Welding in the rain!

[Western]

Went to my brothers shop to drop off sandblasting equipment so it would not get wet, on the way I saw a welder on a trailer and other stuff associated with a small job, but no one standing around. I thought to myself, "guess their day is over" since it was a light rain.

Coming back home, it was raining much heavier. I was approaching the little work site again and saw the flashes of the arch! They was "a welding in the rain"!

I don't know about you guy's, but I have been "sapped" with just barely damp ground, I'll be darned if weld in the rain. Don't think my heart could take it and sure don't recommend it.

 

[Shield Arc]

Spent just about my whole career doing it.

 

[Western]

Spent just about my whole career doing it.

Must be a wet climate where your from and your probably a more experience welder than most I am assuming. Still not a good idea for me anyway. I can wait.

Did have an older friend that went into the big pipeline welding rush in the late 70's-80's after 5 years of underwater welding ( Seems you can only do it for so long), pretty sharp fella when it came to a stick, I was his helper years ago, when the ground got wet, we packed the SA200 up.

 

[Shield Arc]

If you want to make a living here on the east slope of the Olympic Mountains you better get use to welding in the rain. When doing critical welding they always build you a tent, or at least give you a roll of visqueen! :laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

my buddy is an underwater salvage welder / diver.

soundguy

 

[jonyyuma]

I still have scars on my arm from this at Grace corp. from raincoat melting..Only had to stick a few brackets..

 

[20 20]

I've done it and got a little tingle, course I had set down on the project I was welding

 

[fabberd]

shieldarc is right.
If you're going to make a living at it, you're going to learn how to weld in adverse conditions.

Rubber gloves help, but I hated wearing them, so I just kept a few spare pairs of gloves and made sure I had dry ones on.

 

[Car Doc]

Imagine what natural gas pipeline welders do I have seen those guys laying on their back in a hole under a big pipe and in the rain with flames shooting out of the pipe they are welding its some crazy stuff they WANT the flames no explosion that way! Not me man

 

[fabberd]

Imagine what natural gas pipeline welders do I have seen those guys laying on their back in a hole under a big pipe and in the rain with flames shooting out of the pipe they are welding its some crazy stuff they WANT the flames no explosion that way! Not me man

Yep. I did that for 20 years.

As long as it's burning, you're okay.

 

[Western]

LOL My old Buddie Milton said they tried cooking hot dogs on burning pipeline till they almost got fired for it, didn't matter he said they weren't edible anyway..

He had allot of good stories of the oil fields and a few from underwater welding. I know he made a bundle welding in the ocean, but he said it messed his blood up some thing awful.

 

[Soundguy]

messed his blood up?

 

[Shield Arc]

messed his blood up?

It's called the bends.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decompression_sickness

 

[Soundguy]

well that has nothinfg whatsoever to do with the welding aspect??? the way you worded the post it sounded as if the welding messe dup his blood.

I'm quite familiar with nitrogen narcosis.. bends.. etc.

soundguy

 

[rjmack]

when the ground got wet, we packed the SA200 up.

...sure it wasn't 'mud issues'?

 

[MikeD74T]

well that has nothinfg whatsoever to do with the welding aspect??? the way you worded the post it sounded as if the welding messe dup his blood.

I'm quite familiar with nitrogen narcosis.. bends.. etc.

soundguy

I think the "messed up his blood" is refering to electrolyes inbalance that occurs with electric shock. Even minor electric shock will affect blood electrolytes which take some time to recover. MikeD74T

 

[Gary Fowler]

I welded for several years, got shocked a lot of times from welding while standing in water and other liquids and never heard of any one getting messed up blood from it. Then again, lots of things I never heard of but I would think that if it was a problem, our diligent first aid/safety gurus would make the welders be tested for it which we dont do at my company and we have one of the most diligent safety staff in the world. When welding while standing in the water, get some rubber boots, dont lean on the pipe or what ever you are welding when changing rods, keep a good well insulated electrode holder on your stinger and most important, use dry gloves. Even if you get tingled, it isnt like grabbing a 110V current, although it does bite a bit. As long as you keep your rods dry, whatever you are welding dry and most important, keep the water off your hood you are ok. A few drops on the dark lens and you will be guessing which arc is the real one. As for actually welding in the rain while wearing a slicker suit, thats not going to happen on my jobs, at least not if I know about it being as I am a Quality Manager. The rods better be in a hot box and powered up, the rain shelter / wind break better be covering up the work area and the welder better be qualified. NOW he may be in the mud on his back with water running down his collar, but that weld and electrodes better be dry.

 

[Western]

He wasn't specific about "what messed his blood up" I didn't ask. I personally didn't assume it was the welding, but rather the fact that he was welding under water sometimes pretty deep. I'm not a diver, so I don't know and I sure don't weld underwater

If I see him again I will ask him specifics. I do remember him saying the oxygen at deeper depths does something to your body and if you do it for along time (deep water welding many years) you don't have a long life span, again I should have asked him specifics. All I know is he welded in the Navy in Vietnam then welded after he got out till he retired.

We did weld on damp ground, when it was muddy I had to put a piece of wood where he was working, usually the 2x12 he had on his welding truck. When it was a drizzle or rain, we went to the cafe' or fish'n in his ponds.

 

[Soundguy]

for deep diving there are special mixes you use, and you have to pay attention to decomp.. past that.. from what my wife ( certified diver ) and my buddy, ( all certifications except trainer ).. there's not much to it besides the numbers and rules you have to play by.. that and all the expensive gear..

soundguy

 

[Danno1]

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I don't know how common this is, but I heard about it many years ago:

Bone Injuries From Diving

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