Northern Tool Sale on Hobart Helmets

[SteveHGraham]

Because of my welding problems, I ran all over town trying to find a decent helmet today, and by chance I ended up with a Hobart which was reduced from $189 to $119. That's a pretty good deal. Auto-darkening, AAA batteries, 9 to 12 shading. It's on sale at Northern Tool right now, but if you buy it in a store, you may have to holler at them to get the sale price.

Controls located inside the helmet, which is not all that convenient, but still.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/ ... _200322927

[ctwo]

Thanks!

I'm not much into welding, but I do have a harbor freight wire feeder. I could not find the hand-held plastic shield it came with and used some goggles that were hanging on Grandpa's oxy-acetylene tanks, maybe they were brazing goggles, but it took a good 15 minutes for the spot to go away...I thought I was a goner - just something to come back and haunt me I guess...

[already-old]

cTwo-
You will soon find out if your eyes have been burned.
It takes about 7 to 10 hrs to show up.
Symptoms: First you will start blinking more than usual you will start to rub your eyes. It starts to feel like you have sand in your eyes. Then you cant hardly keep your eyes open the pain will tend to increase nothing will seem to help. If the pain get to bad got to the ER. Normally this pain will only last 4 to 6 hrs. You will see, at night rainbow halos around lights in the dark. Sorry to tell you this I have been there from reflective flash. If none of this happen you lucked out. But be aware of eye burn from arc welding, It was one of the most painful experiences I ever had. Hey and I have been hurt a lot.

[Flybynight]

One place I worked at as a teenager. (pre OSHA)
There were no flash shields on the floor.
And you mostly get a burn from others welding.
So, there was a bottle of numbing drops to put into your eyes. Which was used almost daily.
Paying for it now.
Jim

[steamin10]

Getting 'flashed' is no fun with the infernal itching that goes with it. It usually corrects itself within 48 hours, but dont be dumb. The intense UV radiation from electric arcs can be terminal to your vision, causing tunnel blindness. Not worth it. Dont do it.

[GlennW]

Cut a cold potato in half and squeeze the juice into your eyes. It will give you some relief. My Grandfather, and my Father, who worked as a weldor for a few years, told me about it when I got my first flash when I was just a pup.

[redneckalbertan]

I've been told that used tea bags on the eyes help relieve the pain from welders flash.

As a side note. Welder's flash, or arc flash (a number of other names or phrases are used for the same thing, but I've always heard it called welders flash) is caused by the UV content of the light from the welding arc. A simple pair of clear (or any other shade) safety glasses greatly reduces the chance of getting welders flash. UVEX and North safety equiptment both claim that their lenses absorb >99.9% of UV Rays. When I was younger and dumber, (before safety glasses were manditory in most shops) I decided that I didn't need them... until I went home one night with a bad case of welders flash. After that I am hardly ever without them when others are welding around me. While wearing safety glasses in a welding shop I have never got welders flash.

[warmstrong1955]

Maybe with the right glasses......

I got arc flash years ago. Things were slow, so we built some big work benches, a big hose rack for alll the hydraulic hose, and some HD shelves. I was either tackin' parts together, or holdin' 'em for someone else to tack. Got done wwithh set up and the 2 of us welded all the toys up.

I had safety glasses on. Thru the glasses....thru my eyelidds...it'll getcha. Took a few hours after I got home that evening. Went from itchy to feelin' like I had sand in my eyes. Total bummer.

Bill

[redneckalbertan]

Maybe with the right glasses......

I got arc flash years ago. Things were slow, so we built some big work benches, a big hose rack for alll the hydraulic hose, and some HD shelves. I was either tackin' parts together, or holdin' 'em for someone else to tack. Got done wwithh set up and the 2 of us welded all the toys up.

I had safety glasses on. Thru the glasses....thru my eyelidds...it'll getcha. Took a few hours after I got home that evening. Went from itchy to feelin' like I had sand in my eyes. Total bummer.

Bill

Any glass(es) should work to reduce the UV content, the coment was made on another thread in the welding section about getting a sun burn on your arm with the window of your car down but roll that window up and notta so any glasses should work be it prescription glasses from the eye doctor or safety glasses.

UV rays bounce off of light colored objects. Some welding shops I've been to do not allow workers to wear light coloured shirts for this reason.

Were the UV rays they bouncing off a white t-shirt and comming up underneath your glasses, or were they bouncing first off of a wall behind you and comming from behing you and then bouncing off of a dusty/dirty lense of the glasses themselves. As you mentioned they are sneak buggers.

I've keep my glasses clean, and wear dark colors. The glasses that I have fit fairly close to my face not allowing much room between either the side of my face or my cheeks and the glasses. I have worn others that don't fit as well where the UV light (or sparks and debris for that matter) could get under them and get you in the eye.

I can not comment on what happened to you personally just offer what has work for me and others that I know. Except to say that feeling of sand in the eyes is too painful to keep them open but it also hurts too much to close them.

[warmstrong1955]

Sure....any glass will reduce, yes, eliminate, no.

I grew up in southern Arizona. Yes Virginia, you can get a sunburn thru the window of your pickup. Tinted windows help, but you can still burn right on thru tinted windows. A/C on, windows up, and ya get to where you're goin' after 6 hours, and you have a red band on your left arm......thazz sunburn OK....

Our shirts were dark blue. The glasses I had on, and most of us, were wrap around style. We moved to those due to previous problems with minor injuries caused by die grinders. Safety glasses, and shields, and with air blowin' around....you can still get a hit in the eye.

The Doc, who started off that night givin' me a few of drops of somethin' I don't remember what was in my eyes, moved to "OK dumass....what were you doin' ?" (neat ol' doc) After 20 questions, he told me: glasses will help, but hardly eliminate. Closin' your eyes....it'll go right thru your eyelids....closin' your eyes won't cut it. He went on about the walls, and what I was wearin' and all....

Lotsa things that help, lotsa things that reduce....regardless.... I don't care to be called 'dumass'. That was the last time I had any kind of flash, other than seein' halo's around streetlights.

Bill