Can You Use A Pneumatic Nail Gun Underwater?

The Coral Reef needs nailers! Have you ever used a nailer under the sea? A team of engineers has been doing just that, testing the limits of their nailers in the name of conservation and progress.

Text says "What are the repercussions of using a tool underwater? over top of a scuba diver using the Spotnails M1T9764 in the rocks of the coral reef.

What are the repercussions of using a pneumatic tool underwater? The fact of the matter is, it will kill the nail gun. However, you can prolong the life of the tool with some basic maintenance, which we’ll cover in a bit. First, let’s take a look at these scuba diving constructors. Not only do the oceans need the coral reef, but coastal erosion and damage to structures on shore can in part be mitigated by a more robust coral reef just offshore. ONDA, a team of engineers, is looking to play a part in the rebuilding of our coral reefs. The engineers start by growing the coral in their nursery back on land. Once the coral is large enough they will take the small living coral and attach it to rocks off the coast, this process is called micro-fragmentation. The issue here is connecting the netting containing the tiny coral to the rocks. The team has been experimenting with using staple and nail guns, like the M1T9764 from Spotnails, underwater. One of the largest concerns is the likely build-up of corrosion inside the nailer due to the submersion into salt water. One way they are combating this is to not only keep the tool routinely 1oiled, but to even submerge it in pneumatic oil. When asked, crew members stated that in their experience “when using them underwater, water can get into the big air chamber inside the gun through the exhaust vent, which means they have to be dry fired and dunked in fresh water to help remove the seawater.” These nailers aren’t designed to work underwater and it will drastically reduce the life of the tools, so don’t try this at home as this will void your warranty.