[TheForge] Sucker rod

[David E. Smucker]

Bob, It been more than 40 years since I was a young engineer working in the 
oil patch but back then we had a series of different alloys to use in 
different wells depending on the type of corrosion problem we might have in 
a given well producing from a given formation.  In fact we had a series of 
very short sucker rods -- we call them pony rods -- about 2 foot in length 
that we could put down a well to test which type of rod gave the best life 
under real world conditions.

All of that said, our most common rod material was 4140 or 4340 or some 
similar alloy.  My starting point in making tooling from sucker rod would be 
to assume that it is 4140 and make a test piece.  Both 4140 and 4340 are oil 
quenching.  I happen to have some 7/8 dia 4340 that I obtained through a 
local scrap dealer and it makes great tooling, tongs etc.  You should have 
good luck with your sucker rod.  Oil companies pay good money to have high 
performance out of sucker rods.  It gets expensive to have to do down hole 
repair work because you have failed sucker rods.

Dave Smucker
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Ehrenberger" <eforge at centurytel.net>
To: "theforge" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 9:48 AM
Subject: [TheForge] Sucker rod


>I picked up some sucker rod last week and was told that it was good for
> making hand tools. Do any of you know what steel it is? or the composition
> of alloys in it?
>
> Robert Ehrenberger
> Shelbyville, Mo.
> eforge at centurytel.net
>
>
>
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