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Posted by Chriscase [76.212.172.54] on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 13:04:31 :
In Reply to: Welding helmets... posted by Jon Kelly [32.176.153.59] on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 09:47:01 :
I was running a milling machine while the welder did his thing, behind a screen. The reflection off the white painted wall did me in.
Lately I've been using a cheapie auto darkening hood from Harbor Freight. Love it. One of my problems is my pointy head, a neck snap sends the hood flying. Plus the degenerative disc in my neck. But the cheapie does have a problem when I weld inside of a stainless tank, or in the direct sun.
This eBay one looked good to me, made in USA, cheaper than Miller's:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200334006927&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
It's an HTP STRIKER Ultra XL. Has the lightest 'light' stage I've seen.
But re: flash burns: The tint is only a varable to visible light. The raw glass plus the plastic layers are what protects against IR and UV. My flash burns ware from the broad spectrum, I don't know whether you can even get flash burns from only visible light. But you fersure can get your eyes tired, from constricting your pupils just as far as they can get. And I don't know if the visible brightness that gets through does permanent damage? Or just tire out the retina? Temporary blindness without the feeling of having silica sand poured in?