Is MIG welding on wet material dangerous?

Question

I am working on a large sculpture made from scrap metal and it get very wet through condensation and dew overnight. Is this dangerous.

Answer 1

Make sure that you wear leather gloves, and you put the ground not in between you and the piece your welding on, and you should be perfectly fine

To answerer 2, hes not welding underwater, hes welding with some droplets on it.

Its just as dangerous as welding normally. I've been welding on wet metal (from cooling) for 3 years now and I yet to be shocked once. Like I said, just make sure your not touching any part in between the ground and the arc

Thats a better answer Dan :). You can weld in complete safety with the normal precautions taken when welding.

Answer 2

Welding Wet Metal

Answer 3

No, not dangerous.
Worst case is you get shocked, you will feel it, it wont kill you.
I have been shocked before welding in the rain, standing in water, ect. Welding is a high current low voltage process. Current is what kills you, but voltage is the 'pressure' of the electricity. The human body has a very high electrical resistance, so 10-50V isn't going to kill you, even if your body is wet (lowering the resistance).
You can make the situation safer by not touching the metal directly with your bare body. You will also have no problem welding on wet metal, since the heat from the welding process will evaporate the water.

Answer 4

Yes, it dangerous to try MIG welding on wet material because it uses an electrical arc. Yes a good pair of gloves and rubber soled shoes should be enough to protect you. Don't forget you are putting the arc on the metal you are welding and you could be standing on it.

But, if you take those simple precautions you can do what you are doing in complete safety.

It hasn't be used underwater not because of the electrical issue, electricity is used in underwater welding, but MIG welding uses a shielding gas to prevent oxidization and the water would interfere with that and so make the weld rust easy and thus an inferior weld.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIG_Welding
"Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas (MIG) welding or metal active gas (MAG) welding, is a semi-automatic or automatic arc welding process in which a continuous and consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas are fed through a welding gun. A constant voltage, direct current power source is most commonly used with GMAW, but constant current systems, as well as alternating current, can be used. There are four primary methods of metal transfer in GMAW, called globular, short-circuiting, spray, and pulsed-spray, each of which has distinct properties and corresponding advantages and limitations....

Gas metal arc welding can be dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. Since GMAW employs an electric arc, welders wear protective clothing, including heavy leather gloves…"

Answer 5

Yes, Hubby said it could be dangerous. He has never attempted underwater welding with a MIG welder.

Answer 6

I ouldnt think so. There will be around 60 volts at the end of the wire when you squeze the trigger.
If you are not wet your self and you are wearing adequate protective clothing you should be ok.