WorldWide Drilling Resource

Blue Demon’s Replaceable Blade Systems Adapted from Information by Blue Demon Company, Inc. Blue Demon Company was started in 1948 by Herb Hawthorne as the Hawthorne Bit Company. It was the first company to develop a replaceable drag bit for use in water wells, shallow oil and gas wells, and construction holes with a mud rotary drill rig. The com- pany was awarded a patent for it in 1948. In 1960, the company was sold to Hughes Tool Company where it remained a part of this company until 1987, when it was sold to Sandvik Rock Tools. In 1992, former employees of Hughes Tool pur- chased the company back and decided to make the product name the company name - Blue Demon. The production facility was moved to Sedalia, Missouri, where it continues to produce the original replaceable blade bits, BD drill heads, as well as di- rectional pilot bits and replaceable back reamer bits. The company supplies numerous OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), and distributors. The company offers replaceable blades and rotary drag bits for water well, quarry, seismic, shallow oil and gas, and construction applications, as well as auger bits for vertical and horizontal drilling, and di- rectional pilot bits and reamers for horizontal boring. Blue Demon products are shipped around the world. In addition to its own product line, the company also produces carbide parts for a number of manu- facturers in allied businesses. The company plans to expand the plant to accommodate the addition of new products for both the vertical and directional drilling product lines. Replaceable blade system. 37 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® SEPTEMBER 2016