Is there a helmet with contrast adjustment!

[philphil]

This might sound a bit daft, but i'm really struggling to see what is happening through my helmet no matter what the setting, as the image is way too contrasty. It may be my age and crap eyesight, but i can only see the weld puddle, everything else is black so i just have to guess where i am going. Is there such a thing as a helmet that has a contrast adjuster? My current one is a 12 year old screwfix one, is it possible that new ones are just clearer and better made with this "true colour" stuff i keep seeing being mentioned? Ta, Phil.

 

[Richiew]

It sounds daft but try getting some strong light on the weld area like an angle poise lamp or similar. It does make a difference.

 

[carbon]

My current one is a 12 year old screwfix one, is it possible that new ones are just clearer and better made with this "true colour" stuff i keep seeing being mentioned

True colour means just that, when the lens is not dark it’s possible to see colours rather than the green the older ones did. I have both but prefer my old one when mig welding aluminium. More light is always better when welding.

 

[zzr1200]

A true colour adjustable shade helmet, is the way to go.

Not a bad starting point:-

Bohler Guardian 62F Auto Darkening Welding Helmet

Key Features True colour welding helmet Shade range - 4,5-9 9-13 Air fed PAPR - No Arc sensors - 4 Grind mode - Yes Diopter / cheater lens - No Viewing Area - 62 x 98mm 2 year warranty

www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk

 

[caprinut]

I have the same problem, shed some more light on the subject, and the helmet stayed dark. Trialed an idea I had using a pen to draw a line, that dispenses ink that would flouresce in the ultra violet from the welder, didn't work, I bet there is something out there that does. I don't think the question is that it is green or natural colour when it's not activated rather that the area around the weld pool goes dark so that you see can't anything except the pool.



Bert

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Not going to divert this tyhread.
Working in a boat repair yard today.
The welder was welding in a patch part, but had top change his position.
The helmit had a large, easy to use knob, in red, on the side of the helmet.
When asked what it was, the guide I was with answered.
It allows the welder to see the pool better in differant light levls.

Is this a true fact or a bit of BS on the guide.

The boat was a steel hull fishing boat in Penzance. Up on bloicks on the wall. Any one doing the work?

 

[hotponyshoes]

Not going to divert this tyhread.
Working in a boat repair yard today.
The welder was welding in a patch part, but had top change his position.
The helmit had a large, easy to use knob, in red, on the side of the helmet.
When asked what it was, the guide I was with answered.
It allows the welder to see the pool better in differant light levls.

Is this a true fact or a bit of BS on the guide.

The boat was a steel hull fishing boat in Penzance. Up on bloicks on the wall. Any one doing the work?

That sounds like a standard shade adjustment knob.
If the bright sun was shining on the work then you might want a darker shade level on the helmet than if you were welding something below the decks in the dim conditions.
Those would be extreams though.
Most welders working in a workshop/at a bench would have a shade that they prefer to weld at and would only adjust the shade of the helmet to suit the amount of light given off by the weld, ie, for tig at 50a I might prefer a shade 9, that would make the arc dark enough so I could actually see it and the puddle without getting blinded but also keep the rest of the glass light enough so I could see the gap I needed to fill.

If I then swapped over to doing some mig at 200a I would need to turn the shade up (make it darker) to get the same level of visibility. Although I would need to make it darker to see the brighter arc as clearly I would still get some extra visibility of the surrounding area as it would be getting illuminated better from the brighter arc.

The shade adjustment just controls how dark the adf goes when it detects an arc. It is not a contrast adjustment.

I would suggest to the op that he takes the helmet into the house under some constant lighting and plays around with the shade adjustment using a remote control to check it is actually working.
If it is then run a weld on a bit of scrap and see just how low you can go on the shade until you can see the puddle clearly and see what the surroundings look like at that level.
If you still can't see properly then get an eye test.
Enough people manage fine with cheap masks that I would suggest getting your eyes tested just incase you have an issue that could be aggravated by straining to see when welding.
If it turns out that it's just a bit of dimming vision then there are hardware options that make a decent difference.
Something like the optrel autopilot will control the shade for you based on your desiderata viewing level.
You just set it to where you find it comfortable on any random weld, turn the autopilot on, and it keeps itself at exactly the same setting regardless of what type of welding you are doing and if you move outside etc.
Some of the higher end helmets also have variable adf's so they can control segments of the viewing area independently and these are probably the best thing you are going to find in terms of contrast.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@hotponyshoes

Thanks for that.
Cleared a lot up.

 

[philphil]

All good advice, thanks everyone. Think i'll get a more modern true colour helmet then and place a strong led light next to the piece. That should improve things i guess..

 

[addjunkie]

Some timesif there is too much light intothe back of the lid it makes it hard to see the pool too.

 

[Morrisman]

Some timesif there is too much light intothe back of the lid it makes it hard to see the pool too.

In the past I’ve taped cardboard along the top of my helmet to stop overhead flouros blinding me from behind when welding.

 

[Blue Chips]

It sounds daft but try getting some strong light on the weld area like an angle poise lamp or similar. It does make a difference.

Some timesif there is too much light intothe back of the lid it makes it hard to see the pool too.

In the past I’ve taped cardboard along the top of my helmet to stop overhead flouros blinding me from behind when welding.

...Trialed an idea I had using a pen to draw a line,...

All good things: Shining extra light on the welding path, eliminating extraneous light inside your helmet, drawing a contrasting line parallel to the weld path (such as a white line with a soapstone marker), etc.

Here's a link to an example of shining bright light on the weld path: https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/stuff-you-have-made-today.67127/post-1824507

Note: I took those photos last year through my previous welding helmet. I have since upgraded to an Optrel Crystal 2.0 helmet, which has noticeably improved visibility, both before and during welding.

 

[Hitch]

What's the front cover lense like...
Have you put a new one in?

 

[Munkul]

It's not even so much the true colour, it's the quality of the ADF (auto darkening filter) and the lenses. You can't put a number on contrast.
The top end ADFs from 3M, Esab, Lincoln, Optrel etc are incredible, a different world to the cheap ones, whether green or true colour. Still absolutely nothing wrong with the older Speedglas green filters, they're awesome. But I prefer true colour, no real reason for it.

As Hitch says, if you don't have a new lens, get one! Even the best ADF is impossible to see out of with a cloudy front lens.

 

[Trevorleach]

What's the front cover lense like...
Have you put a new one in?

I replaced mine the other day, old one was so bad when welding the view was like being at the front of a starship going into hyperspace, have since read they dont last very long at all.
So pkt of 10 for 15 quid.

 

[philphil]

It sounds daft but try getting some strong light on the weld area like an angle poise lamp or similar. It does make a difference.

I'll try a nice bright led light next to the weld, see if that helps.

 

[philphil]

I have the same problem, shed some more light on the subject, and the helmet stayed dark. Trialed an idea I had using a pen to draw a line, that dispenses ink that would flouresce in the ultra violet from the welder, didn't work, I bet there is something out there that does. I don't think the question is that it is green or natural colour when it's not activated rather that the area around the weld pool goes dark so that you see can't anything except the pool.



Bert

I'm going to try one of the welders pencils off ebay. Probably garbage but they are so cheap it's worth a try..

 

[philphil]

What's the front cover lense like...
Have you put a new one in?

Didn't know they were meant to be replaced periodically (yes, a bit thick..) and sure enough they are not in great nick. Ordering some replacements shortly!

 

[Hitch]

It'll be night and day, if you've been using the same cover lense for 12 years it must be pretty scratched up now.

 

[Pond frog]

Every time I change my lens cover I’m amazed at how bad I’ve let it get it kind of sneaks up on you.
I should just schedule a lens changing date in my calendar every few months