Welding Tips and Tricks

My dad has dementia. He tends to break his glasses. The other day he broke a new pair, and I tried to figure out what to do. I decided to ask the experts at the store. I figured they must deal with a lot of people who break glasses. Kids with autism and so on. They were useless. They didn't have anything special. They just pointed me to their regular stuff and set me up with frames that could flex without damage.

With that lesson in mind, I figured I was better off asking about my own issues on a welding forum than in a store! There must be welders here who have conquered vision problems.

I am farsighted, and I don't see contrast as well as I used to. When I weld, I can see the puddle just fine, but everything around it is black, so I tend to weld in random directions because I can't see the joint. I own tons of reading glasses from Dollar Tree, but maybe I need something better for welding.

I'm wondering about a couple of things. First, are there frames and lenses that stand up especially well to shop use? Second, are there any new tricks out there for getting light onto the work? I have an LED sewing light with a flexible neck, and it's not bad, but I could use something more intense.

You don't say what process you are using or what materials you are welding.

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..or at what amperage. Welding at 50-70A is a lot different than welding at 300A+.

Yesterday I was using TIG to weld 22-gauge cold-rolled for practice, but I don't see all that well when welding 1/8" steel with MIG, either.

Maybe I just need to turn the shade down.

It would be nice to have some sturdy glasses made for tradesmen.

I found a 500-lumen LED lamp on Amazon. Has a magnetic base and a 24" neck.

I use a #8 glass (clear) gas lens that helps for me.

Get some prescription glasses from the optometrist for a start. Lenses can also be ordered with scratch and fog resistance. Double cross bar frames don't break so easy.

Then if you need cheaters as well for tig get glass ones for better clarity. Good quality auto hood or fixed glass in #10 and you're good to go. Remember to get the magnification combination between your specs and cheaters to get in close for accurate tig work. Don't worry if the background is dark you just need to see the weld pool clearly.

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Thanks for the help, but if I can't see the background, how will I know where I'm welding?

I turned my shade down, and things are better. Waiting for my lamp to arrive.

If you can't see enough with a #10 and magnification something is going on that I don't understand. Have you been to an optometrist?

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The problem is that the background is dark. I think the new lamp will help.

I also have a hard-to-correct habit of putting my face close to the work when I weld, so I go past where my cheaters focus. Working on fixing that.

Personally I think its easier to see in a dark environment and let the weld light up the work. Also gas lens and pyrex cup helps too as pointed out before.

I will consider all the advice and do what I can with it. Thanks, all.

Another thing to try easily to see if it helps is to use some clips to attach a shop towel/rag to the back of your helmet to stop any light getting into the helmet from behind you.

Especially with glasses (which I also wear) I find that 'backlight' tends to throw up light reflections in the glasses that makes your eyes adjust to it's brightness or creates lighter spots and then you don't see the the puddle as well.

Perhaps it won't help, but it's easy and free to try

Bye, Arno.

Arno wrote:Another thing to try easily to see if it helps is to use some clips to attach a shop towel/rag to the back of your helmet to stop any light getting into the helmet from behind you.

Especially with glasses (which I also wear) I find that 'backlight' tends to throw up light reflections in the glasses that makes your eyes adjust to it's brightness or creates lighter spots and then you don't see the the puddle as well.

Perhaps it won't help, but it's easy and free to try

Bye, Arno.

Good idea!

The lamp arrived today. Man, is it bright. The magnet is not great, but it should work on a horizontal surface. Looks like a good buy.

Chips, Arno gave you good advice, block the back light out. I have a couple of hoods that I caped off the back with old welding jackets, one leather and one cotton, it makes a very big difference.

what hood do you use and what shade are you at now? I welded by brail for years, many,many years before someone asked me if I could see the work, up until then I took for granted everyone saw what I saw and some where just better at brail than others. that lead to a quest and now I have several hoods that I can see great with and with the exception of two they can be had for around 100 bucks.

I have an orange Hobart Hood XVS. I don't have it in front of me, but I think I'm welding at 8 at 40 amps.

You don't say what helmet you have. I went from a $60 cheapy to a $250 Lincoln and it made all the difference. Now I can see!!! These are auto darkening

I will have to try the cape trick. I am finding a lot of shadows and reflections that are causing sight problems. The light from outdoors is really a bother, but the doors being closed make considerable difference,,,thus,,,the cape trick will be tried. Thank you.