor Frank showed me 15 years ago on a job down in Pascagoula that backing off 10 PSI and letting the cutter spin free does way more work than brute force. Anyone else notice rookies not reading the mud right anymore?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_jones16d ago

Amen to that. Frank sounds like a REAL pro, knowing when to back off instead of just muscling through. I watched too many guys burn through teeth and strain pumps because they think more pressure always equals more production. The best mentors teach you the feel of the mud, not just how to push a button.

angela_harris16d ago

Less is more when you're reading the ground right.

knight.dylan16d ago

Exactly this. The guys who learn to read the ground right can run a lighter string and still pull more core than some clown running full weight. I've seen it a hundred times - someone jumps on the controls like they're trying to punch through concrete, but the bit's just chattering and chewing up the formation. Meanwhile a guy who's been doing it ten years barely touches the brake and walks right through it. The feel in the rods tells you more than any gauge.