Welding Caps

[FjerrFjerrson]

So this one has been a bit of a puzzler for me.

A number of times when I have been welding/grinding/etc. I seem to end up with some lovely hot sparks down the back of my head and neck. At first I really didn't think anything of it - it was just "something that happens" and that I needed to man-up and take it. However, the more it happens or I think about it, the more I get peeved by it. I can see how it happens when grinding, but when i'm welding I have my big auto-darkening helmet on. (It's not totally head-covering I know, but still...)

I've seen a bunch of welding caps around t'internet and I was just wondering what others thought of them? I don't know anyone personally who uses one, so I thought I'd broach the topic here. I've been close to buying one, but decided to hang back and get some feedback on them first - as I don't want it to be "yet another thing gathering dust in the garage" if it turns out to be a useless item. I suppose if nothing else, their "colourful" designs could make for interesting conversation!

Has anyone here had any experience with them? Worth the ££ or are they a waste of money? If not welding caps, are there any other alternative items worth checking out? I'm open to any thoughts and feedback regarding them.

Cheers,
Fjerr

 

[Tigman]

I wear a cap back to front so the peak covers the neck , very good when your working over head , my middle parting was getting wider so its a must for me !

 

[TechnicAl]

Kromer is the standard welders cap

the gaudier the better

 

[blenkie1]

Wear one all the time, at work and when welding at home. Like tigman says when you are working underneath something it helps. You can get boiler suits with hoods sewn in which are even better.

 

[Hitch]

There's loads of options, probably the easiest is a backwards baseball cap.

Or proper Kromer hats.....

Or there's ones a bit like a medieval hood..
Or there's one like you might see an Arab wearing, bit of a hat thing, then a large fabric bit that cover your neck and shoulders.....

 

[Drains]

If you go for a Kromer, decide on what shape - they do deep caps which will go over your ears and normal ones which don't. I like an over-ears one myself but it's not the kind of thing I'd wear out to the pub.

They do save you from the spatter. You can tell a well used one as it'll be full of holes (too old, too much washing, no flameproofing left). A bit like your head is now, probably.

I notice that in New Zealand, welders seem to use the medieval hood thing as standard.

 

[Welderpaul]

If i'm doing any serious welding, i go for the medieval-type hood. Stops you getting a bright red neck where the light sneaks past your helmet, saves you getting spatter in your lug hole, and makes you generally look quite scary.

 

[gavuk]

Me too ,I don't care how stupid i look for overhead or under cars,I always go for a hood ....HOOD...I have a chrome leather cap but it doesn't protect the neck nearly as well ,does save the ears though...

 

[outofthefire]

I use a hood as well for overhead or under cars, I have a couple of Kromer caps that I use in summer in winter I wear a baseball cap back to front

 

[FjerrFjerrson]

Hmm, I quite like the idea of the hoods. They appear to cover most of the head (minus the face) and neck, whereas something like the Kromer Caps would simply cover the top of the head, plus some of whatever the peak of the cap covers.

Now... if there is such a thing as a hood, with the... flamboyant artiness... of the Kromer Caps, then we're definitely onto something!

Something that just came into my field of awareness earlier today is the "Doo-Rag". They look canny but I would imagine they offer pretty much the same as the Kromer caps in terms of protection? Anybody here tried them?

 

[outofthefire]

Something that just came into my field of awareness earlier today is the "Doo-Rag". They look canny but I would imagine they offer pretty much the same as the Kromer caps in terms of protection? Anybody here tried them?

I have one of them too, a leather one. Which would be ok if you could clean the lining somehow

Now... if there is such a thing as a hood, with the... flamboyant artiness... of the Kromer Caps, then we're definitely onto something!

Search welding hood in ebay, heres just a selection

 

[nickk]

i've worn a bandanna since '97 which coincided with a period of hair loss & my girlfriend commenting on the dirty headboard! i find them the most comfortable & easier in use than a baseball,get them from BOC,dont know how long the flame retardancy lasts i've never been hot headed since wearing one though!the hood looks a very protective cover, perfect for o/head work.

 

[pedrobedro]

Bandanas and doo rags remind me of this age old tradition.