What may be a simple task on the surface such as sawing a bolt may take many minutes underwater. Every minute his tissues soaking up nitrogen from the compressed air and adding extra time the diver must take to return from the bottom to the surface.
It became obvious to divers and equipment designers alike that anything which could be used to help the diver would make a huge difference and pay dividends in saved time. One such contrivance , simple as it may be was the electrode holder or cutting and welding rod holder. They were designed to hang in a convenient place on the diver's belt . A right handed diver wearing it on the left side and visa versa. Often the mouth of the holder was flared to help the diver replace the rod if required . They had holes in the bottom to allow water to drain away on the surface and they were made from non corrosive metals to ensure they lasted well and didn't disintegrate whilst in use.