Thread: Welding masks - your preferences and opinions

So with clear fitover safety glasses, I'll be safe from arc flash? I plan on learning how to Mig weld and want to make sure my eyes are properly protected.

I've bought these ones: Safety Sunglasses That Fit Over Prescription Glasses By Fuglies Sunglasses Australia

Hi DerAngriff,

I wouldn't MIG with just glasses. You'll get serious radiation burns doing that.

I don't think the sunnies are dark enough to stop the light leaching your retina. I think it will blind you and make it hard to see what you are doing.

It will certainly make the learning process more difficult. An auto helmet really helps learning a lot. Being able to see and just concentrate of the gun is a big help.

Andrew

Just a coment on safety glasses: I think they are always made from a plastic type material. If they are glass, there is no safety component. I have prescription safety glasses and they too are a plastic. Downside is that they scratch very easily.

I was very interested to know about the benefits of wearing them during welding. I would also suggest if you are not sure if you have had a welding flash, you most certainly have not. It is apparantly quite unmistakeable and excruciatingly painful.

Regards
Paul

When I did a short Tafe course in Mig welding, the requirement of stepping into the welding area was to have safety boots on and UV blocking safety glasses.

The glasses are to protet from stray UV from other welders getting to your eyes. They don't stop the light flash, just the UV burning part.
Also for the folks doing Arc they help when the helmet goes up and the slag jumps off into their faces.

They are your final layer of protection.
If someone stikes an arc in your field of vision, the UV burn can cause permanent damage.
Make sure you keep your eyes covered and that they meet the standard AS/NZS 1337.

without trying to sound like someone thats not willing to accept change i still use the old cig flip type welding sheild and find myself reaching for the tinted flip lens when using the auto sheilds because it wont darken when i give them a stirdy nod of my head (resulting in whiplash)

Originally Posted by Jarh73

This is very very interesting!

I started welding back in high school in year 8 I was 14 I guess. I have done a huge amount of welding in that time and I have had welding flash more times than i can remember!

But i have never ever experienced the welders flash that i keep reading about. It stuffs my vision like a bright light but never any sand in the eyes feeling or long term impact. Just some blurred vision for a few minutes then back to it.

The reason is now clear! I have worn glasses since i was about 7 years old and glasses must have suffcient ability to block out the the actual high enegry UV rays.

So this agrees perfectly with what Grahame has stated.

Cheers

Justin

Well Justin I can tell you you have never ever had a true dose of welder flash I have had patches over my Eyes for days on end with a real dose of flash you can not stand any form of light on your eyes

Originally Posted by Rowdy_Rod

Well Justin I can tell you you have never ever had a true dose of welder flash I have had patches over my Eyes for days on end with a real dose of flash you can not stand any form of light on your eyes

I have to agree,
Unfortunantly when I was young I did some silly things(didn't we all) And I can remember waking up at 3am in so much pain and not being able to open my eyes, Feeling for the phone and calling my parents 45min away to drive me to the hospital 1hour away and spending 2 days there having my eyes drained every hour on the hour, I think the best bit was the anesthetic they were putting in as the pain was more than halved. It was 2 weeks before the patches were permenantly removed from my eyes....I never weld without all the protection I can fit on my face now..
Also I now use a WIA battery backup auto helmet coz I found the cheap ones just fell apart after a good bit of use..
Matt

can't go past the old style flip up with an optrel/ nova auto lens. have been running it for 2 years in the mines, best of both worlds, wouldn't recommend heavy arc air gouging with any auto lens helmet though so i pop the auto out and run an 11 or 12 normal dark lens depending on day/night shift. Better focal point and concentration with smaller viewing area. lens expensive, helmet cheap, clear lenses cheap, head harness inter- changeable with just about any other face shield set up. they take a flogging and you don't worry if it gets knocked around.