Automatic Darkening Helmets

[rob w]

bought a parweld one last night.
will look for a one for low amp tig later. many using it for car restoration and bracket fabrication. I guess a speedglas one is the one to use ( it says suitable for low amp work). one step at a time.
Im also looking for CO2 i have a couple of empty pub bottles ( well a little in them but need to get them filled) Argon is sorted.

 

[LimeGreen]

Eye undamage

As far as I can see, fixed shade visors are best left for seasoned users because you can't see a thing at all untill the arc is struck.

LCD lids SEEM to offer an easy access for DIY welders 'cause the workpiece is visible before you contact the arc, and the shade level doesn't need a change of smoked glass - you can just adjust the knob!

Probably, I gave Rob W a little naive advice about auto helmets alvaible on EBay. Much needs to be added about proper safety.

I've just finished a couple of hours of MIG welding on dragging out the lifetime of a bike exhaust - found the steel to be less than a 1/4 mm in places - and so had to basically use the MIG to repeatedly spot weld to build up a decent thickness, while keeping the gas flow going.

I was using an American helmet for this and the continous spot blasting (1/4 second per spot) really started to affect my eyes. Don't know is this was the arc or just the red hot steel.

The other helmet (German Berlan BASM200) has a sustain adjustment that keeps the LCD dark for up to a second after the solar panel goes off. I didn't think of the need for this untill now - It would have really helped my eyes.

Hope I'm not falling into the trap of arc-eye,

Yours Matt

 

[shenion]

Do you see any flash when the arc starts?

Cheap helmets tend to be slow. Mine is 1/25,000 second response and has no flash. Buddy had one that was 1/1000 and it flashed real bad. Remember a camera flash is on the order of 1/10000 to 1/1000 of a sec. So, slow optics will have the same effect.

 

[LimeGreen]

Shenion,

I don't see any flash at startup whatsover with MIG 100Amps, or TIG at 50 Amps. Hopefully the specs are correct when they say 1/30,000th darkening time. By the way, is shade #9 (the minimun), eye-safe for five minutes at a time?

Unfourtanately, I've lost contact with German speakers - but :-

"Schaltzeit hell nach dunkel : 0.000033 sek" would surely mean 33 thousandths of a second?

Thanks, for your reply,

Matt,

P.S. Would you have any clue as to what's the difference between "heavy MIG" (schwer) and "Light MIG" (leicht) on the welding charts mean?

 

[irondarren]

Normally in the boxes of a nice new helmet it lists what shade to use for what amperage with what welding method, ie TIG 100 shade 10 or what ever. If your lucky weldequip my say what shade for amperage on MIG etc

 

[LimeGreen]

Hi Irondarren,

Shade charts seem to be always inside the same celophane bags that wrap the helmets; be them full face, hand held, smoked glass, or LCD.

They're nececessary for choosing a smoked filter, but for LCD surely you can just start low and wind up the outside knob, or start high and wind down?

More importantly, for MIG at least, is the delay time before the LCD shuts off. If this is less than the time between repeated trigger presses when welding really thin steel, then your eyes are blasted at each weld pulse.

As for sensitivity, both of my helmets can be set off by a 18W flourescent bayonet bulb, except that you have to remember that you're eyeballs are constantly moving, but the angle of your're forehead is what aims the solar panels.

Does anyone know what's the difference between heavy and light MIG welding though?

Also one the charts, does MAG stand for "metal non-inert gas" or "metal-arc-gouging"?

Thanks,

Matt (LimeGreen)

 

[shenion]

More importantly, for MIG at least, is the delay time before the LCD shuts off. If this is less than the time between repeated trigger presses when welding really thin steel, then your eyes are blasted at each weld pulse.

I keep mine on the shortest delay. With a fast-responding shade, there is no flash.

 

[LimeGreen]

Yeah me too,

LCD visor prices are dropping all the time - you can pick up a helmet for £60+vat from most every tool shop nowadays. Sometime within two or three years the high street will equal the quality and match the price of internet visors.

If you value your eyesight then, as far as I can see any LCD helmet might do. I haven't and am not qualiflifed as an optiction but accidently striking an ark with a naked eye is surely far more damaging than that when wearing a LCD lid.

P.S.

It's always necessary to wear a good pair of safety spec's under whatever weld helmet you are using. This is prudent even if you aren't using angle grinders between welds, since even untouched, welded steel tends to contract and send scabs of hot jagged steel directley at your face - murphies law means that is your eyeballs.

Yours, ALWAYS wear safety specs (there are some quite fashionable ones),

Matt

 

[Omniata]

It's always necessary to wear a good pair of safety spec's under whatever weld helmet you are using. This is prudent even if you aren't using angle grinders between welds, since even untouched, welded steel tends to contract and send scabs of hot jagged steel directley at your face - murphies law means that is your eyeballs.

Yours, ALWAYS wear safety specs (there are some quite fashionable ones),

Matt

Will agree, I didn't whilst doing some trial TIG work on a homemade gas bottle bracket and low and behold got a piece of metal in my eye! Didn't half sting and was blinking funny for hours...

Jim.

 

[LimeGreen]

Eye damage by pojectiles.

Hello MIG_Welding_Forum > Welders > Shielding_Gas... > Auto ...

As a regular user of MIG welding (mainly for exhaust's) I thank you for confirming my fiindings about how hard it to remove rust splinters from even one eyeball.

I'm only really responding to this topic due to how seriously you can damage your'e eyes when you flip up a welding helmet and find a scab of red hot scale flying aimed right at your face. IMHO, ALWAYS wear a pair of safety specs under your welder helmet. As a bonus, with the dark helmet up you can angle grind or hand wire brush the weld to you're heart's content.

Yours, Twenty-Twenty, and intending to keep them that way,

Matt.

 

[irondarren]

Limegreen on the better quality helmets namely optrel and esab, they have a grinding button which effectivly switchs the helmet off so it stays at its off shade. means you have a nice full face helmet for grinding, but these helmets are about £150 +, a little rich for the DIY'er , so a clear pair of safety specs under the helmet is a good idea, very much so when chipping slag from arc welding

 

[LimeGreen]

Mr Iron,

If the point of the grinding option is to desensticise the solar panel from grinding sparks, then wouldn't it make more sense to take the weld helmet off and switch over to high impact polycarbonate goggles.

This would also stop grind chips from damaging the delicate autodarkening panel.

Plus, for longer term grinding it would be far easier to then wear ear plugs and a double cartridge dust filter face mask.

It's only personal, but I'd prefer to save a weld helmet for when I'm welding or welding/light grinding.

Yours,

Matt (LimeGreen)

 

[Omniata]

I think that's why some of the SpeedGlas helmets can be fitted with a "flip up front for grinding", namely because they're assuming your all ready wearing safety specs, or really dumb...

Jim.

 

[petercabrio]

i bought one of these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-AUTOMATIC-DARKEN-WELDING-HELMET-MASK-SOLAR_W0QQitemZ250175118015QQihZ015QQcategoryZ67052QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

its good

 

[irondarren]

would never buy an auto helmet off ebay, half of them dont meet the relevant safety specification.

 

[SB Metalman]

I love my auto darkening mask but you have to be cafeful not to obstruct the solar panel or you get flashed in the eye Regards SB Metal man

 

[classic2cv]

I have a Rolson Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

i bought on ebay a few years ago

it cost me £60 then (today buy it now £39.99)

it works ok, as long as you have a well lit welding area

 

[TurboShed]

would never buy an auto helmet off ebay, half of them dont meet the relevant safety specification.

I just bought one off eBay, a Sealey one...
Are these OK for DIY MIG car repairs??

 

[Paul.]

Ive got one of those, Been using it professionally on MIG ,TIG, and MA for nearly 3 years, A good 65 quidsworth

 

[atherton]

welding helmets

im 15 and im getting a miller elite welding helmet they are quite pricey but once u have one its there for life.im thinking about getting the elite Lucky's so if u have any cheap websites i would be grateful. thanks.