handyandy
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:07 PM |
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welding mask
Hi all,
i,m currently attending a welding course at my local technical college, in preparation for starting my build, the welding masks they supply are of
varying darkness/tint level & have found quite hard to see at the first point of starting a weld, a fellow student( ha ha i,m a mature student now
) has a helmet that allows you to see clearly & instantly darkens the moment the trigger on the torch is pressed, what a difference this made!
want one gotta have one but question is which one to buy, any suggestions?
cheers
andy
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Chippy
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:30 PM |
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Purchased mine new off of Ebay, think it was around £30, works great. Sorry can't remember the seller. Cheers Ray
To make a car go faster, just add lightness. Colin Chapman - OR - fit a bigger engine. Chippy
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Davey D
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:37 PM |
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i got this one from my local EngWeld
http://www.engweld.co.uk/Protective_Clothing/Electronic_Welding_Helmets/i1070/ENGWELD_Aegis_ADF_Welding_Helmet.html
i think it was somewhere around £50ish?
i still cant get used to relying on the auto tint. i have been a welder/fabricator for so long using an ordinary screen, and lifting it up/ flicking
it down with a nod of the head, that i still do that with my autotint screen 
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blakep82
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:48 PM |
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I don't think i could ever trust an auto tint mask, just on that chance it might not work. coz you won't know until its too late
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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Simon
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:50 PM |
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I bought one of these
Do a search as they also do them on BIN for about £28.50, iirc
Seems ok to me, though obviously not as good as the ones at work (which were 9 times the price )
ATB
Simon
[Edited on 4/2/09 by Simon]
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handyandy
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| posted on 4/2/09 at 11:59 PM |
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thanks all,
i must say that the thought of it not tinting quickly enough or not at all didn,t enter my head, not a nice thought, may i ask possibly a very silly
question???
why wouldn,t it auto tint?
btw i,m enjoying learning to weld, & feels like i,m on my way to starting my dream. tho the plan was to build the haynes roadster but now i,m
REALLY tempted to wait for the single seater .
cheers for your input/ advice.
andy
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James
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 02:33 AM |
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So it doesn't work.... so close your eyes!!!
You'll cope with a short blast with no problems.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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speedyxjs
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 07:02 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
I don't think i could ever trust an auto tint mask, just on that chance it might not work. coz you won't know until its too late
The battery they use powers the lightening of the lens, not the darkening. So if the battery were to run out, it would just be like using the old
fashioned style mask.
Mine was cheapest on ebay two years ago and is still going strong
How long can i resist the temptation to drop a V8 in?
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londonsean69
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 08:03 AM |
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As others have said, even if the Auto-tint doesn't, a small flash is not the end of the world. Mine is also solar powered, which tops up the
little battery.
You will see sparkles for a bit, but won't have the 'gritty' feeling you get with full on Arc-eye.
Auto-masks can make a huge difference to your welding, as can a decent machine, with the correct wire and gas for the job. I have an El Cheapo bought
of Eblag, and whilst it does the job, the darkening can be a bit slow (even when set to fast) and the darkened shade is not consistent, sometimes it
is a lot darker than others.
As such, I may well treat myself to an ESAB, but as they are about £200 I will probably get a Parweld, they are about £60 and have very good things
said about them on the forum.
Why not have a lookie on Welding-Forum
Nice bunch of guys, with skills from total novice through to full time welder/fabricators, all sorts of projects ongoing and a good lively debate now
and then.
Sean
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 08:16 AM |
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Yeah mine needs power to lighten it not darken so there's no possibility of getting caught out if the battery goes flat. I can also change the
darkness level to suite the power level I'm welding so you can fine tune it to see the weld pool perfectly, no more squinting through the glare.
Honesty if you are welding buy one, before I got it I'd been in hospital 3 times with weld flash but since I got the auto one never once have I
seen a flash.
Even better is the ability to keep the helmet down all the time and position the welder where you want it before starting rather than flicking the
damn thing up and down every time you stop.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 08:54 AM |
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Even if the helmet doesn't darken, it's already tinted - probably as much as a gas welder's mask.
You will see spots before your eyes for a while, but the UV will be blocked so no permanent damage.
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handyandy
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 09:06 AM |
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thanks all, yep i,m off to get one today, it really did make it easier for me, i could see the weld pool clearly & my welding felt more controlled
& not "in the dark so to speak"
just waiting for the book on the single seater????
right , anyone need any welding doing? i need to practise.
cheers
andy
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02GF74
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 09:37 AM |
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I may have posted aboutthe one I have - od a search.
Box printed in america but I reckon it is Chinese origin.
Worked reasonably well but was a bit blurred.
I had a welder come do my Land Rover chassi and we discussed my mask - he took a peek and then peeld of the plastic protection strip off the lens -
now it is very good indeed.
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handyandy
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 09:42 AM |
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he he as in religion...... "i.ve seen the light"
andy
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Peteff
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 10:39 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
I don't think i could ever trust an auto tint mask, just on that chance it might not work. coz you won't know until its too late
They are shaded to grade 4 before activation so if it doesn't darken you are still covered. By the way, it is the UV which causes the burn so if
you have plain glass in front of your eyes you will not get arc eye just a bright spot.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 5/2/09 at 11:12 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
I don't think i could ever trust an auto tint mask, just on that chance it might not work. coz you won't know until its too late
They are shaded to grade 4 before activation so if it doesn't darken you are still covered. By the way, it is the UV which causes the burn so if
you have plain glass in front of your eyes you will not get arc eye just a bright spot.
Yeah even plastic safety specs if anti UV treated will prevent weld flash (the sore kind). We had to wear wrap-around specs in the last company’s
workshop simply for this reason as welders were all over the place working away
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