Flip-Up hoods

[Mikey D]

I have a Fibre-metal flip up hood with the gold shade #10. I love it, it works very well for me, I was curious though if anyone knew if there is such a thing as a auto-darkening flip-up helmet? Or does that kind of defeat the purpose so to speak?

[6010]

You can order an auto darkening lens to fit flip up helmets. I have never seen one in use but have seen them advertised by some of the welding equipment suppliers.

[Mikey D]

I would like to learn the old school way, thats why I got the flip up lens so I can just flip the lens instead of the whole helmet and have to reset my starting point. I tried using the AD one my friend gave me(think it was a HF brand)and it flashed me bad when I tried doing TIG. It would cut in and out and I was like gahhh!. Anyways, I just wanted to see if it was possible for the flip up lens. If anything I will just change to a darker shade if necessary. Love the gold plated lenses fibre-metal makes!

[Weldinman]

Hey Mikey D I have been using a Fibre Metal flip hood for allmost 30 yrs. tried new ones dont see the need for a giant picture window when im only looking at one little dot anyway Ive bought several solar powered autodarkening lens for all my helments and like them very much and I also like the fact I can flip up lens and grind w/o any shading effect one draw back is for most lenses that fit in the flip up part ( for some you have to file the holder alittle to get it to fit ) you cant adjust lens settings but you can buy the one you need from 5 to 12hope this helps.
Remeber to cover the front and back of the lense w/ a clear shield so spatter dosent stick to it.

[Mikey D]

Originally Posted by Weldinman

Hey Mikey D I have been using a Fibre Metal flip hood for allmost 30 yrs. tried new ones dont see the need for a giant picture window when im only looking at one little dot anyway Ive bought several solar powered autodarkening lens for all my helments and like them very much and I also like the fact I can flip up lens and grind w/o any shading effect one draw back is for most lenses that fit in the flip up part ( for some you have to file the holder alittle to get it to fit ) you cant adjust lens settings but you can buy the one you need from 5 to 12hope this helps.
Remeber to cover the front and back of the lense w/ a clear shield so spatter dosent stick to it.

Wow thank you so much for the info! I will definitely keep it in mind as I continue to learn. I agree, I like the little window better, I feel not as much light can get in to distract me, plus I like to keep it simple since I have a tendency to eyeball and wander around the puddle haha. If it becomes too difficult to learn with just the FS then I will look into this, as I dont mind that I cant use the variable shade, and a auto-darkening fixed shade will be fine. I just wanted to know if it was even possible. Thanks for the info as it verifies that it can be done!

[quasi]

the nice thing about the big window hoods is the flexiblity they offer when welding in places where body position is cramped. welded a lot of complicated stuff in tight spaces and i was very glad i had a big window hood, never though i would need to look out the corner of the lens.

[mn welder]

go to welding tips and tricks .com got to videos and check out the chin operated welding helmet. ive never seen 1 like it and its old school and just as fast as a auto darkener

[weldrwomn]

Originally Posted by mn welder

go to welding tips and tricks .com got to videos and check out the chin operated welding helmet. ive never seen 1 like it and its old school and just as fast as a auto darkener

Yeah, if you want arthritis of the jaw in less than a week.

[Magnetic Mechanic]

Well Weldinman , you apparently are still a youngster. When you get your first set of bifocals you won't be able to see through those tiny little lenses.

[Oldtimer]

Originally Posted by Magnetic Mechanic

Well Weldinman , you apparently are still a youngster. When you get your first set of bifocals you won't be able to see through those tiny little lenses.

Ain't that the truth.

[J Hall]

Mikey,
Here is a selection of AD lenses for you.
http://www.plwelder.com/store.php?crn=206

[Mikey D]

Awesome thank you for the link! Great site

[3 weelin geezer]

Originally Posted by weldrwomn

Yeah, if you want arthritis of the jaw in less than a week.

Not really. I have one of those and the only problem is you can't be telling dirty jokes or you end up opening the lens when you laugh real hard =


Or if you are fat and have a more chins than a chinese phonebook, when you look down, it also opens it.


The way I solve the problem of too much light is to rivet some leather on the top edge of the helmet to drape over the back of my head and shoulders. Keeps my hair from burning and I don't see the birds flying in the sky behind me.

[El_Lloydeo]

The accu-strike helmet is awesome. Thats the chin operated one. I actually just dug mine out today and just got done using it about an hour ago. I forgot I had it. Good investment right there, its nice cuz you can grind with it too. They also make them with fans in them. A buddy of mine has that one and loves it. Check em out. http://accustrike.com/

[Nitesky]

Originally Posted by Magnetic Mechanic

Well Weldinman , you apparently are still a youngster. When you get your first set of bifocals you won't be able to see through those tiny little lenses.

Oh Yeah!
I got a cheater lens now to keep the bifocals out of the equation but . . . having to line up the eye with the pop-bottles and then line all that up with the window in my helmet can cause me problems when starting and re-starting
I like my wide screen helmet and my Miller Elite wide view A/D.

[ehkneebreeashun]

AD lenses are great so long as you arent welding in a cramped space. I like them for when I am doing a lot of open area FCAW in the shop. When you're welding 10 or 12 hours a day auto darkening saves you from having to flip your hood (or just your lens cover) all the time.....


...but if you're in a cramped space, they can be the most irritating thing in the world. You have to make sure the light sensor is not blocked by a pipe or the shadow of your hand or the sensor will not activate and you will end up getting flashed.

Another quick note, since you sound like you've recently started, a good tip is to use the darkest shade of lens you can while welding and still see. There are welders that I work with that started with a #12 lens when they came in the yard and now are down to a 10 or a 9 in some cases. I myself weld with a #14 lens on all processes.

[pilebuck]

Originally Posted by mn welder

go to welding tips and tricks .com got to videos and check out the chin operated welding helmet. ive never seen 1 like it and its old school and just as fast as a auto darkener

Can you still chew copenhagen while using on e of those though?? If not its worthless.

[Dualie]

Originally Posted by quasi

the nice thing about the big window hoods is the flexiblity they offer when welding in places where body position is cramped. welded a lot of complicated stuff in tight spaces and i was very glad i had a big window hood, never though i would need to look out the corner of the lens.

when i first read the posts above this one i was going completely argree with quasi.

then i rembered with the AD hoods every time i needed the big window because i was in a bad spot tight hole or wierd angle, thats when the AD wouldnt trigger and i ended up flashing myself.