Some jobs punch harder than others—not because the pressure control fails, or the formation collapses, but because of something that seems so small it slips right past even the sharpest crews. For me, that lesson came on a wireline logging run that nearly turned into a disaster, all thanks to a set of crossed armors.
We were out on a standard cased hole wireline job. The formation had been evaluated, the logging cable was fresh off inspection, and the tools were rigged with precision. But as soon as we began the descent, I started noticing strange tension fluctuations—slight at first, but enough to make me raise an eyebrow.
The Warning Signs
Running a wireline unit isn’t just about feeding cable into the well. It’s about reading the language of tension, depth, and resistance. This time, something was off.
• The tension dropped intermittently on the way downhole
• The line felt “lumpy” during a manual clean—high spots you could feel with your hand
• On the drum, I could see uneven winding and odd spacing in the armor
Before long, we hit a snag. The line wouldn’t go any further. Not even a nudge. We backed it out slowly, praying it wasn’t a full-on stuck line situation. Thankfully, it came back—revealing crossed armors above the greasehead.
Wireline Tech and the Anatomy of an Oversight
Crossed armors are more than just a nuisance. They’re a direct threat to downhole tool deployment, especially in wireline and perforating operations where misruns can cost time, tools, and well integrity. In this case, the issue began during the reheading process.
If you’ve ever reheaded a wireline logging cable, you know it’s an art. Pulling the armors into the cone, trimming excess, aligning the wireline control systems—it takes patience. This time, we missed something. A single armor strand had twisted between the cone and the main cable, unnoticed. That tiny mistake cascaded into resistance, poor feed through the greasehead, and ultimately, an interrupted cased hole logging run.
Implementing the Fix
After that day, we revised our field procedure for every wireline truck in our fleet. Here’s what we now do without fail:
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Mandatory visual inspection of the rehead by two operators—one assembles, one verifies
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Building the greasehead one flow tube at a time to allow early visual inspection of cable integrity
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Running line through the head after assembly to check for resistance, burrs, or bulging
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Manual wipe-downs of the cable surface with gloved hands to detect any high spots before running in hole
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Watching the drum during spooling to identify signs of torque or twisted armors
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Monitoring tension trends closely both in and out of hole
These procedures are now baked into our wireline courses and oil field safety training, especially for new techs entering the wireline services market. Crossed armor failures are preventable—but only if you look for them before they cause trouble.
What This Means for Wireline Services and Operations
As wireline service providers operating across the oilfield, we must adapt to the evolving cased hole logging service market. Whether we’re performing well perforation with a perf gun or conducting production logging services using a downhole camera, reliability starts with the basics—like cable integrity.
Crossed armors can interfere with pipe recovery operations, damage downhole tools, and delay wireline perforating jobs. They also put strain on pressure control equipment and increase the chance of fishing wire line incidents. In the competitive world of wireline companies, avoiding these mistakes means maintaining your reputation for complete wireline solutions.
Final Thoughts from the Line
Wireline logging is more than just tools and telemetry. It’s discipline, process, and the ability to spot the smallest warning signs. Whether you’re working in horizontal wireline, running pipe caliper tools for a cement bond log, or managing plug and abandon jobs, the fundamentals never change.
If you’re in this business—especially those newer to the wireline oilfield—my advice is this: learn to feel the line, read the tension, and never rush a rehead. The wire doesn’t lie. When something’s off, it speaks—you just have to be listening.