Technical How I hate a welding helmet..

I have tried several, the only thing I hate more is the "sand" in my eyes, the after effect of turning my head while tackin.

Has any tried a leather cape with a lens pop riveted in place ? ( not a hard helmet , a cape.)
I envision a flip up lens...
Thanks for the input...

verde 742

 

While I've seen capes, why would that be better? Would seem a pain to me. You would have to remove it every time to get a good look as opposed to just tipping the helmet back?

(just curious).

 

What about an auto darkening helmet? I love mine.


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It's worth spending money on a good helmet...both to protect your eyes, and so you can actually see what you're doing when you're welding.

What do you have now? what other helmets have you tried, that don't work well for you?

 

^^^^^ What he said.

 

I haven’t tried these.
If you have never used an auto darkening helmet, you are in for a treat.
Even the cheaper knockoffs hold up well with students at school.
Remember, you’re not just protecting the eyes.
That face needs some too

 

I still use my 20 year old Speedglas auto-darkening helmet and I still think it's great, but some of the new ones I've tried are amazing, with a huge screen and even better clarity, and they've gotten significantly cheaper since I bought mine years ago.

You're doing a lot of damage to your eyes by "turning away" which does not work, over time multiple rounds of welder's flash can have permanent effects. You need to buy yourself a real welding helmet, not an old timey flip-down unit. They work great and make welding so much easier.

 

The newest helmets have a rose colored lens option that makes all your welds look perfect.

 

I couldn't see crap through several helmets I tried, thought it was just me until I got a Jackson helmet, day and night difference.

 

I highly recommend the eastwood helmet. Great field of view, great price compared to any other helmet of equal features.

 

Turning your head away from the flash is a big mistake.
Most burns are caused by striking the side of the eyes .
Wear side shields.



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I bought one of the "true color" helmets a while back and I really like it. I didnt buy this brand and am not endorsing anyone's helmet, just an example of how the true color looks.

 

A quality auto darkening helmet is the only way for me to go. Been using one for about 10 years. If you want a couple of old school Jackson fixed filter helmets, I have 2 hanging in my shop.

 

My co-workers talk about a "gold lense" on an auto darkening helmet...I'm gonna give it a try. ...

 

Don't take this the wrong way, but are you stupid?

Have you heard of Auto Darkeing lens?

 

I can't weld for crap but an auto darkening helmet helped improve it noticeably. This one from Eastwood might be what you need.

 

I have about 6 flip ups and one large screen auto darkening,, from $ 45.--90.00 DOLLARS hate them all.
In Az. the plastic headgear (jackson) lasted one summer, then snapped. as I was adjusting it..
[QUOTE="Budget36, post: 13527396, member: 257791"
]Don't take this the wrong way, but are you stupid?
Have you heard of Auto Darkeing lens?[/QUOTE]


I can spell better than you...
I bought the auto darkening feature helmet, from the widow of a friend,, He had not taken it out of the box,
I AM NOT STUPID, BUT I AM IGNORANT ON SOME SUBJECTS. >>>but I can be taught !!

 

Get you a nice Miller digital elite. Definitely worth the money


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See if you can borrow Supermans cape that way you can weld with your eyes.

 

Say, that's a helpful hint. thanks.

 

An auto darkening helmet will make you a better welder and protect you better than a fixed lens helmet of the same size and shape. What a load of shit.

 

Just bought a Harbor freight Vulcan arc safe auto darkening helmet, have used it on several jobs and can say it's a lot better than my older miller helmet and can see more details in the welds

 

You wont' get much autodarkening helmet for $90, unfortunately.

Might need to go shopping.

Also, lighting can make a big difference, especially for tacking, with an auto helmet. And if you're getting older, adding a magnifying lens behind the filter can help a lot.

 

Verde, you probably never saw or talked about them but the auto darkening helmets are the way to go. I have an old fiber something flip up with a gold faced lens that I use outdoors with my Lincoln stick welder and love it for what it is. Old school rough service doesn't care if it gets dropped and sweat in while laying in the dirt. In my garage I use a cheap auto darkening helmet with my Hobart mig spot welding body metal. Check your local Farm and Fleet or Tractor Supply even online. Once you use one you will not go back especially with a mig on body metal. It saves the flip up, look, flip down, or close eyes, or look away, spot another area and repeat. You will just squeeze the trigger release and repeat once you get used to it.

 

I love my el cheapo Harbor Freight self darkening helmet. Much better than my 40 year old Lincoln fiberglass helmet. The HF weighs about half as much as the old Lincoln unit, the headband is more comfortable, and I don’t have to flip it up every time I want to look at something. Think I paid $39 on sale.

 

- see many of the so called professionals on car TV shows doing "blink" tacking & short beads with out true eye protection - the producers of shows allowing that stuff giving the impression that it is safe to do so are also real idiots

 

I had a HF auto darkening helmet that worked ok but I got tired of not being able to see the puddle clearly. I splurged on a Lincoln electric helmet and it made a world of difference, maybe not perfect but better. Its to bad there's no place to try before you buy.

Phil

 

Been doing this crap forever. So I’ve done every single thing you’ve not supposed to do, done everything I wanted to do, and done some impossible stuff. I kinda figured what’s both the easiest and safest.

Tacking metal with a hood is a PITA. But getting flash burns is a pain in the eye.
#1 rule. Wear some UV rated safety glasses. That way if and when you flash yourself it won’t be much of a burn more just the seeing spots for a little while. I’ll venture to say that most of my first tacks on loose pieces of Sheetmetal are done without a hood or gloves. Again first few tacks. You are fiddling with fit, joints, perfectly aligning, bare finger feel and a no hood tack. Everyday. After those 3 or 4 tacks I get the hood for more tacks.

The HF Vulcan hood ($130.00) on sale is a really nice hood. Easy to use it 40 plus hrs a week. Super comfortable head gear, light weight, and really adjustable lens.

 

No kidding!

 

I can spel bettern you...
I bought the auto darkening feature helmet, from the widow of a friend,, He had not taken it out of the box,
I AM NOT STUPID, BUT I AM IGNORANT ON SOME SUBJECTS. >>>but I can be learned !![/QUOTE]


Okay, not to belabor the point (BTW, spel, is spelled with two "LL's"...
My standard Jackson hit hit the bricks after 12/13 years, so use my wide frame one (Jackson) now...It'll die soon (after 30 years or so) and I'll get a new one.

Okay, that said, just get a good auto darkening lens/helmet. Hey, I have bad teeth, has to do with bad bone structure in my jaws...it/they can be fixed with implants...can "they" replace your eyes?