Welding Tips and Tricks

I had cheap auto-darkening hoods, then got a Lincoln Viking 4C hood over a year ago.

I love the 4C filter - but .....

with all of my hoods - the Viking more than others because it is smaller, I get reflections and glare from the arc bouncing into the hood from both under my chin and over my head. Other than painting my whole shop black and wearing black clothing, are there any cuffs or attachments out there that can clip/rivet onto my hood that provide a better light seal? (Ideally something that doesn't make the hood into a humid oven!)

(I'd like to stick with auto-darkening and not go with a pipeliner!)

Thanks in advance for any responses or suggestions!!!

For above-the-helmet, I use the BSX hooded welding jacket with velcro at the top. Blocks out 90% of outside light.

Thank You!

I went to some trouble to prevent this glare. The results might not be pretty (see photo) but it works great. I got a hood for the back of the helmet; Google “ Flame Retardant Welder Protective Cape Cover Cap Hat Safety“ to see the sort of thing. Mine’s cloth rather than leather, which keeps the extra weight down. I stuck velcro around the helmet and velcro around the hood. On the front of the helmet, I cut up a leather apron and similarly attached it with velcro. I also added an extension to the cloth hood at the back with some more of the leather apron, because I was still getting glare entering.

Two things to note.

1. It adds some weight to the helmet, so if your priority is for a lightweight helmet, this might might not be for you.

2. Going to such lengths has a negative effect on ventilation. The helmet is prone to steam up afterwards, so it becomes necessary to have an air-fed helmet, or, as I’ve done, cannibalise the relevant parts from an old air-fed helmet and incorporate them into the one you’re modifying.

(You’ll see I even had to put black paint on the sides of the red visor, where light was seeping in. But the results are a comfortable helmet with no distractions from glare. By the way, the helmet is an Accu Strike chin-operated helmet, which I use for Tig because I prefer a gold-plated passive lens, but that’s a whole different topic.)

Great adaptation. I basically do the same thing with mine. I even added more Velcro on the sides to get the jacket's hoodie to latch onto to block even more light. I always use a 3M respirator and it seems to help cut down on fogging.

Thanks, Oscar. That’s really reassuring to know I’m not the only one who’s forever tweaking their helmet to get it just right.

I've done things like this. You can buy back of hood covers for most well known brands, but make sure it covers the whole of the back of the shield, gaps and all, rather than just the back of your head. I find it very bad when you are welding in an enclosed space where the light can't escape

I made a back hood for my helmet because of the errant light. I'll try a remember a pic today,
Mounts on with snaps- like a boat canvas. I need to make something around my chin as well

I make mine out of old welding jackets and rivet them on, makes all the difference in the world for me.