Just wondering what shade lens your using in your welding helmet? I'm thinking the Speedglass #11, Although Miller has a variable shade in about the same price range. Is variable that necessary if you are not Tig welding? Thanks for any thoughts, Craig W.
I have a Miller Big Window Elite, and I can adjust the shade from 9-12(I think). From what I have found & heard, 10 or 11 is good all around for mig welding. I leave mine on 10. I could probably see the puddle even better at 9, but it might only be better til my eyes burn out from it For what it's worth, my Miller helmet has done well for me Dan
I use a dark as you can stand it and ware cutting glasses under the helm for when i have it raised so limited flash burn from other wellders....Roach.
Go for the variable. That way you can adjust the shade as you need. If you are doing short fine work at low amps, bump it down. If you are burning in some big pieces, bump it up. I love my variable Jackson helmet. In fact I just bought a new big window one the other day. 11 is a good shade for most MIG/TIG work. but if you do it alot and/or your eyes hurt or you can "see" the weld spark even after you close your eyes, turn the shade up. remember 9 is darker than 12. <--Wrong!
if all you will ever do is mig , the 11 shade would be fine..but of you plan on tig sometime in the future i'd suggest you get one that goes to 13 yes, the higher the number the darker it is minnesota
Hmm. you are right. darker is higher.. Maybe my Jackson helmet isnt all that good, I swear thats the way it works.. I will have to look at it. (welding class was a long time ago for me) I did find this chart if anyone wants to be extra safe. http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/knowledge/articles/content/weldinglenses.pdf
Over the years I have been going to a lighter shade cause I cant see as well as I used to. I use a 9 for everything now. As said above use the darkest lens You can see good with. The lenses will get lighter as You get older. FEDER
As dark as you can get and still see the puddle, trust me it will screw your eyes up if you use a light shade too much. I am a big fan of the Miller big window elite, i have two of them.
i use a 13 for aluminum because the ac high frequency is so so bright. and i use an 11 for everything else. i did notice the older guys always used 8 and 9 and some serious cheaters but they said thats the only way they can see anymore from being half blind lol. but the darker is the better and i prefer the wide screen tv to the key hole!! the only gripe i have is that finding cheaters for the big screen was not that easy but that was 8 years ago before i retired from the sheet metal workers union.
Depends on the amperage you are using. TIG welding thin sheet,compared to Arc welding thick plates, you might want something different.
Has anyone used one of those SpeedGlas helmets? It's hard to tell from the advertisement pics, but does that thing have a digital display or something? I'll be taking a welding class soon and was trying to decide what kind of helmet to get.
kustomkarma, I just got a new speedglas its not digital but it has light bars that light up when you change shades or speed. Its a real nice hood but almost too fancy for me to understand.
OSHA requires I think an 8 up to 150 amps TIG. Maybe I am mis-remembering... but an 11 is WAY dark for tig work - you can't see shit.
I also believe it has alot to do with your eyes . Blue and green eyes are more sensitive to light, so think about that too, what shade one guy uses, might not be enough for you. I recommend the variable shade, its easier to choose a setting thats best , than be stuck on one.
I have the old school, flip down, big window helmet, with a 10# gold shield. I was told to go up one to two steps for aluminum, but I like the 10#the best. I have been kicking around the auto dark but as a "old guy" i find it hard to change.
I am a chicken shit when it comes to taking chances with my eyes. For many many years I used a lens that was too dark to see just thinking I was safe at least. An instructor in a class, icar I think told us we had to see our work while welding. I said how do I know if I go too light on the lens? He said just keep working down until you can see what your doing. It worked. I weld much better than ever before and can actually see the colors of the impurities swirling around in the weld puddle. A cheater lens helps us old farts too. This is body work welding I do most of the time. I am very careful that no one grabs my hood when they are going to make a car trailer or something with long continuos welding. 9 works for me but I have a 10 for the bigger jobs. Steve
depends on material and amperage. personally i like the shade 12 gold lense. easier to see the puddle. of course i could be wrong because i am still learning these things.
I don't do much welding but when I do I use a #11 lense and than shine a really bright light on what I am welding so I can see better. This works for me but like I say, I don't do a lot of welding. It might have some adverse effects over a period of time.
9 and 10 on My lens, MIG or Tig, I've never noticed a difference with settings on the welders vs what I could see. Just had to use my old helmet with a 11 shade a few days ago, man, I could barely make out what I was trying to weld (was with my Mig). I read somehwere a 5 shade is needed to keep from gettnig a flash and causing damge to the eye, probably correct since most auto darkening helmets sit at th 5 shade for default, so even if they dobn't "darken", you don't get a welding flash...although it'll still cause your to close your eyes
Been tig welding for years with a 10 gold lenz just switched to a 9 for thin work.I was told the gold lenz has more protection than plain as long as there are no scratches.With the gold lenz you can safely step down a shade and still have ample protection.Been useing a huntsman wide lenz and tried a good auto darkning helmet once,got so damed confused if my lid was up or down because it always seemed bright i flashed the shit out of myself.Kept lifting and forgetting it was a auto,i stay far away from them as i can.
I know its an old thread but didnt want to start a new one.... was searching on here for so info but now I need help. I am taking a tig welding class in January and buying the accustrike.com welding helmet. it comes with a shade 9 green lens. Question: should I buy the shade 10 & 11 lens in gold or green? what is the advantage of gold vs green? do i need the 12 too while im at it? thanks john
Being a professional welder myself for the last 8 years (young buck-28...) I use it as dark as I can get it. Relatively in a 10 for mild steel and 11 for AC aluminum HF TIG welding. I like the gold preferably from my experience on the fixed shade. But 12, honestly, is unless you have REAL sensitive eyes. It is all what appeals to you. That is just my honest opinion. If you need any pointers on TIG welding, i'll be more then happy to help as well. Hope this helps.
thanks for your help,,,yes this is a fixed shade helmet... ill pick up the 10 and 11 in gold.. thanks again.. just wanted to confirm with someone else... john
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