IMPROVEMENTS IN WELL REAMERS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS
IN WELL REAMERS, a communication to me from abroad by William Durand
Braden and William Henry Wells both of Denver City, in the County of Arapahoe,
and State of Colorado, United States of America to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements in well reamers and the objects of the
invention are to provide a means by which a well may be driven of a uniform size
from the surface to the bottom, and a means by which the casing may follow the
work in order to prevent caving in.
In sinking wells where rock and quicksands or like substances have to be
penetrated, the practice heretofore has been to bore or drill down to the rock and
insert casing to prevent caving in of the quicksand or other like material A drill
is then used to penetrate the rock, sufficiently smaller than the first used to pass
down and up through the casing. After drilling through the rock, should quick
sands succeeded by rock again be encountered, the same process is repeated until
the diameter of the well is lessened, insomuch as in many cases to necessitate
abandonment.
This Invention consists in a compressible reamer whereby the well may be
continued of a uniform size from the surface to the ground, the stock of which is
divided at the lower part into two arms, that are caused by springs to normally
diverge or expand somewhat and whose inside surfaces are grooved from the points
upward.
Between the said arms is suspended a mandrel by means of a short lever, which
is fulcrumed between the arms. One end of the lever is coupled to the stem of the
mandrel and the outer end of the lever is convexed in such a manner as to fit
inside of the well casing when the reamer is passing through it.
Having drilled down to the rock, the casing is placed in the well. A drill is then
passed down through the casing and a hole driven through the rock considerably

page_text: less in diameter than the size of the well from the surface to the rock. The casing
is then raised a few feet above the rock. The reamer is then compressed and
forced down through the casing.
In order to compress the reamer sufficiently to pass down through the casing, the
mandrel is raised upward by forcing downward the outer end of the lever. The
arms may then be pressed together and inserted into the casing and forced down-
ward. As the arms pass out of the lower end of the casing, the reamer resumes its
normal position and when that part of the reamer to which the lever is fulcrumed
passes below the casing, the lever is released which allows the mandrel to drop
downward which holds the arms in their normal position preventing their com-
pression while reaming out the well to the same size of that above the rock. In
raising the reamer out of the well, the outer end of the lever comes in contact with
the lower end of the casing which forces it into such position, as to raise the inner
end of the lever upward, carrying the mandrel up opposite the grooves in the arms.
The latter are then compressed together by the contact of the casing as the reamer
is drawn upward.
The grooves in the arms serve as a receptacle for the mandrel when the arms are
compressed together, so that the reamer resumes its normal position when passing
below the casing and the lever is released when below the tubing, which allows the
mandrel to drop into position between the arms in such a manner as to retain them
a sufficient distance apart to ream the well the same size as that in which the
tubing is placed.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Well Reamers.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
63, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention (a communication to me
from abroad by William Durand Braden and William Henry Wells both of Denver
City, in the County of Arapahoe, and State of Colorado, United States of America)
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This Invention relates to improvements in well-reamers, and the objects of the
Invention are, to provide a means by which a well may be driven of a uniform size
from the surface to the bottom, and a means by which the casing may follow the

page_text: work in order to prevent caving in. These objects are attained by means of the
device illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all
the Figures.
Figure 1. is a side view of the reamer, represented as passing down or up through
the casing.
Figure 2. a view of the reamer in its normal position, as in use.
Figure 3. a front view of the reamer in the position assumed during descent and
ascent through the casing.
Figure 4. shows a front view of one arm of the reamer, with a shallow slot cut
in the outer face, square at the upper end, and diminishing in depth to nothing at
the bottom.
Figures 5. and 6. show edge and face views of a loose runner which fits in the
slot shown in Figure 4.
Figure 7 shows the reamer as it passes the space between the upper and lower
joints of the casing.
In sinking wells where rocks and quicksands, or like substances, have to be
penetrated, the practice heretofore has feen to bore, or drill, down to the rock and
insert casing to prevent caving in of the quicksand or other like material. A drill
is then used to penetrate the rock sufficiently smaller than the first used to pass
down and up through the casing. After drilling through the rock, should quick-
sands succeeded by rock again be encountered, the same process is repeated until
the diameter of the well is lessened insomuch as in many cases to necessitate
abandonment.
This Invention consists in a compressible reamer whereby the well may be
continued of a uniform size from the surface to the ground. The stock A of the
reamer is divided, at the lower part, into two arms a a that normally diverge
somewhat as shown in Figure 2, and whose inside surfaces are provided with
grooves from the points e to f. Between the parts a a is suspended a mandrel B
by means of a short lever D which is fulcrumed between the parts a a on the pin d.
One end of the lever is coupled to the stem of the mandrel B by the pin c. The.
outer end of the lever is convexed in such a manner as to fit inside of the well-
casing C when in the position shown in Figure 1. E. represents quicksand or
other inaterial that may have a tendency to cave in, and F represents rock or other
solid substances that may be encountered. Having drilled down to the rock, the
casing is placed in the well, extending within a few feet of the rock, or may extend
to the rock. A drill is then passed down through the casing, and a hole driven
through the rock, considerably less in diameter than the size of the well, from the
surface to the rock. The casing is then raised a few feet above the rock. The
reamer is then compressed as shown in Figures 1. and 3. and forced down through
the casing. In order to compress the reamer sufficiently to pass down through the
casing, the mandrel is raised upward from the position shown in Figure 2, by
forcing downward the outer end of the lever D. The parts a a may then be
pressed together as shown in Figures 1. and 3; and inserted into the casing and
forced downward. As the parts a a pass out of the lower end of the casing the
reamer resumes its normal position, and when that part of the reamer to which the
lever D is fulcrumed passes below the casing the lever is released, which allows
the mandrel to drop downward into the position shown in Figure 2. which holds
the parts a a in their normal position, preventing their compression while reaming
out the well to the same size of that above the rock. In raising the reamer out of
the well the outer end of the lever D comes in contact with the lower end of the
casing which forces it into the position shown in Figure 1. raising the inner end of
the lever D upward, carrying the mandrel B up opposite the grooves in the
parts a a. The latter are then compressed together by the contact of the casing as
the reamer is drawn upward. By reference to the drawings it will be seen that
the grooves indicated by dotted lines in Figure 3. serve as a receptacle for the

page_text: mandrel B when the parts a a are compressed together, so that the reamer resumes
its normal position when passing below the casing and that the lever D is released
when below the tubing which allows the mandrel to drop into position between the
parts a a in such a manner as to retain them a sufficient distance apart to ream the
well the same size as that in which the tubing is placed.
The details represented in Figures 4. to 7. are designed to enable the reamer to
pass through collar joint casing without difficulty. For this purpose each arm a is
furnished with a loose runner g received in a shallow slot h cut in the outer face of
the solid part of each arm a about opposite where the head of the mandrel comes.
This slot is cut square at the upper end and runs out to nothing at the bottom. In
these slots, when the reamer is inserted in the casing, are placed the runners g one
at each side of the reamer. The runners have each a shoulder i shown in Figure 5
and in dotted lines in Figure 6 corresponding to the depth and form of the slot h
by which the runner is prevented from slipping upwards; the lower end of the outer
part of the runner being also tapered, or diminished in thickness. The runners are
held in place by the casing, and when the bottom of the reamer approaches the gap
between the upper and lower joints of the collar joint of the casing the runners
bridge over the gap by preventing the arms a spreading in the aperture between
the upper and lower joints of the casing. When the reamer passes below the
bottom of the casing the runners are free to drop out and do no injury.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the stock A and the normally
diverging arms a a.
2. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the stock, its normally diverging
arms, and the mandrel located between the arms.
3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of the stock, its normally diverging
grooved spring arms and the mandrel located between the arms.
4. In a reamer, the combination, substantially as set forth, of the stock, its
normally diverging arms, the mandrel located between the arms, and the lever for
raising and lowering the mandrel that projects laterally from the arms whereby the
mandrel may be automatically adjusted as the reamer is raised or lowered.
Dated thin 10th Jon of Wahuone 1000