Viscosity is an important property of drilling fluids . The more viscous the fluid, the more easily it will suspend cuttings and carry them up to the surface. On the other hand it requires more pressure to pump very viscous fluids and they are harder to wash off the cuttings. One way to test the viscosity of a liquid is to drop something into it and see how long it takes to sink. Tall glass or graduated cylinder Stopwatch that is accurate to 0.1 or 0.01 seconds 20 pebbles, all about the same size and shape Water and at least one other liquid.
Corn syrup is a good choice.
Chart like the one below to record your results. The pebbles we used came from a bag of coarse gravel used for aquariums and sold in pet stores. Drop six pebbles in, one at a time. Use a stop watch to time how long it takes each pebble to reach the bottom. Record your results.