Model K Star Spudder

A Model K Star drilling machine, also called a spudder, was used either to drill the initial hole for a rotary-drilled well or to drill a complete shallow oil well at depths of 1,000 to 3,000 feet. Using a cable tool rig, it repeatedly pounded a heavy steel bit into the ground in an up-and-down motion, smashing rock and earth to make hole. Power came from a separate engine, sometimes attached to a tractor, through a long belt connected to the machine. Its crew consisted of two men, the driller and the tool dresser: the driller operated the equipment, while the tool dresser sharpened bits on a portable forge, dumped the bailer, and handled other chores around the rig. Rigged to complete a 5-inch hole at the bottom, the machine’s actual depth depended on how deep the oil-producing formations lay. Its main parts included the bit, drillstem, bailer, casinghead, wrenches, chain hoist, and circle and jack. Manufactured by the Star Drilling Machine Company in Ohio about 1939, this particular spudder was designed for depths of 1,500 to 2,500 feet, was well suited to the shallow pay zones of the El Dorado field, drilled many wells in Butler and Greenwood counties, and with minor repairs could still operate today.

El Dorado, Kansas · United States