Brandt Well and Pump

Brandt Well and Pump Since 1979, Brandt Well and Pump has been performing pump repair and replacement, and drilling water Out of water? Franklin Electric Key Dealer

We offer free estimates, pump repair and replacement to both residential and commercial customers, domestic and irrigation wells.

PART 1:How does the wire rope connect to the drill string? Here is an example from a 10" well that was drilled to a dept...
04/24/2026

PART 1:

How does the wire rope connect to the drill string? Here is an example from a 10" well that was drilled to a depth of 500'.

In this case, a 3/4" diameter wire rope (steel drilling cable) is passed through a conventional Prosser rope socket. The socket must first be unscrewed from the drill string. On smaller wells, we use Burns open-side sockets that have a slot in the side to allow access to the connection without breaking the tools apart.

The wire rope is passed through the socket and into a swivel, which is a steel cylinder with a tapered internal bore. The top is shaped like an inverted "U" and forms something like an elongated bell. The bore begins at the top of the "U" only slightly smaller than the rope diameter, and tapers to nearly the diameter of the swivel at the bottom.

Wire rope for cable-tool drilling is wound "left-lay" to impart clockwise spin to the drill string, so that tool joints will not be loosened during percussion. The center of the cable has a h**p core to reduce internal friction, and wear and tear.

Once through the swivel, the main strands of the wire rope are unwound to approximately four-fifths the length of the swivel with a flat screwdriver. The h**p core is trimmed so that it enters only the top one-fifth of the swivel. Then the individual strands are unwound to about three-fifths the length of the swivel with electric pliers, and cleaned with alcohol or acetone.

The resulting bird nest (or fan) will be difficult to pull back into the swivel. Strike it squarely with a hammer until only 1/16" of the wires protrude from the bottom. This should take five or ten solid blows. Use a tapered pin to gently push the strands outward and to form a slight hollow down the center of the assembly. Finally, wrap and tie a strip of wet cotton fabric tightly against the top of the swivel.

The swivel will be filled with a molten babbitt material such as tin plumbing solder, which does not contain lead and is approved for drinking water. To facilitate this, invert the swivel and clamp it securely.

TO BE CONTINUED...

PART 2: ...CONTINUED:Protection must be worn to shield eyes, face, hands and arms, and feet. If molten babbitt contacts...
04/24/2026

PART 2: ...CONTINUED:

Protection must be worn to shield eyes, face, hands and arms, and feet. If molten babbitt contacts water, it will violently splatter. Some may even flow through the swivel and pass the cotton wrapping. Spillage can fall into shoes and pockets.

Prepare an appropriate amount of babbitt in a ladle and heat it until dross floats to the top. It is plenty hot when solder can be easily and rapidly fed into the ladle. Slightly heat the bitter end of the swivel until it just begins to reject a spritz of water. Take care not to dry the cotton. Steadily pour the molten babbitt into the inverted swivel until it is nearly full. Carefully tap the swivel to settle the material into all voids. Top off the swivel to a slight dome. Allow the material to cool slowly (do not quench).

Once cool, the cotton strip will be removed and saved for future use. Trim away any babbitt spillage with a knife so that the dome of the swivel will make clean contact with its seat in the socket. The swivel is then retracted back into the rope socket. Ensure that it spins freely (swivels) inside the socket. Reassemble the drill string.

The hardened babbitt material makes it impossible for the cable strands to collapse enough to pull out of the swivel. I am a 3rd generation driller with 41 years on cable-tool rigs. From 4" wells on a 22W to 16" wells on a 24L, I've never once seen a cable pull out of a swivel. Weakness usually occurs where the cable wears thin just inside the neck of the socket. Cable failures are usually caused by the swivel seizing inside the socket and leading to the cable twisting or coiling apart, or from some sort of erroneous procedure.

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10355 S. Heatherhill Ter
Inverness, FL
34452

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+13526971900

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