Yellow glasses

[MrLeadMan]

Our safety director told me this week that amber colored glasses are better for welders. The way our shop is set up its easy to get flashed but I dont know that the color of the glasses make a difference unless there is some special UV IR features. And the glasses they hand out at work arent anything special.

By the way anyone use BSX Vulcan gloves. They sell us gloves at work and I go through a pair a week handling rusty, oily parts doing production MIG welding.

[DDA52]

I would think that the IR factor would be more important than the color. I prefer using my light blue tinted ones as they seem to sharpen up the dark areas of the shop. Yellow will do much the same thing. Then you go to places that do not allow any tint whatsoever. Makes my head spin. :dizzy: Makes me glad I call the shots in my shop.:p

[MAC702]

Color and tint is independent of the IR rating. I like clear ones for working and yellow ones for shooting. Tinted ones for looking at ladies...

[farmersamm]

I read the label on products. Sometimes I wonder if they're honest.

Seems to me that amber lenses are usually used to make vision clear in darker environments, or to increase contrast on a sunny day.

Everything in my mind shouts out that it is just plain crazy to wear clear, or lightly tinted, lenses around bright light.

I'm probably way off base, and probably will hear about it, but it just doesn't make sense to expose your eyes to bright light. I don't care what the UV rating of the clear/near clear lense is.

I've heard that people that work on the water, like fishermen, have the highest rate of glaucoma. Proper sunglasses are said to help prevent this.

Notwithstanding UV, what other components of the spectrum might just be doing serious damage to your eyes.

If this UV thing were the case, couldn't you sit and watch a nuclear blast with these clear lenses on without harm. Don't think so.

[chenry]

from personal experience. when i started wearing clear polycarbonates under my hood
i never had itchy eyes after long days of welding in a shop with lots of throwback.

and after @ 2 weeks them suckers would start Craze ing up something fierce. they wer absorbing something

[Rojodiablo]

I keep a very clean set of yellow glasses on my boat. I run at night a lot, and in winter, we have some serious fog. The yellow lenses are worth 20-50ft more visability in fog/ low light. I also keep a pair in the truck for the same reason. As for welders' flash, I think the IR is the rating that matters. but for low light, yellow lenses are by far the best.

[farmersamm]

from personal experience. when i started wearing clear polycarbonates under my hood
i never had itchy eyes after long days of welding in a shop with lots of throwback.

and after @ 2 weeks them suckers would start Craze ing up something fierce. they wer absorbing something


There must be something to it then. I guess I'm just too nervous about my eyes.

My eyes were the first thing that told me that middle age was comin' on, the knees were next:D

[duaneb55]

The yellow lenses are worth 20-50ft more visability in fog/ low light. I also keep a pair in the truck for the same reason.

Mine are bluish in the 'burban but same experience here. Work great in heavy rain too.


My eyes were the first thing that told me that middle age was comin' on, the knees were next:D

Hair, belly, knees, eyes and I can't remember the next one...

[farmersamm]

Mine are bluish in the 'burban but same experience here. Work great in heavy rain too.



Hair, belly, knees, eyes and I can't remember the next one...

Somewhere I vaguely remember the prostate, but damned if I kin remember what it's for anymore:D:D:D:D

[MrLeadMan]

farmersamm I have the same logis as you and prefer some dark glasses around welding shop but! Our shop is pretty dark and dark glasses under the hood cause me eye strain so i usually where clear glasses. Plus Im having to read work orders and prints all the time, not to mention looking in dark containers. We need more lights in our shop, period.
I have to hunt sometimes to find glasses that fit my big fat head, so i went by my favorite welding supply and bought some yeller' glasses (cause the free ones at work dont fit, gives me headache) and I also bought some pink ones. Went and bought some because sure as I dont get some the safety lady (yes its a woman thats our safety director) would make yeller' glasses not optional and the pink ones I got just to see if they makes any difference.

[ss42768]

Our safety director told me this week that amber colored glasses are better for welders. The way our shop is set up its easy to get flashed but I dont know that the color of the glasses make a difference unless there is some special UV IR features. And the glasses they hand out at work arent anything special.

By the way anyone use BSX Vulcan gloves. They sell us gloves at work and I go through a pair a week handling rusty, oily parts doing production MIG welding.

You should look into safety glasses rated for welding Arc Flash protection, Uvex and Pyramex (I'm sure there are others) make such glasses. As for your last comment, "They sell us gloves at work" You might want to check with your employer, as OSHA recently passed a law that basically states that an employer can not charge an employee for any item that is deemed neccessary for that employee to safely do his or her job, such as safety glasses, welding gloves, welding greens, etc; I had a large customer (approx 750 employees) that had always charged there employees half the cost of gloves, no more since the law went into affect.

[schwinn68]

I've worn yellow glasses for a few years under the hood. I think it does help with sharpening the light. I usually work inside where the lighting isn't always the greatest. I used to use red tinted glasses outside. They would give some relief from the bright sun but not darken up my hood too much. Besides clear lenses are boring. I like to stand out from the crowd. :)

[TozziWelding]

I waer theyellow ones all the time, they sharpen things up.The light blue ones are good too.

[lotechman]

My take on the "yellow" is that it likely comes from the days of oxyacetylene when a yellow tint helped define the flame. My guess is that the safety director was reading some literature written by a suit and tie.
Colour is not important really . It is the UV and IR protection you need and almost any plastic or glass will help, some more than others.

[Hephaestus]

I wear mirror coat wrap-around zero tints under my helmet. As long as the label on the glasses says "Blocks 99.9% UVA/UVB" they'll save you a LOT of damage you get flashed. Even a cheap pair of polarized drug store sunglasses is better than nothing. I refuse to work in or around a welding environment without polarized safety glasses. -Two days of being almost blind tends to leave a lasting impression.