Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm 43 yrs old, been welding for 25 years. About 5 yrs ago my perfect eye site started going south. Now I'm using reading glasses under my shield, 1.75 or 2.00 mag. I still cannot see the puddle, joint path clear enough to lay down consistent beads. I've tried cheaters but they constantly fog up. I'm using a Miller elite sheild. I noticed in the videos that Jordy wears glasses and manages to produce quality beads repeatedly. I'm a master welder when I can see whats going on. Lately I've been welding on feel and sound more than site. Any advice????

Talk to your eye doctor.

Hey,
Welcome,


Allow me to expand a little. Reading glasses seem like a good start, but as AK said, a visit to the optometrist is essential, to work with you and find the best corrective lenses for the task, instead of just a patch up cure.

Mick

weldin mike 27 wrote:Hey,
Welcome,


Allow me to expand a little. Reading glasses seem like a good start, but as AK said, a visit to the optometrist is essential, to work with you and find the best corrective lenses for the task, instead of just a patch up cure.

Mick

OptHALMOLOGIST .phd
Optometrists are glasses salesman at Walmart.

Wagin,
I'll be 50 in a month and have similar trouble. I like to use the smallest helmet I can find and that usually translates to one with a 2 x 4 lens. I have progressive bifocals and you can't lean your head back far enough to get to the higher power portion of the glasses without running out of helmet lens. It seems a little easier with a large lens helmet, but still sucks.

I do also use a 3.00 cheater and it helps with the small lens if I'm working at less than arms length. If I have to weld out of position then it's a crap shoot if I'll be able to get a clear picture of the weld. So I feel Ya here brother. We need to build a helmet with an adjustable cheater like a pair of binoculars. In my case it might have to be available in the Hubbell version pretty soon.

Len

Wagin, I got by on "readers" for a few years,but soon found myself in the same boat as you. I signed on to the company vision insurance, and got a proper eye exam (first time in two decades), and, boy, what a difference! Your eyes will not degrade equally, so a fixed reader is usually only "close" for one eye, or at best a compromise between the two.

My safety glasses are prescription bifocals. WITH the line, so distance and near vision are distinct region. (HATED progressives for the same reasons Braehill stated.)

I also had them set the bifocal very high on the lens, which works well for welding in almost all positions. I only wear them at work, so the high-bifocal isn't a problem while driving.

BTW, the vision insurance was pretty cheap (like $4.50 a week for my wife and me), and my work has an "allowance" to help pay for prescription safety glasses. In fact, my previous vision insurance had a "safety glasses rider" that paid for one pair at %100, every two years.

Steve S

I welded the last 4-5 years with failing eyesight and finally they were going to take my drivers (could not even see the lines, never mind the actual letters) license from me. I ended up getting an eye exam, followed by cataract (one eye) surgery last year. Talk about a miracle. I can do most tasks without glasses at all now. The new eye is better than my other natural one.

I was essentially looking thru white fog otherwise. Reading glasses, while helping the one better eye compensate for the bad one, magnified the problem with the bad one that many times over so it was worse in some ways.

My eye doctor likely doesn't realize it but, I thank him every day when I strike an arc or read my tape measure.

Hey,

Optometrists are the go to for glasses, which i was refering to, and an Opthamologist treats eye diseases with surgery. I had to google it, but there you go.

Mick

wagin wrote:I'm 43 yrs old, been welding for 25 years. About 5 yrs ago my perfect eye site started going south. Now I'm using reading glasses under my shield, 1.75 or 2.00 mag. I still cannot see the puddle, joint path clear enough to lay down consistent beads. I've tried cheaters but they constantly fog up. I'm using a Miller elite sheild. I noticed in the videos that Jordy wears glasses and manages to produce quality beads repeatedly. I'm a master welder when I can see whats going on. Lately I've been welding on feel and sound more than site. Any advice????

I have a miler elite too and have failing eyesight issues as well (age 43).

The miller elite is a better mask than my last one, but still is not as clear as an old fixed shade.

The strange part is it works fine for tig welding, with a 1.75 cheater lens in it - which I like better than cheater glasses.
But for stick not so good - could be the added smoke is just enough to show it's not quite as clear as a glass lens.

As a comparison, my old fixed shade has no cheater in it and I can tig just fine that way.

More light on the work also generally helps me see better.

By 57 it only gets worse. I have a Miller coolband. It helps with fogging. I like two cheaters. About half the needed correction as reading glasses, the rest as a cheater in the hood. Combined, they add up to more magnification than I would normally want. Turning the shade number down a shade might help, keep it clean.
I have contact lenses as 17 years ago I had a problem with peripheral focus with glasses. With bifocals I think it would be tough.
Good lighting would help. Pupils contract giving less fuzz on the retina. Howard ("super welder") wears a sweat shirt with hood to block light that would cause reflection inside the lens.
If all else fails, learn the Braille system.

It ain't all bad, The boys except for one, leave my helmet alone. One of my son's friends, 15 years old has a contact prescription stronger than mine. He thinks my helmet is just right. I know how the three bears felt when Goldilocks invaded their home!

Get a pancake and cut the sides off.

Chewing gum while you weld might help.

Why the blazes would you go so long knowing you need glasses and not get them properly for what you need? I never understood this mentality to ignore an urgent problem. Go get glasses guys and stop messing around with your eye sight.

It's not a lack of eye care. I go at least once a year to a very competent doctor. As we age, more light is needed for good vision. The pupil dilates making slight focus shortcomings worse. Dr. explains the image of a pin point passes through the pupil if contracted, landing on the retina at the back of the eye as a small dot. With the pupil dilated it would make a circle on the retina. With the eye perfectly focused this doesn't matter. Ever so slightly out of focus it's a blur. This is why squinting helps.
As we age, the muscles that squeeze the eye to focus for near or far relax, making focus difficult. Many of us need either bifocals or reader glasses. A welding hood exaggerates the problem.
I used to laugh at old people, and their issues. Now they are all dead, I'm the old guy. It's not as funny anymore.

weldin mike 27 wrote:Hey,

Optometrists are the go to for glasses, which i was refering to, and an Opthamologist treats eye diseases with surgery. I had to google it, but there you go.

Mick

Kinda like having chest pains and going to a chiropractor. $50 later you have your"adjustment" but the chest pains are still there. You're scheduled for another "adjustment" wed.On Tuesday you die of an aortic aneurysm.
Kinda like buying Raybans for $500 from Dr. Glasses salesman when an underlying problem is beyond his reach(or givvafuk) .

Yep. As I age, I find the eye doctor to be money well spent. My insurance coverage is money even better spent, when used properly. My (and my wife's) eye Dr. is an Opthalmologist (an MD), and is the first doctor to take a real interest in my wife's other health problems, as one of them apparently caused a serious inflammation in her eyes. She's getting the most thorough blood-work and testing she's had in years, because our eye doctor gives a damn. Test results show some sort of previously undiscovered infection that no other doctor believed existed, despite years of symptoms. He's referred the results to specialists, to sort it out.

Never underestimate your eye doctor. An Opthalmologist is a real MD, AND has the time to help you. Eye exams can diagnose many diseases missed by "hurry-up" doctors.

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:Yep. As I age, I find the eye doctor to be money well spent. My insurance coverage is money even better spent, when used properly. My (and my wife's) eye Dr. is an Opthalmologist (an MD), and is the first doctor to take a real interest in my wife's other health problems, as one of them apparently caused a serious inflammation in her eyes. She's getting the most thorough blood-work and testing she's had in years, because our eye doctor gives a damn. Test results show some sort of previously undiscovered infection that no other doctor believed existed, despite years of symptoms. He's referred the results to specialists, to sort it out.

Never underestimate your eye doctor. An Opthalmologist is a real MD, AND has the time to help you. Eye exams can diagnose many diseases missed by "hurry-up" doctors.

Steve S

You understand . They are great.
Here's another little tip for you old broke up asczez. Got back and neck problems ? Go to a PODIATRIST.That's right.
Google overload detected. ( I dunn thawted they wurked on babeez)
If the foundation is fupped, the building aint right.Ya got a Ferarri with recaps. Will it perform ?
No your Walmart safety approved shoes are NOT good.
1) Fix what lets you see where you go
2) Fix what gets you to the place you're looking.
THEN. Chiros-Acupunture.

I haven't spent less than $150 on my boots in years. F$%K Wal-Mart boots. I like my feet, and will treat them that way!

Steve S

Otto Nobedder wrote:I haven't spent less than $150 on my boots in years. F$%K Wal-Mart boots. I like my feet, and will treat them that way!

Steve S

Intelligence detected !
He only gave you 2. Best take care of them.

I only have 1 though..... . That was operator error though!
You guys should try making custom shims for your shoes so you can just put them on and not have to realign your foot for differences in sole profile! That kind of sucks lol.

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GreinTime wrote:I only have 1 though..... . That was operator error though!
You guys should try making custom shims for your shoes so you can just put them on and not have to realign your foot for differences in sole profile! That kind of sucks lol.

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Hijack
How are you doing by the way?
-Jonathan

We were talking about shoes! If anyone hijacked it was Antorcha lol. I am doing well though! Hard trying to find to weld between work and school, but I just wired in a plug at the shop I rent for my welder. My buddy Ryan was tubbing the front of his 240sx and has been using it since February because I was so busy haha. So once I get the money for a bottle of argon I'll be good to go. A local metal supplier cuts students a killer deal on material, so I'll start welding on my 240sx soon as well. Found out through trial and error that I can drive the car with my prosthetic, I'll just have to make a cage/foot support so that I don't have to worry about looking down to make sure that my foot is still on the pedal! It should be an interesting experience to say the least lol

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GreinTime wrote:We were talking about shoes! If anyone hijacked it was Antorcha lol. I am doing well though! Hard trying to find to weld between work and school, but I just wired in a plug at the shop I rent for my welder. My buddy Ryan was tubbing the front of his 240sx and has been using it since February because I was so busy haha. So once I get the money for a bottle of argon I'll be good to go. A local metal supplier cuts students a killer deal on material, so I'll start welding on my 240sx soon as well. Found out through trial and error that I can drive the car with my prosthetic, I'll just have to make a cage/foot support so that I don't have to worry about looking down to make sure that my foot is still on the pedal! It should be an interesting experience to say the least lol

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Sorry, I meant I was hijacking the thread. Although I got quite a laugh when I realized we were in fact talking about shoes (I mean boots, were men). I am glad things are doing good for you. I was actually going to see if you ever made a prosthesis yet. So do you drift with the 240? I am more into auto cross and drag racing, but I like to watch drifting. Man we are off topic now.
On topic, I am starting to see a little change in my sight when it comes to reading and my eyes are more sensitive to high amperage. Sometimes words get a little blurry. I am 27 so I have a way to go yet, but I will get there.
-Jonathan

I didn't make it, no Johnathan. I just use the one that the insurance paid for! You'd never know to watch me walk, most people think I have a slightly sprained ankle haha. And I plan on it, yes, but auto crossing it as well. If you have the horsepower, the tire slaying comes easy, its getting the car to do what you want other than that is tricky I read an article on the current Formula D cars, and they basically could give LMP2 cars a run for their money as far as grip vs horsepower goes haha

As for eyesight, I wear glasses. My parents bought me a new pair when I was in the hospital because I flipped out about no contact solution and threw my contacts across the hospital room lol. I didn't have any glasses at the time so they bought me new ones... my bad haha.

--Sam

Sam,
I have often thought about that thread on making prosthesis, that would take some skill and patience but would be worth it in the end. That is something a lot of us never have (or maybe want to) tried. Get some pictures of the Sil-eighty on here. Maybe I can meet up with you at a autocross here in Ohio.
-Jonathan