I was going to look at the eclipse today with my welding helmet. I looked at the sun way before the eclipse and it did not darken. Should it have?
Auto darkening welding helmet
- Thread starter Donald
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I just watched it on my laptop my eyes didn't even get squinty!
AZjeff
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Originally Posted By: Donald
I was going to look at the eclipse today with my welding helmet. I looked at the sun way before the eclipse and it did not darken. Should it have?
When you put your hand in front of the window then pull away it darkens for a short time. Just how they work.
I was going to look at the eclipse today with my welding helmet. I looked at the sun way before the eclipse and it did not darken. Should it have?
When you put your hand in front of the window then pull away it darkens for a short time. Just how they work.
My neighbor was looking at it through his welding helmet. He said take a look, and I did. It was pitch black until I got to looking at the eclipse. He said it was OK to look at it through the helmet.
Did a a little bit of reading, and it said to use one that is at least shade 12. Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Did a a little bit of reading, and it said to use one that is at least shade 12. Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Complete baloney!
Shade 4 is for like, cutting torches.
NO ONE sells an arc welding helmet with a shade #4 in it!
Correct.
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Complete baloney!
Shade 4 is for like, cutting torches.
NO ONE sells an arc welding helmet with a shade #4 in it!
Correct.
Yup, we were looking through welding helmets at work. Then I texted my brother real quick and told him to grab my helmet out of the garage so he could look at it too. If its an auto darken you just have to turn the sensitivity down so that it darkens when the sunlight hits it.
Some helmets are more sensitive than others. My cheap welding helmet wasn't sensitive enough when looking at the sun so I used a remote control and triggered the sensor with its IR beam. Which reminds me I need to get a new helmet because I get flashed sometimes when TIG welding at low amps.
Originally Posted By: Lasthope05
Some helmets are more sensitive than others. My cheap welding helmet wasn't sensitive enough when looking at the sun so I used a remote control and triggered the sensor with its IR beam. Which reminds me I need to get a new helmet because I get flashed sometimes when TIG welding at low amps.
I use the Miller Classic. Around $120.
Some helmets are more sensitive than others. My cheap welding helmet wasn't sensitive enough when looking at the sun so I used a remote control and triggered the sensor with its IR beam. Which reminds me I need to get a new helmet because I get flashed sometimes when TIG welding at low amps.
I use the Miller Classic. Around $120.
I can see why they say you need a numerically #12 shade or higher welding helmet to look at the sun. I have a Hobart welding helmet that has a large #10 shade and I have a no name helmet that has a small #12 shade. I prefer the #12 shade for welding even at lower amps. I have light green eyes and I think that makes me sensitive to bright light.
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: Lasthope05
Some helmets are more sensitive than others. My cheap welding helmet wasn't sensitive enough when looking at the sun so I used a remote control and triggered the sensor with its IR beam. Which reminds me I need to get a new helmet because I get flashed sometimes when TIG welding at low amps.
I use the Miller Classic. Around $120.
I have the same one. Works great.
Originally Posted By: Lasthope05
Some helmets are more sensitive than others. My cheap welding helmet wasn't sensitive enough when looking at the sun so I used a remote control and triggered the sensor with its IR beam. Which reminds me I need to get a new helmet because I get flashed sometimes when TIG welding at low amps.
I use the Miller Classic. Around $120.
I have the same one. Works great.
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Complete baloney!
Shade 4 is for like, cutting torches.
NO ONE sells an arc welding helmet with a shade #4 in it!
I don't know nothing about welding helmets because I don't weld. Just an article I read, but I do believe the writer added in the #4 shade bit because I found the original information from NASA.
"Experts suggests that one widely available filter for safe solar viewing is welders glass of sufficiently high number. The only ones that are safe for direct viewing of the Sun with your eyes are those of Shade 12 or higher. These are much darker than the filters used for most kinds of welding. If you have an old welder's helmet around the house and are thinking of using it to view the Sun, make sure you know the filter's shade number. If it's less than 12 (and it probably is), don't even think about using it to look at the Sun. Many people find the Sun too bright even in a Shade 12 filter, and some find the Sun too dim in a Shade 14 filter — but Shade 13 filters are uncommon and can be hard to find. The AAS Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page (link is external) doesn't list any suppliers of welder's filters, only suppliers of special-purpose filters made for viewing the Sun.To find out more about eyewear and handheld viewers go to https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/eyewear-viewers (link is external)."
Source: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
Originally Posted By: BigD1
Article I was reading said that most of the hardware store cheap helmets are shade 4.
Complete baloney!
Shade 4 is for like, cutting torches.
NO ONE sells an arc welding helmet with a shade #4 in it!
I don't know nothing about welding helmets because I don't weld. Just an article I read, but I do believe the writer added in the #4 shade bit because I found the original information from NASA.
"Experts suggests that one widely available filter for safe solar viewing is welders glass of sufficiently high number. The only ones that are safe for direct viewing of the Sun with your eyes are those of Shade 12 or higher. These are much darker than the filters used for most kinds of welding. If you have an old welder's helmet around the house and are thinking of using it to view the Sun, make sure you know the filter's shade number. If it's less than 12 (and it probably is), don't even think about using it to look at the Sun. Many people find the Sun too bright even in a Shade 12 filter, and some find the Sun too dim in a Shade 14 filter — but Shade 13 filters are uncommon and can be hard to find. The AAS Reputable Vendors of Solar Filters & Viewers page (link is external) doesn't list any suppliers of welder's filters, only suppliers of special-purpose filters made for viewing the Sun.To find out more about eyewear and handheld viewers go to https://eclipse.aas.org/eye-safety/eyewear-viewers (link is external)."
Source: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
I added my spare #10 filter to my #10 welding mask leaving out the cover plate. Worked great for the eclipse. Would this make it a #20 filter?
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