Finally got my surface-supplied cert after failing the weld test twice

Cameron Perry · 2026-04-08T13:15:04.465714+00:00

Burned through about $800 in extra materials and practice time before I nailed the 6G position. Anyone have tips for keeping your hand steady in a cold current?

the_seth5mo ago

Man, that "cold current" part is the real kicker. I read somewhere that a lot of divers get the shakes from cold hands, not just the water temp. Maybe try those thin nitrile gloves under your dive gloves? It sounds dumb, but that extra layer can keep your fingers from locking up without wrecking your feel for the torch.

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rowanjenkins2mo ago

Hand warmers just make your hands sweat and fog your mask.

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evah405mo ago

Yeah, my buddy had that exact problem on a river job last winter. He said his hands would just start shaking like crazy, even with thick gloves. He ended up using those chemical hand warmer packets, the little ones, and taped one to the back of each wrist over his suit. Said it was like a tiny heat source right at the pulse point and stopped the shakes enough to get the job done. Looked silly but he swears by it now.

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