What really annoys me is when I’m on a job site and talking to a crew, someone will point to a pile of drill rods and say, “These threads are shot.” It happens all the time.

And I’ll walk over, kneel down, and see it: orange, crusty, flaky rust eating away at the box and pin. And the operator standing there like it’s just another day at work.

It doesn’t have to be.

I remember the first few years I sold HDD tools. To be honest, I didn’t know the difference between a pin and a box. I was following this old customer named Ray. He must have been running rigs since they used carrier pigeons to find work.

Ray took a rod off the rack, wiped the thread with his thumb, and looked at me.

“Do you sell these?” Tell me why I have to buy new ones every season.

I didn’t know what to say. Not because the rods were bad—they weren’t—but because no one had ever really shown him how to take care of them. To be honest? I didn’t know either.

I went back to the store and called our shop foreman, who has been threading pipe since before I was born. I asked him straight out, “Why do HDD drill rod threads keep rusting up, and what do we do about it?”

He didn’t give me a textbook answer. He laughed and said, “You’re letting them sit wet, kid.”

That was when I had my “aha” moment.

This is what I mean.

Don’t feel bad if you’ve done this too: most of us finish a bore, pull the rods, stack them on the pipe box, and call it a day. If we’re feeling nice, we might spray them down. But what about the water, the mud, and the dampness? That stuff stays in the threads. And then the rods stay there for the night. Or on the weekend. Or, let’s be honest, during the winter if things slow down.

That moisture doesn’t just stay there. It does the job. It begins to rust before you even leave for the next job.

So, based on what Ray, our shop foreman, and a lot of trial and error taught me,

I get it, I get it. You’re tired. The job took a long time. You only want to go home. But if you leave rods made up overnight with mud in the threads, you’re basically making a place for rust to grow. Take them apart while they’re still warm. It only takes ten minutes and will save you a lot of trouble later.

Don’t just spray; wipe.

We used to think that a quick spray of WD-40 or some thread lube would do the trick. No, it’s not. First, you have to get rid of the old mud and dirt. I have a few old rags in my truck just for this. Clean the pin and the inside of the box, then use a good thread compound that has rust inhibitors in it, not just grease.

Leave the thread protectors on.

I can’t count how many job sites I’ve been to where thread protectors are all over the place like trash. There is a reason for those plastic caps and rings. Yes, they keep moisture out, but they also stop accidental dings. And a thread with a ding? That will attract rust. Water sits in the damage and eats it.

Store them wisely.

Don’t leave rods flat on the ground if they’re going to sit for more than a few days. Put them on racks or skids. You should pay more attention to airflow. And what if you live in a humid area or store them over the winter? Put a heavier rust preventer on the threads. It’s a cheap way to protect yourself.

A few months later, I remember calling Ray again. He was still grumpy, but he said, “Okay, I’ll admit it.” The last set of rods you sold me? Still have good threads. I hate that you were right.

I laughed. But really, that’s the best kind of win.

Listen, I sell drill bits. I want you to buy more, of course. But I’d rather sell you a new set every few years because you wore them out from drilling, not because they rusted out on the rack.

If you have rods with threads on them that you’re worried about, go take a look. Clean one off. It’s not too late if you see orange. Clean it up, protect it, and give them a fair chance.

And if you ever want to talk about thread compounds, storage setups, or just want me to come over and tell you what I think? You know where to look for me.

I’ll bring the rags.