Lens shade number?

[BrokenTrack]

There really is not enough information given to give you any meaningful advice as you never said what you were using to weld.

IF you were welding with stick rod, then by all means #10 shade is plenty and should not have bothered your eyes, assuming you did not get arc flash from early starts or something.

I prefer #11 though for welding with Flux-Core.

For bare-metal wire with no flux, I prefer #12 or #13.

It also depends on what you are welding. Stainless steel, or aluminum is going to have more reflected light so you would want a darker shade.

My suggestion is to go out and buy a better welding hood with adjustable lenses. They are only $40 now, and the phototronics in a welding hood do get weaker over time. It is entirely possibly that the speed in which your older helmet is changing once an arc is struck, could be a lot less time then when it was new. We are only talking 1/100th of a second here, but if you do the math on that, if you make 100 arc strikes in a afternoon, that is like getting 1 second of unprotected weld flash. I do not know what your helmet is getting, but that could be the cause.

I would just get a new helmet, it would be worth it.

I have got welding flash WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY too many times, and it is miserable...like sand fried up on a cook stove being thrown into your eyes: hot and gritty.

 

[BufordBoone]

There really is not enough information given to give you any meaningful advice as you never said what you were using to weld.

Actually, I believe I have received meaningful advice, despite my failure to provide sufficient info. Your advice, however, is appreciated. I see that I need to either get some other lenses or one that is adjustable.

I was welding with stick rod on mild steel.

The lens I use is an ArcOne S240-10. I think it is a good lens, even though it is not variable shade. I use it with a protective glass lens in front of it. The protective lenses are less than $5 and easily replaced. Better hoods with adjustable lenses are only $40? ****, I failed on researching that one. I'll know next time.

I'm really lucky in that I don't think I've ever been flashed. Main reason I wondered about this was that the highest I'd welded before was about 110 amps. I wondered if going up to 150 amps meant I needed a darker lens. Thanks to all the replies, I know it doesn't.

I love this place!

 

[BukitCase]

Buford, I bought this one to teach my eldest grandson, I ended up liking it better than my $400 Jackson -

Antra AH7-86- Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Huge Viewing Size 3.86X3.5" Wide Shade Range 4/5-9/9-13 Great for TIG MIG/MAG MMA Plasma, Grinding, Solar-Lithium Dual Power, 6+1 Extra lens covers …: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

A bit more than $40, but I'd already tried one of HF's hoods - ended up tossing that in the trash, never could get it to work no matter HOW much light I stored it in... Steve

 

[radios1]

Buford, I bought this one to teach my eldest grandson, I ended up liking it better than my $400 Jackson -

Antra AH7-86- Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Huge Viewing Size 3.86X3.5" Wide Shade Range 4/5-9/9-13 Great for TIG MIG/MAG MMA Plasma, Grinding, Solar-Lithium Dual Power, 6+1 Extra lens covers …: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

A bit more than $40, but I'd already tried one of HF's hoods - ended up tossing that in the trash, never could get it to work no matter HOW much light I stored it in... Steve

HF's hoods use non-rechargeable Lithium batteries, and once they die, they have to be replaced by someone skilled in electronics. the photocells don't charge the battery, they just help it along as long as the battery is good. I don't know why the misconception that the batteries get charged started, as they may explode, as they are not supposed to be charged..

 

[void777]

Try checking the gasket behind the clear lens and in front of the dark lens i like to use 2 gaskets 1 in front of the clear lens and 1 behind the clear lens i used a pipeliner helmet for years.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Try checking the gasket behind the clear lens and in front of the dark lens i like to use 2 gaskets 1 in front of the clear lens and 1 behind the clear lens i used a pipeliner helmet for years.

X2 on this. Most of the time flash burn when welding is caused by a light leak from a bad /improperly seated gasket. I always used clear lens followed by gasket then another clear lens. Always check for light leak after changing clear lens. A bright flash light dragged around the perimeter from the outside while looking thru from the back works fine. If you see any light the gasket is leaking. Best to do it in a dark to semi-dark spot so that even a tiny bit of light is visible. It only takes very small light leak to burn your eyes when you are welding for several hours. Slight redness is first indication of a leaking hood.
By the way, you can weld all day with a #8 without getting flash burned. Your eyes may get a bit strained from squinting in the light but not burned. Same thing with used too dark of a lens, it strains the eyes.
Contrary to what most people think, when welding in a dark space, use a darker lens. When welding outside, use a lighter lens. I used to use a #10 when welding inside a dark building but switch out to a #9 when outside. The reason for this is that your pupils are dilated more when in the dark so you need a darker lens to block out more of the light especially when you first light up. Outside in the sun, your pupils are constricted so you dont need as dark of a filter.

 

[Smokeydog]

The shade you need is what need to be able to see the puddle clearly without glare from the arc. If you can’t see you can’t weld good. Darker doesn’t give you more protection. Too light and glare washes out the puddle. Some welders can weld with any helmet. Some are very particular. Finding what works best for you is the trick. My friend who is a world class welder gave me beautiful Jackson professional helmet. Never could get comfortable with it no matter what I tried.

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Back flash from your environment.

 

[BufordBoone]

Buford, I bought this one to teach my eldest grandson, I ended up liking it better than my $400 Jackson -

Antra AH7-86- Auto Darkening Welding Helmet Huge Viewing Size 3.86X3.5" Wide Shade Range 4/5-9/9-13 Great for TIG MIG/MAG MMA Plasma, Grinding, Solar-Lithium Dual Power, 6+1 Extra lens covers …: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

A bit more than $40, but I'd already tried one of HF's hoods - ended up tossing that in the trash, never could get it to work no matter HOW much light I stored it in... Steve

Ordered, BukitCase. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[drizler]

Back flash from your environment.

Yup, I’d definitely look at reflective surfaces overhead and behind. I’ve got a shop rag attached to mine that flips down over the back. The main reason is sun interference but it can help with reflection issues as well.