Any welders in here? Need advice.

101stinfantry

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  • Feb 14, 2017
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    I don't do just a whole lot of welding, just from time to time. I've been using my Uncle's helmet, but now that I'm getting old I'm apparently slowly going blind, and the cheaters he has in the helmet just don't work for me anymore. So I've decided I'll just get my own. What would be a decent, affordable helmet that I can wear my glasses under? It's frustrating laying down a nice bead, that starts off in the right spot, and is an 1/8" away from the seam when I finish, cause I can't see worth a damn!
     
    My auto-darking is adjustable from a # 4 to a # 13. Plenty of room for my glasses an was only 80 buck when I bought it from Lowes. I still stick weld 125 amps + on 10 but with the wire feed set at 50 amps, I drop it to about a 8.5 shade. Best hood I have ever used to date.
     
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    Speedglas, or any other top quality auto helmet. The speed at which they auto darken is why they top quality helmets are more.
    Even after a few minutes of stop and start welding, you'll be able to notice a difference.
     
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    I have a miller elite I grabbed at a pawn shop long ago. Before that I had a harbor freight auto darkening hood that was 40$ on sale and you can adjust them. Another option is to find a welder/shooter and buy some beer or ammo anytime you need something welded up.. lots of beads can be had for some cold ones.
     
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    I use an adjustable Miller Elite helmet. I can turn up or down the darkness to ease following small lines or flat welds. The helmet is a bit more expensive, but I weld a bit more than just the occasional welder.


    This right here. I have a Miller Digital Infinity Black Ops. Cost me $385 but every cent is worth in an investment that will save my vision. I also have a Miller half face mask with replaceable cartridges that goes under the helmet.

    Miller is one of the most well known and trusted brands in welding equipment and safety apparatus. Along with Hobart. I do a shit ton of SMAW at my work, always things to be assembled, and my bosses are especially fond of the fact that I bring my own rig with me. I started out with a cheap Amico power unit and now I am running a Lincoln Electric with SMAW and TIG. I am much more comfortable with using my own equipment which I am absolutely certain of their operating conditions.

    If you are into welding, the safety equipment is something that YOU DO NOT want to thrift on. Your safety is directly in the line of fire. SMAW generates a shit ton of fumes, everything from volatile organic compounds from paint/solvents on the target surface, and much more serious shit from the arc and the flux on the electrodes being vaporized. That shit can and will fuck you up very quickly if you are not wearing a good respirator rated for both particulates and fumes. You cannot be in welding without also doing a fair amount of grinding and cutting. That will fill your face and lungs with rust dust, metal powder, and silicates very fast. I used a Dremel to cut and sand down some protrusions for just a few minutes a long time ago and when I went to blow my nose, the tissue was dark with iron powder. It looked like I just swabbed out a cartridge casing that had been fired with black powder. I never exposed my naked face to that shit again.

    I tote along both with extra cartridges safely stored in my duffel bag. They are not cheap but I am relaxing in the fact that I am taking important steps to safeguard my health. There is NO CURE at the moment for interstitial lung diseases, which happen when the individual tiny air sacs and the space between them are clogged with dust or residue. COPD and silicosis being in this category of illnesses. They are not pleasant ways to go, trust me. For the last 15 years of my father's life we cared for him as his tobacco related COPD got worse and worse. It is one of the most horrifying ways to go out there as your lungs literally fill up with undrainable fluid, and a slight cool breeze will trigger an attack that requires hospitalization and steroid injections. Steroids stopped working in the final stretch and he was intubated... Better be safe than sorry. I DO NOT operate any of my equipment without BOTH pieces on my face, fitted in, with fresh batteries and cartridges. No gear, no work is being done. I tell everybody on my crew to remember these fundamentals. Life is not a video game. There are no magical medpacks at certain mileposts. And you do not "respawn". Don't fuck around and DON'T BE CHEAP.
     
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    All the welders that work for me and I use the Miller Elite. I have one at home and one in my work truck. They recently came out with the clear light lenses technology that makes the color even better.

    I have used the elites for about 10 years now and my original one is still running strong.I based my decision on what our welders used at work. Our welders use their hoods for 40+ hours a week on construction sites. It's hard to decide based on experience from guys that hobby weld 40 hours a year. Definitely not a stab at the weekend warriors either.

    I probably only weld around 200-300 hours a year now. I just feel you get better feedback and real word info from the guys that weld all day. My first miller elite probably has 5000 hours on it now and still works great. We had one die and miller warrantied the lense.
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    I also weld with glasses on and use either a pipeliner hood or a Wendy's pancake using an ArcOne shade 11. Was using a Hobart Discovery auto dark and still like it a bit but the ArcOne lens is a lot better at seeing outside of the puddle. Some say the Wens lens is even better, haven't tried one yet.
     
    Miller Elite. Check out Zoro when they have their 20-30% off. sales or cyberweld as mentioned above. Dont go cheap when it comes to preserving vision, hearing, breathing, etc. I only weld like 5-10 hours a year tops for small projects and didnt want to skimp on any of the safety equipment.
     
    OK, I'm going to check out all the ones mentioned here. Believe me I'm not afraid to spend money............my wife believes it might be one of my biggest downfalls. As far as using Harbor freight parachutes? Fuck, I don't know where the Army sourced those fuckers from!
     
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    Jackson Nexgen, stay away from the speedglass. I also have a miller digital infinity, good hood but heavy. I'm a union Boilermaker and spend a lot of time under a welding hood, speedglass is junk.
     
    +78 for Miller Elite. I don't weld enough to be good at it but enough to justify a decent helmet. Never could get the hang of setting up and flipping fixed shade down. Probably other auto darkening hoods just as good but if this one goes out, I'll buy another.
     
    Sounds like you are trying to correct a vision issue with a welding hood / lens......... Save yourself some grief and make an appointment with a good Optometrist with experience dealing with aging welders. Tell him what you are wanting to do. It's hell, sometimes, trying to get dialed in with progressive bi-focal's under a hood. It may be best to have a pair of eyeglasses specifically for welding with a focal length of around 18"...... If your eyes and eye glasses are correct, there is no need to buy a top shelf welding hood. A basic hood with a good lens should work for you.

    Hobo
     
    I recently picked up a Lincoln 3350, and wow. I’m impressed. I’ve used a couple of different Miller Digital Elites, and almost snagged another this go round. Glad I went Lincoln on this one.