All About Welding Goggles

Protective equipment for hazardous work is a very important topic. At present, due to the shortage of good specialists, they are sometimes taken up by slightly educated amateurs. It is important to correctly orient them, to give basic primary knowledge. This is what this article serves.

Safety glasses are the most important attribute of welding. Their use is strictly stipulated by the safety regulations. The specificity of any welding is such that eye protection is essential. Without it, bright flashes can injure the retina and lead to loss of vision. Glasses are required for welding work regardless of the circumstances.

Welding goggles are a very special professional accessory. They are intended for welding only. Their light-filtering glasses protect the eyes from bright light radiation, sparks and other traumatic influences. Due to this specificity, they cannot be used for anything other than welding (with the exception, perhaps, of some types of metal cutting).

The main purpose of welding goggles is to protect the welder's eyes during work. They are mainly used for gas welding. Electric welding requires more powerful protection in the form of a mask. The traumatic radiation from arc welding is such that it requires protection not only of the eyes, but also of the entire face. According to the purpose, the welding goggles can differ in the degree of protection. They should be equipped with powerful dimming light filters - basic and, if possible, additional, lowering ones based on different operating modes.

The welder usually works with an assistant. The welder's assistant does not have that close contact with the source of radiation and sparks. Therefore glasses for the assistant can be simpler. The goggles can also protect with electric welding, but this requires more complex and darker filters. In addition, other parts of the face will remain unprotected, and the radiation from arc welding is very strong and causes damage to the skin.

The modern market offers a wide variety of welding goggle models. From relatively cheap ones - simple ones with elementary light filters - to complex ones with replaceable filters and even liquid crystal elements. These, of course, are much more expensive.

Welding goggles "chameleons" with auto-darkening glass are now considered the most popular. Their peculiarity is that the filters are automatically dimmed with bright flashes. "Chameleons" are universal: they can be used in gas and arc welding. It is the brainchild of modern electronic technology. The protective screen is a complex device consisting of polarizing films and liquid crystals. With a sharp change in illumination (flash), the control unit sends a signal to the protective device, the liquid crystals change their position. This also changes the position of the polarizing films. As a result, blackout occurs. When the flame (arc) is extinguished, the automatic filters become transparent and allow, without removing glasses, to visually control the quality of welding.

A simpler option is glasses with permanent filters. Most often this is a non-separable design, and such glasses must be removed for careful control of welding. Light filters can be made of high-strength glass, as well as of polymer materials. They have different shades of shade and are used depending on the type of welding and working conditions.

Glasses with drop filters are much more comfortable for the welder. Two round lenses are attached to the eyepieces of glasses on special hinges. If necessary, they rise to the forehead of the master and allow you to inspect the place of welding and the quality of the seam. This saves time and effort: taking off and putting on glasses - especially in the cold season and with full working equipment - is a rather complicated procedure.

The choice of glasses is dictated by the type of welding, working conditions and, of course, the amount of money available to the buyer. If "smart" glasses "chameleons" can be used for both arc and gas welding, then the usual ones are mainly applicable for gas welding. Their filters are too weak to radiate an arc. If the work is carried out in the open air and the surfaces to be welded are below the welder's head, simple protective goggles are sufficient. Daylight radiation is more scattered and less harmful to the eyes. Open air reduces the concentration of harmful substances emitted during welding that irritate the eyes.

In all cases, flip-up glasses are preferable. It is better to provide glasses with stationary filters to the assistant. Accordingly, for indoor work, “chameleons” with additional shields protecting parts of the face are preferable. For welding "above the head", most likely, you will have to purchase a protective welding helmet, so as not to damage the scalp, not to singe the hair, to prevent sparks and hot scale from getting behind the collar.

Chameleon glasses on the Russian market are mainly made in China. They cost approximately 450 to several thousand rubles. Cheap models have quality complaints. "Chameleons" is the best option for those who are professionally engaged in welding.

When choosing, you should pay attention to the power supply system of the product. It is desirable that there are two of them - the main one and the reserve one. Battery and photocell. This will save you from sudden failures. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the response speed of the electronic filter. It must be less than 1 millisecond. If more, this is already a high risk of retinal injury.

Regular glasses, depending on the model, cost from 100 (the most elementary, suitable, rather, not for the welder, but for his assistant) to 2000 rubles (with folding light filters). It is important to choose the "golden mean" here. Such glasses are purchased by those who are engaged in welding irregularly, who need, for example, to build a frame for a fence in the country or something like that. It is recommended to choose glasses with the possibility of changing light filters.

The main thing, with any choice, is not to forget about safety precautions. Glasses must reliably protect the eyes from radiation. Welding goggles should fit snugly around the face around the eyes in the manner of a diver's mask. This will save you from side glare. Glasses without a snug fit are more suitable for metal cutting, stripping and other work not related to welding. It should be remembered that welding is classified as particularly harmful to health. Failure to understand this and hope for "maybe" can lead to loss of vision.

Welding goggles and any other protective equipment should be worn before starting work at the time of preparation for them. Before that, you must familiarize yourself with the operating instructions that are attached to the product by the manufacturer. Before starting work with glasses "chameleon" you need:

• conduct a thorough inspection of the product: make sure there are no mechanical damages, breaks in the electrical wiring (loop);
• individually adjust the glasses: adjust the opening-closing of the light filter using the clamps, snug fit of the glasses to the face around the eyes;
• check the charging of the batteries so that they do not fail at a crucial moment of work.

During operation, the operation of the electronic light filter should be monitored, relying on the comfort of vision. If there are no glare, characteristic "bunnies", then the glasses work efficiently and in a timely manner switch from one mode to another. For glasses with conventional filters, the performance requirements are the same, taking into account the simpler design. It is also necessary to check the serviceability, integrity, reliability of the folding device, individual settings of the occipital belt. Any doubt should be construed as a contraindication.

The light filters can be thrown back only when the radiation has completely ceased. Better to waste a few seconds than hurt your eyes.

In the next video, you will find a detailed overview of the automatic darkening welding goggles.