Why does nobody talk about how much current affects your welding underwater

I was working a job on a platform off the coast of Galveston last week, and the current was ripping at maybe 2 knots. I'm trying to do a wet weld on a crossbrace and my helmet kept getting pushed sideways, arc was all over the place. The vis was already poor from the silt, and with the current it was almost impossible to keep the rod stable. I spent like 20 minutes just repositioning myself to get a clean bead going. My buddy on the boat said to tie off a secondary line to anchor my body better, but I didn't have the rigging for it. Does anyone have a trick for controlling your position when the current is strong? I've heard guys use weights on their harness, but that seems risky if you gotta surface quick.

2 comments

2 Comments

olivia_allen22d ago

Wait, have you ever tried using a smaller diameter rod in heavy current? I mean, it's not gonna fix your positioning problem, but it might help with the arc staying more stable when you're getting pushed around. I had a similar issue once off Louisiana, and switching from a 1/8 to a 3/32 rod made a huge difference in how much the arc wandered. Also, about the weights on your harness thing, maybe it's just me but I've seen guys do that with a quick release weight belt like scuba divers use, so you can ditch it fast if something goes wrong. But yeah, that secondary line your buddy mentioned is probably the safest bet if you can rig it up next time.

fisher.adam22d ago

... I dunno man, is it really that serious though? @olivia_allen, I get what you're saying about the rod size thing, but I've welded in some nasty current and never really felt like the diameter was the issue. Seems like a lot of overthinking for something that's probably just bad positioning or a faulty ground. And that quick release weight belt idea sounds like a disaster waiting to happen if it pops open at the wrong moment. I've seen guys try all kinds of Rube Goldberg setups and they just end up making the problem worse.