Maintaining your button bits and rock button bits ensures that they remain in peak condition for drilling hard and abrasive rock formations. Because these tools operate under high impact, abrasion, and thermal stress, even small lapses in care can cause to rapid degradation.

1. Daily and pre-drilling checks

Before you begin drilling, and at the end of each shift, it pays to perform simple checks. Here we are going to highlight key checks:

Clean the bit and drilling string: Remove dust, rock chips, mud, debris. According to one guide, after each drilling operation you should “thoroughly clean the tungsten carbide button bit to remove any dirt, grit, or drilling residues”.

Inspect the button buttons themselves: Look for chipped, cracked or flattened buttons. Uneven wear patterns can signal the bit is not matched well to the formation or that drilling parameters are off.

Check bit body, shank and gauge: If the bit body is worn-away or gauge is reduced you may get hole enlargement, bit instability or reduced performance.

Verify flushing / hole cleaning system: For rock drilling with button bits, effective flushing to remove cuttings is critical.

Review drilling parameters: Feed pressure, rotation speed (if applicable), hammer impact or DTH pressure should match the bit and formation.

2. Routine maintenance schedule

Now that you have daily checks in place, let’s move to the routine schedule for maintaining your button bits / rock button bits.

Weekly / After a Big Shift

Inspect and log wear on each bit: track insert/button wear, body damage, any cracking or unusual deformation.

Clean and dry the bit thoroughly; store it properly in a dry, clean environment.

Check coupling sleeves, shank connections, any sealing surfaces for wear or damage since these impact bit life.

Monthly / Regular Maintenance

Review drilling footage or hours for each bit and compare to expected life metrics. If buttons are wearing faster than expected (for example in highly abrasive rock), consider bit redesign or switching materials.

Re-condition or re-sharpen if needed: if buttons are polished, show surface fractures, or gauge is reversed, then reconditioning is recommended.

Inspect flushing lines and check for any clogging, wear or erosion in the hole that could degrade bit performance over time.

Longer-Term / End-of-Life

When button wear, body wear, or bit performance drop reaches unacceptable levels, retire or refurbish the bit. Continue tracking how many metres or hours drilled per bit to build life-history data.

Review if drilling conditions/formation have changed significantly (e.g., more abrasive rock than anticipated) and re-assess bit design accordingly.

3. Common maintenance issues & how to address them

Here are some specific issues you may encounter with button bits / rock button bits, and what to do:

Buttons chipped or broken: Usually due to impact overload, bounce, misalignment or rock with unexpected voids. Solution: check rig alignment, verify feed/hammer pressure, replace the bit.

Gauge wear / hole diameter increasing: Body or gauge protection insufficient. May cause to bit deviation or inefficient flushing. Solution: use bit with stronger gauge protection, ensure flushing is effective.

Insert/buttons wearing very quickly: Occurs in highly abrasive rock, or when bit material or button placement is not suitable. Solution: choose higher grade inserts/buttons, check flushing design, monitor feed/impact.

Flushing blockages / poor chip removal: Causes build-up of cuttings, overheating, bit bounce, or hole deviation. Solution: ensure proper air/water/mud system, check hose diameters, blow out rod string regularly.

Overheating or drill string binding: If feed pressure too high or bit not matched to formation, you may get binding, buckling, overheating. Regular checks recommended.