Welding 101 or how to improve for low cost.

[bg71361]

I have the Miller Big Window Elite. Nice piece, expensive yes, I weighed the options, and with the eye problems I have, I wanted what I thought was the best.

Miller - Elite™ Series Welding Helmets

 

[Iplayfarmer]

The only problem I have found is that you have to remember to actually drop the mask down before trying to weld I got used to just striking an arc and left the mask lifted. Fortunately it did not strike and only gave a short flicker.

Cityfarma

You can tell the newbies like you and me from the old timers. The old timers who have welded for years keep trying to "Nod" the hood down when it's already down.

Newbies like me will have it up and think it's totally normal to be able to see the work piece before the arc is struck.

I guess it's in the same category as thinking it's totally normal to go around the house asking "Where's the phone?"

 

[dbdartman]

You can tell the newbies like you and me from the old timers. The old timers who have welded for years keep trying to "Nod" the hood down when it's already down.

LOL! That's the truth!!!! I can't tell you how many times I've done that!

 

[sandman2234]

I still get the nod from time to time. I got a special gift from my sister in the late 80's. It was a auto darkening lens for a welding hood. I didn't think much about it, till my next door neighbor told me he was trying to talk the company into buying one for him, because he was doing some critical pipe welding that took a contorsionist to get to. They were balking at the $400 price range. I told him that I had one, and hadn't tried it, so I loaned it to him for a couple weeks till he could get one. His production increased enough for them to notice, and they got auto darkening lenses for several guys that do the "hard to get at" work.
Since then I have gotten several more of them, and have actually used one! They work well, but not well enough to make my welds any stronger. Still working on that! I have been fortunate to have a relative in the safety supply business, and friends in the welding business, which has made funding my welding learning curve almost painless.
David from jax

 

[EZ-HITCH]

My helmet is a Hobart model, I think I paid about 119.00 for it at TSC. I had a 39.00 model I had purchased from the traveling gypsies before it and that one only lasted about 2 months before it broke. The Hobart is solar powered, and if you go solar you need to remember that the helmet needs to face the sun or some other light source for a few minutes before you use it. Otherwise the darkening time can be delayed.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...I bought an automatic darkening helmet. I can now see where I am putting the stick and adjust the darkness so I can see where I am welding. The improvement is worth the cost...

Cityfarma

In a few weeks when you find your welds getting poorer or you find yourself welding with your hood about 3 inches from the work. Stop and clean the lens inside and out. The improvement will be almost as dramatic as the change to an AD hood.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

I've got another way to tell a newbie welder. He spends a full 45 seconds trying to start an arc before realizing that he hasn't connected the ground clamp to the work.

I laughed at myself many times just last night as I was doing this very thing.

 

[3RRL]

I've got another way to tell a newbie welder. He spends a full 45 seconds trying to start an arc before realizing that he hasn't connected the ground clamp to the work.

I laughed at myself many times just last night as I was doing this very thing.

Let me tell you, that trick is not reserved for newbies only!

 

[rcowan]

I've got the 3M Spedglass that my daughter used. The viewing area could be a little larger but the space is just right for glasses to fit. Some day I may buy one myself.
My future son-in-law is about to spend @$500 for a Spedglass but he welds for a living.

RC

 

[OkieDave]

I'm a bit out of date for the original discussion, but I just started a welding class, and seeing the discussion on inexpensive auto-darkening helmets, I figured I'd pass this along: Miller Classic Black VS auto-darkening helmet, adjustable from shade 8-12, for $85 shipped. No connection to the store, but I just bought one, and I'm happy with it. Beats the heck out of a standard helmet. I just can't bring myself to trust my vision to a Harbor Freight helmet.