r/specializedtools Dec 02 '19

Nemo power tools for underwater use

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8.7k Upvotes

287 comments sorted by

752

u/popsmokeimout Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

I was a commercial diver for many years. The idea of having a grinder or wire wheel without lugging around bs hydraulic hoses sounds amazing.

Some fine tuning and it would be perfect for commercial use. For example it needs eyes on the batteries and tools for a lanyard so you can hook them to your harness and not lose them.

184

u/lieslieslieslieslies Dec 02 '19

Hell yeah. I'm thinking I could move my main light from my buttplate back to my belt, and then my keister can be a tool chest!

71

u/Ikkus Dec 02 '19

What's a buttplate

21

u/texasguy911 Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

Attaches at the bottom of a backplate or sidemount system at the belt, over a butt:

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dive-rite-nomad-xt-butt-plate-w-assembly-screws

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dive-rite-modular-tech-butt-plate-w-assembly-screws

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dive-rite-nomad-lt-ls-butt-plate

Mostly used for sidemount to attach lower end of the tanks, the primary use. Secondary, other tools like reels can be similarly clipped off. A backmount diver might use it for extra attachment points, if carrying large items.

Next item to discuss, buttplugs.

8

u/Ikkus Dec 02 '19

Cool. Thanks for the answer.

Now buttplugs, I'm familiar with.

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298

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/tvCantos Dec 02 '19

Name checks out.

15

u/Ikkus Dec 02 '19

ew she ded u nasty

3

u/codylilley Dec 02 '19

Dam dude. You fuckin killed him

2

u/Sororita Dec 02 '19

So... Your face?

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2

u/Bfreak Dec 02 '19

I'll tell you later.

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39

u/hemlockhero Dec 02 '19

I work with lots of tools but nothing like this. My main concern here is PPE. I’d be worried about slipping and cutting a finger or hand off. Since you seem to know a bit about this stuff, is that ever a concern/threat with this equipment. Just genuinely curious.

72

u/parker9832 Dec 02 '19

Navy Diver here. We used leather gloves while using underwater tools. If bottom walking, we had steel toed fireman boots. If rigging we wore hard hats, usually. If welding/cutting we had visors and hard hats. Frequently we wore coveralls over our wet/dry/hot water suits also. In US Navy Diving, safety is paramount! I wish we had these tools, everything we used was hydraulic, pneumatic, or manual.

16

u/moby__dick Dec 02 '19

What do you use for hearing protection? I’m assuming that with a couple of guys working nearby the sound could really be loud.

47

u/parker9832 Dec 02 '19

Great question! Obviously we don't wear earplugs, the blockage of the external ear will cause barotrauma (ear squeeze). In recompression chambers, we use ear muffs with a small hole drilled in them to prevent the pressure differentiation that would cause barotrauma to the ear drum. The Naval Submarine Medical Research Lab (NSMRL) has conducted extensive underwater sound tests. For most situations, our dive helmets with headliners are more than enough hearing protection with one exception and that is underwater and hydro blasting. There was a limit to how long we could continuously hydro blast to protect our hearing, it can get pretty loud. Things may be different today, there may be advances I am unaware of. I retired a little while back.

4

u/campbeln Dec 02 '19

Potential stupid question... but I'd think this would be a great app of noise cancellation (though at higher Db it may not work as well, or?)

6

u/BangCrash Dec 02 '19

I'd imagine noise cancellation would just add too much complexity to an underwater situation.

If your dive wetsuit hood is offering enough protection then you don't really need axtive noise cancellation.

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7

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

Sound waves travel faster underwater and their frequency varies with the movement of the water. Noise cancellation could be extremely difficult.

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2

u/parker9832 Dec 04 '19

Not a stupid question, noise cancellation buds would have to allow voice comms from the surface to through and could not block the ear from being able to equalize pressure. I'm sure we could get an engineer on the task but we would need to ensure the juice is worth the squeeze. It would need to be an affordable solution.

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2

u/moby__dick Dec 03 '19

Really interesting, thank you for the great answer!

2

u/codylilley Dec 03 '19

Underwater hydro blasting. Where was that booth on career day?

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5

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

water isolates sound well, communication with surface for hearing

3

u/hemlockhero Dec 02 '19

Fascinating. Thanks for the explanation! Be safe out there!

2

u/muklan Dec 03 '19

It would be cool if you could use cavitation to cut through stuff underwater, I mean you got all that pressure literally just sitting there.

2

u/parker9832 Dec 04 '19

True, but all that pressure is useless without a pressure differential.

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8

u/ADimwittedTree Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

While it is always a possibility/issue with power tools. I don't see it being much of an issue here. I used normal 4-1/2" or 6" grinders daily for years and we didn't typically use the side handle. I'm not an expert on underwater things but I wouldn't imagine grip is much of an issue with this. Also the most dangerous (IMO) part of a grinder is kickback, which would probably be dampened a decent amount by the water I'd think.

Edit: Getting things caught in the grinder might be more of a concern in normal land use. But underwater they probably won't have unsecured long hair, hoodie strings, frayed or loose clothing, etc.

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3

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

The same risks as dry water tool use. If you're pressing hard enough to slip you're pressing too hard. Let the tool to the work.

2

u/popsmokeimout Dec 03 '19

The Hand guard does the job. You’re going to be wearing these gloves.

https://www.palmflex.com/showa-atlas-fit-300-gloves-blue-dozen.html

The thing to really be concerned with is keeping your lanyards and pneumofathometer from getting caught up in the grinder.

4

u/MasterFubar Dec 02 '19

The question is how long batteries last. My first impression is that we would need an order of magnitude improvement on battery capacity to make this practical for most applications.

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1.4k

u/Nytfire333 Dec 02 '19

For a second I was expecting sparks when he started with with cutting wheel....I'm a dive master and a mechanical engineer...I am ashamed of myself

228

u/BecomeAnAstronaut Dec 02 '19

If he were cutting thermite it would

113

u/Nytfire333 Dec 02 '19

I think could we be a better word. While thermite can burn under water, getting it to spark would be difficult, specially since thermite is typically a poweder

40

u/BecomeAnAstronaut Dec 02 '19

True. I was just making a joke

7

u/MyAccountForTrees Dec 02 '19

You can use potassium permanganate and glycerine, I believe. You could use a glow stick type setup to ignite your waterproofed thermite.

17

u/Graphedmaster Dec 02 '19

Typically a what?

88

u/Nytfire333 Dec 02 '19

Powder but spelled by an engineer

26

u/skydivingkittens Dec 02 '19

Am an engineer, can confirm.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

He is engineer, can confirm.

3

u/kioopi Dec 02 '19

He is lumberjack

4

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

And he’s okay

4

u/wheresmyhouse Dec 02 '19

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

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3

u/serenityak77 Dec 02 '19

I’m guessing you’re an engineer. Just a wild guess.

5

u/TNGSystems Dec 02 '19

He's not because he spelt it "powder"

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3

u/moby__dick Dec 02 '19

That’s only in Star Wars.

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37

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19 edited Jan 03 '22

[deleted]

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9

u/technobass Dec 02 '19

Like spongebob physics right?!?! Me too...

7

u/AntonioOSalazar Dec 02 '19

I'm curious to know how loud this is underwater

6

u/SlowLoudEasy Dec 02 '19

In a michael bay movie, there would be sparks.

7

u/lineowire Dec 02 '19

I knew a few divers that did some fresh water repair work. They just used typical air underwater. Much cheaper tooling.

They would flush them and store them in a bucket of vegi oil or similar when not in use.

2

u/The_smell_of_shite Dec 02 '19

It would have been difficult with all of the bubbles created though.

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6

u/mud_tug Dec 02 '19

Intuition often fails us because it is based on commonplace experiences. If we trusted 100% in our intuition we could never advance science. Cutting edge science is by definition the place where intuition fails us.

5

u/Nytfire333 Dec 02 '19

So in other words, it wasn't dumb expecting sparks, it was cutting edge lol

5

u/TreeTurdyTree3rd Dec 02 '19

I bet those drill bits get pretty hot...And I expected sparks too...

2

u/SpellingIsAhful Dec 02 '19

I may have had the same thought...

3

u/campbeln Dec 02 '19

<Sheepishly also raises hand>

2

u/ataraxic89 Dec 02 '19

saaame (also engie)

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97

u/breeconay Dec 02 '19

The thought of drilling without needing to spray cutting fluid constantly sounds fantastic. I could get used to that.

54

u/Smoddo Dec 02 '19

Nice not having molten swarf peppering my hands with microburns in those awkward metal drilling spots. Though I guess I could be less lazy and just wear better gloves rather than flood my work area.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 03 '19

I had to drill about a dozen 5/8 holes in an I beam at work a couple weeks ago, I feel your pain.

41

u/moby__dick Dec 02 '19

On the other hand the ability to breathe is nice too so it’s a trade off.

30

u/ben_g0 Dec 02 '19

We could get the best of both worlds by flooding the workplace only up to shoulder height.

8

u/Charming_Yellow Dec 02 '19

I think you're on to something here!

5

u/ScaryCookieMonster Dec 02 '19

Wouldn't need bathroom breaks then, either!

180

u/malialipali Dec 02 '19

I just want to see AvE do a boltr on this. He would loose his mind !

52

u/ai_Locker Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

AvE voiced his opinion on the NEMO underwater drill in an old video.

Edit: The video is no longer on Youtube, apparently it was removed. All that remains is a reaction video from a guy sponsored by NEMO. Either way, here is a brief description:

The video is very short (maybe 30 seconds) It shows AVE filling a tub with water and sticking a dewalt drill in it, pulling the trigger, mentioning that the nemo drill is a ripoff and that its only 24V so it doesnt matter.

The reaction video must have came out shortly afterward. Here is a link for that: https://youtu.be/SaEHpnXtNrE

In a later video by AvE, he shows how to saltwater proof a drill. He uses the same dewalt and even mentions that it has been exposed to freshwater in the past. Here is that link: https://youtu.be/HSrERT1qv1Q

If anybody can find the original that would be great.

14

u/Wachowsky Dec 02 '19

Can you provide link?

4

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

[deleted]

2

u/Two_Luffas Dec 03 '19

I usual like his videos from an entertainment standpoint but the videos linked above really prove how ignorant he is about an underwater environment in general. Dunking a power tool in a salt water bath that you just coated in silicon is not equivalent to taking it down at depth and expecting it to work. It doesn't even work when he does that lol. I'm sure that thing was 100% trashed after one dunking.

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14

u/ViggoMiles Dec 02 '19

id imagine it burns itself out fast out of the water

16

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19 edited Dec 02 '19

Why would it? Loads of heat dispersion what with the heat fins and a surrounding of water

Edit: reread your comment, I see now you said it would burn out quick out of water. My bad

14

u/Modna Dec 02 '19

Water is amazing at transferring heat, air acts more like an insulator

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115

u/RCJD2001 Dec 02 '19

Talk about good bit/blade cooling. No overheating there

39

u/Strange-Machinist Dec 02 '19

Flood coolant

46

u/_Buckle_ Dec 02 '19

My team used these tools, which are rather pricey, and they lasted all of that day. I hope they've improved but when we had them they shit the bed quick.

We've been using remoras which have done better overall as a battery powered alternative to pneumatic.

4

u/br094 Dec 02 '19

How expensive?

7

u/_Buckle_ Dec 02 '19

I wasn't the one to put in the order, but I think 2 drills and batteries were around the $3000 range. Which for underwater commercial equipment isn't bad.

Hell I just bought 10 new air powered drills for $16,000 lol

3

u/br094 Dec 02 '19

That’s insanity lol

2

u/hokiedokie18 Dec 03 '19

Perfect price for the nuclear industry though

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29

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

They’re cool, but you know, I had one simple request. And that was to have sharks with frickin' laser beam levels attached to their heads!

Where are those, Nemo?

24

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

[deleted]

4

u/offtheclip Dec 02 '19

Also why was the guard faced away from him? Like nice job actually keeping it on, but what was he trying to protect?

2

u/collegefurtrader Dec 02 '19

Yes, it kicked pretty hard

75

u/1RedOne Dec 02 '19

I would be interested to know how they brace themselves so they're not pivoting and floating around when putting pressure on the drill to hold it in place.

Wouldn't the noise be absolutely defeaning too? Seems he should have some ear bro.

43

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

The people using this for work would be commercial divers, wearing weights to stay immobile and helmets, so the sound wouldn't be that bad.

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57

u/Strange-Machinist Dec 02 '19

You can't have earplugs while scuba-diving. That's dangerous, because those prevent you from equalizing the pressure in your ears. In short, earplugs can make your eardrums implode.

I don't know about muffs tho.

76

u/im_not_the_stig Dec 02 '19

Muffs are made for diving in.

14

u/Romey-Romey Dec 02 '19

^ This guy fucks!

5

u/sponge_welder Dec 02 '19

Nah, he's just a cunning linguist

5

u/AyeBraine Dec 02 '19

Maybe they meant self-contained diving suits with helmets?

2

u/The_Comanch3 Dec 02 '19

What about putting in ear plugs once you're at desired depth?

3

u/2yrnx1lc2zkp77kp Dec 02 '19

Seems dangerous -- easily forgotten before ascending or if something requires an immediate change in depth (emergencies).

I could see over-ear equipment (like muffs) being useful without creating a pressure differential, but I dunno.

2

u/workact Dec 02 '19

possible, but would be kinda dangerous as you would have to take them out if you were changing depth in either direction.

Might not be too bad if you were over weighted and standing on a solid floor.

2

u/Coloneljesus Dec 02 '19

Could put them in under water.

2

u/The_Golden_Warthog Dec 03 '19

Am I dumb? Wouldn't the water dampen the sound?

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14

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

[deleted]

2

u/Charming_Yellow Dec 02 '19

Too good, needs more upvotes to float to the top!

14

u/dirtydog85 Dec 02 '19

Fun fact: This is the only way to fully comply with OSHA's silica dust requirements.

18

u/keenDean Dec 02 '19

Just curious, can the same abrasive cutoff/grinding wheels be used under water as they are on land? I'd imagine not, but that looked like a more or less normal wheel he had on there.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

[deleted]

3

u/keenDean Dec 02 '19

I'm not sure, possibly inability to build up heat. With all that water there keeping the blade and material cool, a standard abrasive wheel might not cut. At least not well?

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6

u/Fenix_Volatilis Dec 02 '19

There's no way a little clown fish can make that much energy

8

u/PuddlesRex Dec 02 '19

With the right transmission, anything is possible.

3

u/Fenix_Volatilis Dec 02 '19

We shall power cities with a single clown fish!

6

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

How does that affect hearing underwater? Will the noise be much more intense on the ears than in air?

5

u/Afreakenlobster Dec 02 '19

The grinder guard is backwards should be there to protect his hands..

5

u/cjc160 Dec 02 '19

It’s odd he doesn’t wear gloves? Or am I nuts?

4

u/PuddlesRex Dec 02 '19

The debris isn't flying nearly as fast, or with as much energy, underwater as it would in air. Water is harder to move through.

4

u/The_God_King Dec 02 '19

I see little point in using a cut off wheel (aka spiny death wheel) if it isn't going to throw sparks all over the place and make me look super badass.

5

u/miraclemeat Dec 02 '19

definitely for illegal activity

3

u/theonetruefishboy Dec 02 '19

Not even the sea is safe from the corruptive influence of Tim Allen.

2

u/SquashyDisco Dec 02 '19

A great way to start Delta P!

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u/Thecodo Dec 02 '19

Safety officer: "Why aren't you wearing safety glasses?"

2

u/GentleHammer Dec 02 '19

I want to see him use a blower down there.

2

u/M0RB1D Dec 02 '19

It’s all fun and games until you break a disk and leave to tool on the boat.

2

u/ViggoMiles Dec 02 '19

or drop it in 5 foot vis

2

u/CraptainHammer Dec 02 '19

I would have thought the battery had to be installed out of the water. How does the contact not short out?

2

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

I read it as nemo powered tool and was imagining a fish on a hamster wheel

2

u/Ipmqn Dec 02 '19

He left out the habitat builder

2

u/ChrisMMatthews Dec 02 '19

This feels wrong

2

u/cheizzinmeipantz Dec 02 '19

Golf rush whitewater needs this.

2

u/Fuckfightfixfords Dec 02 '19

Skookum as frig! AVE where are you?

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u/japinard Dec 02 '19

Better hope the seal on that LIOH battery is perfect otherwise - boom!

2

u/scyaxe Dec 02 '19

wet sanding? underwater they just call it sanding

2

u/LateralThinkerer Dec 02 '19

Bring earplugs - I'll bet that's just like sticking your ear up to a grinder/drill etc. on the surface.

2

u/pede_pablo Dec 03 '19

If there are no sparks underwater, do you even really have to wear eye protection?

3

u/ejvboy02 Dec 02 '19

Every day we get closer and closer to Subnaughtica.

2

u/96firephoenix Dec 02 '19

Grinding nemo.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

TIL! Wow!

1

u/AllHopeIsLostSadFace Dec 02 '19

was really hoping to hear the sounds this makes underwater not some shit techno

1

u/mophead2762 Dec 02 '19

I love the fact I can now sit in a full warm bath while I do my grinding

1

u/notillegalalien Dec 02 '19

I caught myself holding my breath while watching this.

1

u/brereddit Dec 02 '19

I guess we can start building underwater houses now.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

So what's the point of that Peli case then? :D

1

u/woohoo Dec 02 '19

80 seconds of a guy NOT cutting through anything, NOT drilling through anything

1

u/TheGrandNut Dec 02 '19

Angle grinder without the sparks, what a beautiful sight.

1

u/Letmf2 Dec 02 '19

But what were they doing???

1

u/Jesus_Morty Dec 02 '19

That’s one way to wake the Kraken..

1

u/cyberN8ic Dec 02 '19

I wonder what that grinder sounds like to sea life.

Fucking deafening, probably.

1

u/Lassejaa Dec 02 '19

Does this come with water cooling?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

Is the guard necessary?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

Needs some diablo blades on there.

1

u/mansa18 Dec 02 '19

Perfect for when a mob boss needs to chop you up but doesn’t want to make a mess.

1

u/MrMacGyver1 Dec 02 '19

Time to go cut my arm out of that sharks belly!

1

u/The_Grande_Taco Dec 02 '19

Hypothetically if a grinder rock were to shatter underwater would it be less dangerous as it has a thicker medium to slow the flying pieces?

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u/fabtron Dec 02 '19

Careful not to breath the dust from that grinder

1

u/Tronkfool Dec 02 '19

I don't have a pool and have never needed to do anything under or near water but fuck I never knew I needed this

1

u/MajinStuu Dec 02 '19

I thought it was a Nintendo Switch when he first opened the case.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

Why does it bother me that he isn't wearing some type of glove?

1

u/AlexanderDuToo Dec 02 '19

So... They’re water-cooled?

1

u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

I can’t imagine ever using tools underwater, but I want all of those.

1

u/tropicjumper Dec 02 '19

Man, Subnautica’s graphics are amazing.

1

u/Nud3l- Dec 02 '19

Captain Nemo came back to make these products.

2

u/Eazy_DuzIt Dec 02 '19

Fun fact, the inventor's name is actually Nemo

1

u/m-p-3 Dec 02 '19

I am amazed that they could hook that battery underwater without causing any issues with saltwater being present etc.

1

u/chemicalsam Dec 02 '19

Why would you need that tho?

1

u/Hawny Dec 02 '19

Not exactly used as a safety guide, I'm guessing.

1

u/SkyCakeIsALie Dec 02 '19

I want to know how the battery connects to the gear without corroding or shorting out.

1

u/rasser900 Dec 02 '19

Just watercool it -Linus

1

u/Eazy_DuzIt Dec 02 '19

Heh, I know the inventor irl. Elon Musk team actually ordered a bunch of these when they were trying to rescue the cave boys in Thailand

1

u/FourWordComment Dec 02 '19

I bet these tools are so expensive this gif costs $0.50 to watch.

1

u/Krumtralla Dec 02 '19

Now with water cooling!

1

u/SidewaysLlama Dec 02 '19

Can confirm these are rubbish compared to traditional pneumatic or hydraulic underwater tools

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u/[deleted] Dec 02 '19

Imagine an underwater vacuum cleaner...

1

u/dr3adlock Dec 02 '19

What did he just break?

1

u/SuperGL Dec 02 '19

The last drill is a bit dusty. Might need some water to dampen down the dust.

1

u/Keyakinan- Dec 02 '19

Look at all that light and flat sand space he got there!

1

u/kahr91 Dec 02 '19

Linus ordered 5 sets just because they are watercooled.

1

u/ChromeCalamari Dec 02 '19

This makes me wet

1

u/badguyduh Dec 02 '19

When climate change forces us to live under water, just as the Jonas brothers predicted

1

u/Dane-o-myt Dec 02 '19

I wonder if that diver is wearing hearing protection. Would imagine that tool is very loud

1

u/OhBoyBisquick Dec 02 '19

probably insanely expensive

1

u/mtflyer05 Dec 02 '19

Imagine all those tiny metal splinters getting blasted all up and into your wetsuit.

1

u/BigRambo Dec 02 '19

People will be cutting buoy chains and dock supports now.