A bellbox is a specialized fishing tool lowered into a borehole or shaft to capture and extract broken drill strings. Its tapered, bell-like interior guides the fractured end of the rod into a gripping mechanism. Once the tool bites into the lost equipment, the hoist operator can pull the entire assembly back to the surface.
Heard on the job
The drill string snapped at the third joint, so we need to drop the bellbox and fish it out.
Also heard as
- fishing bell
- overshot