How to weld in a straight line?

ovrszd · Oct 30, 2017

You can buy lense covers for your helmet with a magnification made into them. Probably have to go to a welding shop. Would be similar to those reading glasses you can buy at Wal-Mart.

ovrszd · Oct 30, 2017

/pine said:
A cheater lens might help some...

Ooppss, I missed this post, sorry for the double suggestion.

dragoneggs · Oct 30, 2017

Cord said:
Yes, I'm having a very hard time seeing the weld puddle. Heck of time trying to get my edges to stitch because I can't see them. I find myself over compensating by shoving my face right into the weld.

Cheater lens installed in my auto darkening Miller low end helmet and bright work lights helped me tremendously.

ovrszd · Oct 30, 2017

dragoneggs said:
Cheater lens installed in my auto darkening Miller low end helmet and bright work lights helped me tremendously.

Where'd ya get em?

/pine · Oct 30, 2017

ovrszd said:
You can buy lense covers for your helmet with a magnification made into them. Probably have to go to a welding shop. Would be similar to those reading glasses you can buy at Wal-Mart.

TS Co. stocks the magnifying lenses and I think Home Depot has them too...Some Ace hardware stores have them...

Scroll down just a bit...
The Home Depot

welding lens magnifier, at Tractor Supply Co.

crazyal · Oct 30, 2017

I find that my eyes are bad enough so it takes very little dirt or smoke on the helmet lens to make it very hard to see. If you do try a cheater lens post back on how much it helps. I've resisted using my glasses while welding simply because my close vision is pretty good while my distance is going. 10 years ago I had just a single prescription but now I have progressives and I don't know how easy it would be to find what angle I need to be looking at for it to be clear. I have toyed with the idea of getting helmet with a larger lens.

ovrszd · Oct 30, 2017

Both my helmets have large lenses. I wear bifocal glasses and sometimes struggle a bit getting my head tilted right. Minimal correction for distance. Considerable correction for reading and close work. I'm considering magnification lense in the helmet, then look thru the top part of my glasses?

yomax4 · Oct 30, 2017

Ditto - Mag/Cheater Lens. Everyone will get to that point. I like to use Silver Streak or even Silver Pencils for my lines. They light right up with the arc. 3x more than a soap stone.

dragoneggs · Oct 30, 2017

ovrszd said:
Where'd ya get em?

At my LWS. They just asked me what power and I said 2.0 and it was done. Not expensive either... they slide right in.

dragoneggs · Oct 30, 2017

ovrszd said:
Both my helmets have large lenses. I wear bifocal glasses and sometimes struggle a bit getting my head tilted right. Minimal correction for distance. Considerable correction for reading and close work. I'm considering magnification lense in the helmet, then look thru the top part of my glasses?

Shield Arc is the one that first suggested I wore my cheaters... and that was 'eye-opening'...but I hated the viewing head angle they were causing and also the hassle as it meant two operations everytime I put on or took off my helmet! :smiley_aafz:

Mounting the lenses in the helmet was a godsend. :cool2: