Any advice on eye protection? Goggles look quite cool but are probably shiite, helmets are either dead cheap or FO expensive.
I presume auto darkening is good, but not essential, or is it? And no i haven't used the welder yet ......
If you are talking electric welding, ie.MIG, TIG or MMA (stick) forget goggles.
You must have full face protection with electric welding processes, or you'll end up looking like a Panda!
React-a-Lights make the job 100% easier... around £60 for a decent quality, budget version.
weldequip
I'll put a word in for Weldequips £60 budget auto head shield, just completed the other side sill on the Range Rover, as well as the usual pillar reconstruction, floors etc, etc, etc. The auto darkening bunnet has transformed my welding, not in the actualy quality of hte welds, but in the speed I could weld at, no more stopping, flicking up the shield, lining up, starting, stopping.... Just weld, stop, weld, stop.... Brilliant. The adjustable shade is great as most of the sill goes on with 0.6mm wire and fairly low current, so not a lot of light, the pillars are made of sterner stuff, needing 0.8mm wire and a bit more welly, was nice to be able ot turn the shade down for the thin stuff so I could still see what I was doing.
I can concur with Highway Star on Weldequips £60 budget auto head shield. As a newbie it was taking me forever to practice my technique, but the auto darkener has speeded up my learning curve so much I don't know how I ever managed without it!
Just basically a newbie but im a fast learner! Auto Darkening all the way! Used it a few times and it saves you all the time in the world! You probably have enough to worry about..Like me..So when starting out so go for a decent helmet and it's one last thing to worry about!
Auto darkening is the way! Ever mig for more than 20min. using goggles? You can go to the bar afterwards and tell all your friends you just came back from Florida with that facial burn! LOL. Just make sure you get name brand items, dont be cheap!
Cheap auto-darken helmets off ebay often dont auto darken quick enough. Ive owned a parweld one (broke that) an optrel one (broke that) and a speedglass(broke that to lol) mind that is over a period of about 10 yrs. Never had problems with any of them until something got dropped on them. I currently have a real cheap nasty one that someone gave me, to be honest i spend more time setting something up than i do welding it, but this weekend i spent ages welding 2mm sheet, and by sunday afternoon i had a nasty headache, so i am going to replace it with a new one, cant be done with bad eyes, certainly not because of cheap chinese junk
Yes, cheap chinese junk is never a good thing. Just to clear the "Harbor Frieght" issue up, I've personally have yet to shop there. A friend told me about the place, and am beginning to see why most serious people dont go there. I have three helmets. 1st is an old Jackson that was givin to me by my Grand dad, I have drilled small holes in it to stop fogging. Lincoln makes a great auto for about a buck, and my personal favorite is the Radnor cobra 24-ss. www.Airgas.com
Axedieselman: Beleive it or not Harbor Freight has a decent auto mask. It can be found on sale for $50. It is 1/25,000 sec response, adjustable delay and sensitivity.
Amongst the piles of Chinese junk, there are a few values. Their HVLP spayer was good, but now everyone else including major brands have the same gun for a similar price.
shades 5-13 is great. The lower shades 5,6 and 7 are great for plasma cutting.At 30amps on a mig welder im inclinded to use shade 8 or possibly 7. Also for very low power tig work the lower shades are nice. Personally for a 5-13 Esab helmet i'd say it was good value.
Thanks for the info guys I forgot to mention that the helmet on offer is the wedge shape not the new style that makes you look an exile from Southpark.
I've got one of those Eyetech babies. For MIG and TIG work down to 0.8mm sheet I've never used less than shade 9, and for grinding I wear the usual safety goggles.
Edit> I'm Kenny. I'd be inclined to go for a new later model that does 9-13 unless you are doing something other than MIG or TIG. You might find one cheaper.