Welding Tips and Tricks

Anyone else have trouble seeing when puttin' the caps on? I've had trouble with this for a long time with Stick, Flux, and MIG on groove plates. Tried chalk, changing cover lens, turning shade down and up to no effect. All I can see is the arc and puddle, I cant tell where I'm at on the plate or how much I'm tying into the previous weld. I don't wear reading glasses either. Any ideas???

Two thoughts.

When you fill, leave a slight underfill (Don't break the lines of the groove) so you have something to look for.

If you have a "Dollar Tree" store near you, go blow a dollar on a pair of +1.50 reading glasses and give them a try. They don't magnify like a cheater, but they will tell you if a vision test will help with the problem. Trust me, you might not even know if you have degraded vision. My first eye exam in twenty years was an eye-opener. (Pun intended.) It's only a dollar, after all.

Steve

Appreciate the feedback man....is it possible night blindness could be the cause? Tried the glasses and my buddy's cheater didn't do much but make it harder to see outside the arc.

I wear bifocals and it is a real problem, I get funny looks from people when they see me wearing my glasses upside down. With some tests coming up I have to do something cause I run into the same problem you are having. I have to get a pair of large lens glasses with my far sighted prescription on the whole lens or I have to get contacts. I just found out recently that you can get contacts that cover both prescriptions. Not sure how that works.

Not to change the subject but the title of your thread is waht I like to hear after I have taken a test.

hi there,

Be care full with contacts, I heard a story about a welder that got flashed while wearing them and when he took them out they pulled part of his cornea out and he went blind.

Maybe that belongs in the welding myths section. Not sure so be wary.

Oh yeah, I remember hearing that, I wonder if that is true? Im new to glasses, had 20/20 my whole life till a few years ago.

If its true, I could just drink some milk.

Another option is to get one of those small 500W halogen lights - $10 at Harbor Freight (on sale now).

http://www.harborfreight.com/portable-h ... 66433.html

I found that when my eyes got old that it seemed the bright arc caused the surroundings to seem much darker. With the halogen light the plate and whole area is clearly visible.

That is interesting. I am going to keep that in mind for sure. Thanks for the info guys.

GWD wrote:


I found that when my eyes got old that it seemed the bright arc caused the surroundings to seem much darker. With the halogen light the plate and whole area is clearly visible.

that is exactly what I am experiencing....I'm only 24 though!

Now that I've read the halogen light comment, I've realized I have less trouble working outside in daylight. I've got a 500W on an old camera tripod I've used as a work light, but never thought to use it to light where I'm welding. I'll have to give it a try.

Steve

The extra light makes a huge difference. Last year I rigged up some truss to our ceiling and hung a bunch of old t.v. studio lights on it and ran them all to a dimmer board. I can control the lighting in my area from four different directions and angles. It' was well worth the time and effort.

Heres some pictures of the lighting setup I did in my area. All the lighting is controlled by dimmers that i can adjust however I needthem.

Top Picture....I rigged up some lighting trusses to the ceiling truss all around my area and hung some 500 watt floodlights along with some older 500 watt t.v. lights to get a nice even light from any side of what I'm working on. We had a bunch of high-output flourescent lights already in the area, but these give the whole area a nice boost. It's much easier to see what I'm doing. Also, the combination of flourescent and incandescent lighting is much closer to the daylight spectrum than either alone.

Middle Picture.....A 1K pancake light gives ample coverage by the lathe. The light is attatched to a pantograph which can raise or lower the light as need be. The cross bars in the pantograph work like a scissors lift and the lighting fixture acts as the counterweight so it stays in whatever position I put it in.

Bottom Picture.....The pantograph is hung from a traveller track so I can slide the whole thing from over the lathe to over the mill if I need it over there.

Steve

I'd be spoiled with a setup like that.

Steve

I have also suffered from this problem. Thanks for this post. I have also get some solutions from here.

You wouldn't think it, but the lighting does make a difference on your cap passes. Currently, I'm in school for an Applied Sciences Degree (focused in welding). I just took a certification test today that was vertical up and overhead with a bevel to an 1/8' landing. 1/8' 6010 was used for a root, and 3/32' 7018 was used for a hot pass, fill, and cap. Skipping all the processes that aren't with cap passes. It's simple; lighting, angle, arc length, and temp. plays a roll. Temp will determine how much arc you have with your length. The angle of what you're welding, along with your rod angle too. Lighting, as you have seemed to already have heard, is key too. If you have any other questions, I'll try to help you out on it.

Good luck with the cap passes,
Tanner Ray

Reading the comments about contacts and welding here is my take and solution. In 1996 in my mid 40's I had to use cheater lenses and reading glasses.(Pain in the Butt) I then went for my first ever eye exam and found I was ready for glasses. I also inquired about contacts telling the doc that I welded a lot and worked in a dusty,sandy environment doing heavy equip. repair and everyone said you can't wear them for welding. I was given a trial pair of soft 2 to 4 week trow-a-ways- one eye prescription, Rt. for distance and the left eye for reading, known as mono-vision prescription. Your brain reacts so fast to what your looking at and what distance it is away that you never know you have them in. Not everyone can adapt to them but for me I threw out all the cheaters and only use my glasses for back up. I never had a problem even being flashed on occasion. I also always wear safety glasses when working. If you can adapt to them you will never go back to glasses. I also swim,water-ski and mc bike ride with them and I'm never bothered by the wind or water. Most eye places will give you an exam for contacts and a few trial pair to get them dialed in for less then $100. Mine are Acuvue by Johnson & Johnson, very comfortable- I put them in at 6am and out after 11pm. and they only cost me on sale@ 1800contacts $125. for 8 boxes of 6, good for 1 1/2 to 2 years. It's like a new pair of glasses every 2 to 4 weeks and never worry about loosing them. So in my opinion after 15 years ,they are no problem for welding and cutting but still always use your PPE for safety. Ed K.

Just a thought....but would putting some of that super shiny high heat tape on the front of one's hood reflect some light back to the work piece like those old school gold lenses?