Small experiment

This was why I did the Bentonite tests.  That is, to find out how the drill will respond to a proxy for what I may find out there.

As with the original sample of store bought sand, I was able to drill a 1/2 hole straight through.  However, when I switched to a 1 inch bit, the sand broke up after about a 1/2 inch.

It looks like a possibility that I will need to use the 1/2 inch bit to start the hole, then a larger bit to widen it out.  Otherwise, the sand may break up and leave a less than perfect hole.  In addition to that, I may want to use the Bentonite to ease the drill down so that it won't put too much stress on the sand.

It was a short experiment as there wasn't enough to work with.  The samples did not dry very well and cracked up rather badly.  The second batch also cracked up rather badly as well.  I haven't made a third batch.  Seems to be little point.

There may be a concern that I won't be able to get 8 inches of hole drilled before I encounter problems.  There's nothing to do about that until I get out there.

It hasn't been a productive weekend, but that's the way the cookie crumbled this time.

Not much else to write about.