WILLISTON, North Dakota – Chukkee Fendershot, an experienced drilling supervisor in southern Saskatchewan and North Dakota, has recently unveiled his new 8 Gauge drill bit technology. The new bit uses a combination of conventional jets, cones, PDC cutters, and 8 gauge shotgun shells to create what Chukkee calls ‘the King Shit” of drill bit technology.
Fendershot. Happy as always
“I get awful damn tired of bits plugging up, jets getting jammed up, cones falling off, and cutters wearing out. While the best part of my new 8-Gauge bit is the pyrotechnics, we changed a lot of everything. The cones now spin on damascus steel housed bearings, the cutters are made by hand in a small fab shop in Oxbow, Saskatchewan, by a guy who really knows his welding and stuff, and the jets are right out of a Cummins. Nothing stops a Cummins!” – Chukkee Fendershot, inventor
The new 8 gauge bits use a unique bit of technology unseen before in drill bit design. In between each of the 3 jets is an 8 gauge shot shell loaded with #4 steel shot. These shells can be triggered remotely from surface to detonate and clear any obstructions form the bit, or simply blast away a little more rock to help ROP. Of course a complete bit trip is needed to reload the bit, which was not an uncommon occurrence during testing in North Dakota.
Darby Shuttlebick, drilling rig manager
“We had to try’em! We just had to! When the hell else are we going to get to shoot holes in, well, holes! We were drilling our usual program but since we can trip so fast with these new TopShove doubles, we figured what the hell and shot each bit a few times a day. It seems to work pretty good, but we didn’t really use them for much other than good times.” – Darby Shuttlebick, Entterra Drilling Rig Manager
A Canadian pilot program is being launched for the new bits in North Eastern British Columbia, possibly in Q1 2016. Cost per bit is going to start at $80,000 with volume purchase discounts for priority operators.
During the testing and pilot phase, the bits will be sold at a 50% discount to cover the cost of Pabst Blue Ribbon and ribs for Chukkee and his coworkers in Williston. The new bits will eventually have adapters for different calibers and gauges of pyrotechnics, as well as options for 5 and 6 blade hybrids with as many as dozen micro-cones.
Rumours from inside 8 Gauge Inc. are also hinting that the bits can be used for hunting in some States and provinces.
