Oil-Drilling Roughnecks - is this the job to have?

[dd74]

It's the view of my friends (and myself) that no matter what Obama says, and no matter how low the price of oil falls, oil drilling will become a necessity in this country. One reason (in many) is the U.S. can't trust its supply to the Middle East because of a variety of issues, many of which are beyond our control.

Moving from politics, one of my friends asked what an oil-drilling roughneck's work life is like, and, because I'm also interested, I promised I would ask that here on PPOT. So, do any of you guys have insight into this job?

[Hugh R]

Been on a few. Here are my observations:

No Smoking-The electronic fire eyes will catch you every time.

No Drinking,

30 days on, sleep in shifts,

Dirty,

Pays very well.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I'm guessing it's one of those jobs that "Americans won't do" and therefore it'll become a condoned handout program to illegals.

[widebody911]

The Discovery channel is doing a series on oil workers called "Black Gold" or somesuch.

[dd74]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I'm guessing it's one of those jobs that "Americans won't do" and therefore it'll become a condoned handout program to illegals.

Would you do it? I would. One day, there might not be a choice for either of us. I'm not afraid of dirty work.

[imcarthur]

You might want to ask Jerry Brinkley (jbrinkley) here & on Rennlist. I believe he works on oil rigs in the gulf.

Ian

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by widebody911

The Discovery channel is doing a series on oil workers called "Black Gold" or somesuch.

And in the previews many of them were missing fingers.

I worked ten years in construction, worked in +100 degree attics, worked in 18" crawl space under a house all day, worked on rooftops baking in the sun all day, made bandages out of napkins and duct tape, pulled splinters out of my hands and arms with my teeth.

I'm not afraid of hard&dirty work BTDT.

But I am too smart&old to go back to doing it.

[teenerted1]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I'm guessing it's one of those jobs that "Americans won't do" and therefore it'll become a condoned handout program to illegals.

another generalization from the fine state of California

from what i have seen these are not being handed out to illegals.
hard working Americans are getting these gigs. high pay dirty jobs are still kept in country. the job's dangers and where the work locations are, are what are keeping me away.

schit jobs for schit pay are what is getting farmed out.

[Red Baron]

It's dangerous as being in Iraq however you can make some serious coin. I worked on rigs for about 4 years back in the 80's before we abandoned drilling in this country. I've seen people lose fingers, arms, toes etc. It''s damn tough conditions sometimes also. Heat, freezing cold, blowing rain everything you can imagine. I worked up in the derrick and at times would mix diesel with cotton seed hull to light a "smudge pot" to stay warm up there.

Another oil field job I did was working on a Casing Crew. Basicly once the rig TD's a hole, the casing crew shows up and raacks the drill pipe as the deck hands come out of the hole. After all of the pipe is racked, the casing crew goes up on deck and runs casing into the hole using what are called power tongs to torque the pipe. I liked it better because you would go work one job from anywhere from 4 to 24 hours and move on to the next.

One thing about the oil field, it pays well. Just be careful out there!

[Les Paul]

I live in the panhandle of Texas. There are more rigs up now than since the early 80's. My son works at the front desk of a hotel here in town for the summer. It is always full of oil field hands. He says they are more or less illiterate fools. They do their shift, go out get drunk, come back and crash, day after day after day. And they make pretty good money. Like 100+k per year. It isn't easy, hot in the summer, cold in the winter but it is steady. And although this part of the state is Mexican north Texas there are very few Mexicans doing it yet.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by dd74

Would you do it? I would. One day, there might not be a choice for either of us. I'm not afraid of dirty work.

In my younger days I spent a few weeks on a "work over" rig in Delacroix. Probably the toughest work in the oil field. 12 hr days, as it was explained to me on arrival, you can work 6 to 6 or 6 to 6. It depends on whether you prefer heat or mosquitoes. By the second day my fingers were swollen twice their normal size & the joints were bright red. I could barely hold a fork. Cleanup after work would take an easy 30 min, and you were still far from clean. You work rain, shine, lightening, whatever. Anybody there for a year had broken a major bone & probably saw somebody die. I likened the atmosphere to an Alabama prison farm. I'd rob banks before I'd go back to that.

[Les Paul]

One of my sons old childhood friend who is 21 made over 120k last year. A deck hand.

[the]

you could then call yourself a "roustabout," that's kinda cool.

[Red Baron]

I made 37k working during the summer (3 months) before my Sr. year in High School. I'm talking 1982.

[JeremyD]

Lots of missing fingers as toes - I grew up in Houston spent a little time on a rig. 12 hours on 12 off. After 11 hours of working the tongues it's easy to make a mental lapse and get yourself kilt. Good money - not many foreigners - Pull your weight or you'll get thrown off -

[dd74]

Sounds tough. What do the injuries come from? The drill itself? I'm ignorant of the whole process, but it seems to me one is there, more or less, to support a drill going down into the ground. Or is there more to it.

What I'm driving toward is why is it such hard work? Other than the heat and mosquitoes and such?

[Hugh R]

Big massive, heavy, greasy drill rod that gets put together with chain cinches that can zip a finger (or hand) off before you know it.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally Posted by dd74

Would you do it? I would. One day, there might not be a choice for either of us. I'm not afraid of dirty work.

Honestly, I would. I ain't afraid of it either (I actually can't stand "ivory tower" architects, I love getting into the field and dealing with the contractors & seeing stuff get built). I'd love to try it. Just sayin' in general, most people in this country would look down on it in the same way they look down on landscapers and painters today. Cause they have expectation of an "easy life".

[Mule]

Originally Posted by dd74

Sounds tough. What do the injuries come from? The drill itself? I'm ignorant of the whole process, but it seems to me one is there, more or less, to support a drill going down into the ground. Or is there more to it.

What I'm driving toward is why is it such hard work? Other than the heat and mosquitoes and such?

The only tool one man can carry is a 36" pipe wrench and it's rarely used. 350# tongs (giant pipe wrenches) are suspended on cables and connected by cable to a giant diesel engine. You slap one on the pipe, another hand slaps the other one on, the driller stands on the gas for a 6' tall diesel and when the slack comes out of the cable, the pipe connection breaks loose. The 600# air tongs spin the pipe loose, you swing it out of the way, and it's lowered down to the deck. You unhook it from the dereck and shove a 90' piece of pipe down a ramp where another guy rolls it to the side and waits for the next one. This happens ever 90 seconds for 12 hours. That is raising pipe. Lowering is different.

[masraum]

Lots of crazy stuff. My last job provided voice/data to the rigs and stuff in the gulf over satellite.

I used to speak to guys (no exaggeration) named "frog", "one-eye", "redneck", etc....

Most of the guys that I spoke to had thick southern/hick accents.