I’m with ya on the no helmet setups that I see on those biker build off's, i.e., tacking without eye protection. When I was running my own shop if one of my guys would have pulled a stunt like that, I would have canned them on the spot. I've been welding since I was big enough to light the torch and I'm turnin' 65 this summer. I've made a living at it on and off most of my adult life and in the hobbies also. I’ve done Gas, Stick, Mig, Tig, plasma you name it, I used it all at one time or another. I was always a stickler when it came to eye protection. My dad was the one who first taught me welding and he stressed eye safety at an early age.
The electronics reacts faster than your eye does so they are safe. The question came up as to the filter numbers. The number simply refer to the shade the lens is when darkened. The old helmets had smoked filters with a common range from 8 to 13 An eight or nine would be fine for light mig or tig welding and as you get into the heavier stuff, (higher amperage) the eleven or twelve is more comfortable. You just want to use as dark of a lens as you can and still see the puddle, and apply the same idea to the adjustment of the electronic filters.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL
