Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm ready. Near Philly so no total for me. I will get some pics thru my helmet though. There's a large sunpot group on it. Twice the span of Jupiter but they're stretched out like the Aleutian islands.

People were scalping the silly glasses for $$$. Welders are prepared!

In 1979 I was working as a draftsman in the Fleetwood plant in Riverside CA. On the morning of the eclipse, all 33 guys in the Terry/Avion drafting room walked in with our welding helmets under our arm. Come eclipse time, there's 33 guys leaning against the building with our helmets on, watching the eclipse.

I was told yesterday that here in Stephenville TX where I live now, that both Tractor Supply and ACE Hardware were sold out of welding filters. I told the guy to call the two LWS this morning and see if maybe the civilians had forgotten about them.

I was taking pix with my big auto dark module. Learned something.
When I looked with live view on the camera there were horizontal dark bars. I learned that the visor does not have variable shades. It's blinks open and shut really fast and the control knob changes the ratio.

Fascinating.

One has to be able to see the eclipse to user he helmet. Clouds were awful today. And on top of that I was busy chisel plowing so the heck if I care.

The full eclipse was spectacular in Casper, WY! I have seen partial ones before, and it is cool to see through the welding helmet, but for the 2 minutes that it was full eclipse was amazing. Photos just don't do it justice. Next one is in 2024 from TX to New England. Catch it if you can.
R.J.