Re: Disco Floors - what an embuggerance of a job!

Occasionally. On light industrial kit at least (say less than 200A), it's 'orribly bright, you squint and avert your eyes reflexively, and usually bugger up your current weld. Then you have a spot on the accurate bit of your eyes for 20 minutes or so.

Its only bloody fools who actively weld without a mask who'll get weld flash problems, like the second case you describe. There was one of those biker build off programs where some macho pillock did it and had I think 2 days off the job afterwards. It apparently feels akin to having sand rubbed in your eyes - like bad snowblinding, and from the same cause, the UV in the weld and not especially the brightness of the arc.

TIG welding seems to generate significantly more UV than other processes. I did not more than 40 seconds of it and got distinct sunburn on my T shirted arms. Cheap auto masks, with solar panels don't seem to work well on TIG - I've had to go back to my old battery powered mask.

Steve

before

As I understand it, there is a UV filter on those helmets that will save your eyes even if they don't go dark. So if they fail 'open' you will suffer very short term flash blinding (a few seconds) but the real uv damage is avoided. If the batteries fail (and even the light driven ones have rechargable batteries) then the off mode is dark anyway.

AWEM

I'm on me second brilliant bit of kit, failing ? can't see how they give low level UV protection till you strike the arc if it doesnt kick in you stop, worst you get is akin to eyestrain or sand in the eyes if you are silly and something those who have normal visors and live torches will be familiar with. Sooner or later with the visor up you touch the job and accidentally create an arc like for example when you are looking to see where the weld actually went. Worth noting ( been a topic on welding forums) you can get slight UV effects by wearing light clothing when you weld which reflect UV behind the mask. I got mine of fleabay (que'elle surprise ) see

cost me $35 ( inc post) and sold my old lightly scuffed one for £21 +postage Derek

OK so from what you and the others have said, it's the UV that does the painful damage but a proper mask filters UV all the time and the LCD is only for the visible light, which doesn't do anything other than very short term damage, someone correct me if I'm wrong please!

Cheers all.

from what I've read if they fail then they fail safe.

which would make sense in the world we live in.

Lee D

They are bloody great! Get one before you next do any welding!

Yep, the things screen UV permanently.

Steve

IIRC I paid 40-something quid for one from eBay c/w gloves and a spare front glass. Downside is that it has a lurid Spiderman design on the outside - but I can't see that, of course!

Arc eye is spectacularly painful and results from the UV energy lightly cooking the cornea.

Richard