Welding Helmet Light

[yomax4]

I find the silver grease pencil or sharpie do not stand out on most new (with mill scale) steel.

Also the silver streak never really has a point for accurate marking. You only dare to have a mm or two sticking out of the holder.

I get by pretty well with the streaks. There is a Red one out there too. Called Red Writer? Designed for those who don't like the Silvers. Have you tried that one? I have not.

 

[yomax4]

I use the silvers for Plasma and Torch. that's about it. To see the joint I just go lighter shade and more magnification.

 

[lennyzx11]

I use the silvers for Plasma and Torch. that's about it. To see the joint I just go lighter shade and more magnification.

Speaking of. What’s a safe shade # to back down to with mig or plasma? My auto darkening helmet seems to be a little too dark at times.

Ps. I’m a fan of the silver streak marker also.
And I have cheaters installed which was definitely one of the best things I ever learned about.

 

[dstig1]

Extra light can really help you see what you are doing, autodark helmet or not. I have used a plain old halogen worklight to throw more light on the subject when needed. Makes a huge difference.

Welding shade is a function of amperage and your comfort. There are tables you can easily search for that say what the minimum shade for what amps welding or cutting. Most plasma cutting is done with #5, O/A is oftern #4. I tend to run 10 or 11 most of the time in my 100A range. I have gone lighter to 9 at times, but I have found my eyes were seeing spots a bit, depending on amperage, but for lower amps it works good. The thing to keep in mind is that ALL welding lenses and shields protect you from the UV & IR rays, all the time, irrespective of shade. The shade only affects how much of the visible spectrum gets through. So use the tables as a guideline, and then if you think it is too dark, go down one. Seeing spots? Go up one. Play around until you are happy.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I live in Canada, so it's not possible to just walk into a place and see all kinds of neat stuff to buy. Probably more and more like what the Soviet Union used to be like.

A white paint marker with the ball on the end and the shaker ball inside might mark a seam quite well. Not sure how contaminated the surface would get.

 

[yomax4]

Light is certainly part of the program for welding. You need to be able to see what you're doing. I can't imagine trying to weld in the dark so start with good lighting. Find your comfy lens shade. All eyes are different. I use 9 mostly and 10 for Aluminum. Some use 11 all the time. If seeing the joint is still difficult get a cheater lens, Still not working go with a marker of some sort. Hopefully you are pushing your wire and not pulling it. That helps with seeing the puddle too. The older I get the more I use all of the suggestions in this thread.

 

[cqaigy2]

MIG. I agree. I have no trouble welding by feel. Where the bead goes is anybody's guess though. But that's no worse than trying to see when on flat material.

You can hear the arc on stick, but also MIG. Actually, last stick weld i did was like that, cause eyesight is so bad. I could tell in the general line to weld, but couldn't make out the puddle anymore. On a heavy skirted brushhog, so not exactly life safety.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It amazes me, how many fab shops turning out a lot of product have light not much better than a candle.

The worst thing about getting to a point where you can't see, is that you pretend that you can. I can't believe how difficult it is to plug a three prong plug into a receptacle when you can't see. Surely you would think you can do that easlly by feel, but you can't!

I prided myself on my ability to do the most delicate electronic work and that went for a crap virtually overnight. I found myself in an unfinished basement and I couldn't even deferentiate the different colors of a cable.

 

[WranglerX]

As a general comment about light.. 75 years using eyeballs issues to me at birth, had cataract surgery 4 years ago when I could not pass Calif DMV vision test for DL... After surgery passed test with no glasses, 4 years later passes test again with no glasses... Only use 2 diopter glasses (cheaters) for reading and added 2 diopter lenses to helmet.... BUT BIGGEST HELP has been turn on a light!.... Admit it as we age vision goes, adding a lot of light helps everywhere.... If you really can't see go to a optometrist or ophthalmologist to find our why...

Dale