Working in wireline isn’t just about showing up with a wireline truck and spooling cable. It’s about what you prevent from happening before you ever run in the hole. I’ve been in the middle of high-pressure cased hole well services, running perforating systems, wireline logging, and pump down perforating operations. And I’ve seen how the smallest details—things people don’t check—can turn into the biggest disasters.

Here are a few moments that reminded me why wireline service providers need strict SOPs, complete attention, and well-trained crews.

The Gun That Almost Fired on the Bench

Let me start with this: never leave detonators exposed—ever. I once saw a crew prepping guns on a horizontal wireline job, and someone had crimped on detos to the primacord without installing the sub. If that gun had fallen from the bench, we’d have been talking about more than just misruns. This isn’t just about productivity—it’s about oilfield safety training and integrity wireline operations.

We now follow a strict sequence for all gun builds:

• Crimp the detonator

• Install the sub immediately

• Slide in the EB, secure wiring, install the next gun

• Check through wire, verify primacord contact, tape everything properly

From wireline perforating guns to firing heads, this structured approach ensures no explosive is ever left vulnerable—no matter the rig, client, or gunstring setup.

When a Port Plug Took Down the Whole Job

On a multi-stage perforation well, I had just switched out a faulty switch and verified continuity. We ran a full switch test at surface and during equalization—perfect. But 200 feet in, another test failed. Pulled the string and found a missing port plug. Turns out the crew had removed a third plug for troubleshooting and never put it back.

You don’t forget a flooded gun.

That’s why every wireline engineer and wireline provider must include gunstring verification before any run:

• Confirm all port plugs are present

• Inspect the wireline head and cable

• Ensure proper shots, phasing, and plug components

• Confirm retainer nuts are tool-tightened (not just hand-tightened)

These simple checks keep wireline tools functional and keep your wireline services oil and gas operation on track.

Crossing Armors and the Price of Complacency

In wireline well logging, one of the most frustrating failures is a crossed armor. We’ve had incidents where a single crossed armor strand above the grease head caused excessive drag, tension fluctuations, and even forced a fishing wire line operation. This happens when wireline equipment isn’t reheaded correctly or line tension isn’t observed during makeup.

Best practices now include:

• Rehead with full inspection of armors under tension

• Count pulled-back strands

• Feel for high spots when cleaning

• Watch for abnormal line tension behavior during RIH and POOH

This is especially critical in oilfield wireline operations where tension data is your first line of defense against stuck tools and failed pipe recovery attempts.

Depth Systems That Lie to You

We had a depth mismatch on a cased hole wireline job that cost us a skipped stage. The marker joint wasn’t logged correctly, and Warrior showed a depth offset. Plug set and perf depths were off by 10 feet. No cased hole logging service market wants to hear that you perforated the wrong interval.

Now, every correlation pass includes:

• Depth verification and adjustment in Warrior

• Collars logged before and after the marker

• Handwritten correction and client confirmation

• Secondary correlation run before the first shot

It’s become a gold standard in formation evaluation, CBL log prep, and cement bond verification jobs.

When Not to Surge

I’ll say it bluntly—surging the well is a risky game. One client insisted on surging after the wireline toolstring got stuck during a perforation service. We surged once. Nothing. Surged again, the string broke free—but the cable had wrapped around the tool. That cable was partially severed, and we didn’t know until the second gun failed. When we pulled up, the cable blew out. It turned into a full-blown downhole pipe recovery job.

Now we educate clients and enforce strict surge protocols:

• Only surge after exhausting all options

• Surge in brief pulses—never more than 2 seconds

• Maintain cable tension and watch for movement

• Stop winch immediately if tension drops unexpectedly

Wireline is a craft—one built on systems, vigilance, and constant learning. Whether you’re in cased hole logging, wireline and perforating, or running a wireline company serving the broader wireline services market, these moments define the difference between control and chaos.

If you’re looking to build up your team’s awareness and capability, check out my full library of wireline courses and app-based learning tools. These are built from real-world wireline logging experiences—designed to help engineers, operators, and field techs stay sharp, safe, and successful.

Explore wireline logging courses:
https://wireline-logging.thinkific.com/collections
Learn more at https://warriorwl.com/

Let the others guess—we prepare.