Cleaning welding helmet plastic lenses

[stevieb49829]

Being frugal (wife's translation is CHEAP), and putting my last new lens in my autodark helmet, I decided to try some stuff. I have, in the past just washed them with soapy water to get SOME of the smoke off the lens, but it didn't work well. Through a little trial and error (lacquer thinner/campstove gas did NOT work) I settled on a two step process: PB Blaster penetrating oil on a paper towel worked in to get the smoke and splatter tracks off, finished with another paper towel using plastic headlight lens cleaner. The lens cleaner I used is an old tube of Scotchbrite vinyl and plastic cleaner. I'd been using just the cleaner, but it didn't cut through the smoke like the PB Blaster does. Try it and you will probably get more miles out of your smoked up lenses.

 

[old]

I will NEVER again use an auto dark helmet due to getting flashed too many times when working as a dock welder. Too many times in the E.R. after midnight due to burned eyes. I use only gold plated lens in my helmets now

 

[Stephen Newell]

Too difficult to polish plastic that small. I would just purchase a sheet of plexiglass and cut new ones.

 

[Steve in VA]

Was it a failure of the helmet or from surrounding work? This is the first time I've heard of failure since on loss of power they default to M5. I'd sure like to hear more details on your experience.

 

[Mule Meat]

(quoted from post at 19:39:52 02/27/22) Too difficult to polish plastic that small. I would just purchase a sheet of plexiglass and cut new ones.

Why buy expensive plexiglass then mess with cutting it when you can get lens covers cut to fit for $10-$15 for a pack of ten? A lot of times the place where I get welding supplies will just toss some in the bag free of charge.

 

[old]

At the time the auto dark helmets had just come out so new tec. Where I worked we stood side by side with other welders so if they started to weld but off to the side you could in fact get flashed and I did a number of times. This was back in the early 90s by the way. My dad didn't like getting a phone call from 911 saying you need to take your son to the E.R. due to welder burned eyes.

 

[Steve in VA]

We had similar issues due to the use of white coveralls. Everything reflected off them. Add to that a while lot of welding around curved stainless steel surfaces. Like a house of mirrors at times.

 

[old]

At the time I worked at Gal-Va-Form where we built dock that went world wide. Once the had a Galvinised coating the flush was much worst plus you could get sick from the Gal. coating

 

[glennster]

i triedthe auto darks also and got bad headaches from them . i had a jackson and a snap on. i am back with the gold film lenses like old uses,
.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> The lens cleaner I used is an old tube of Scotchbrite vinyl and plastic cleaner.

Is that maybe Star Brite rather than Scotch-Brite?

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I don't weld much. No trips to ER.
I had a crazy neighbor who didn't use anything when welding with a mig. No ER.
I bought a special welding helmet so I can see when using a mig.
No advice how to clean lenses, don't weld that much..keep helmet in a cloth bag when not in use.

 

[MJMJ]

(quoted from post at 22:36:55 02/27/22) I will NEVER again use an auto dark helmet due to getting flashed too many times when working as a dock welder. Too many times in the E.R. after midnight due to burned eyes. I use only gold plated lens in my helmets now

Why do you feel the need to spam this same story EVERY time someone even mentions auto darkening helmets? Even when it has nothing to do with the topic at hand? We get it, you had a problem when working side by side, 30 years ago. No one here is working in that sort of setting and auto darkening helmets have been around for decades now. Stevieb49829 was offering a way to help others clean their lenses, there was no reason to hijack his thread just to tell everyone your story. Again.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> Why do you feel the need to spam this same story EVERY time someone even mentions auto darkening helmets?

He must love the attention, even if it's negative.

 

[SDE]

I looked for the correct size of lens for my helmet and could not find it at the welding shop that I bought it from or three local stores in town. I was given some plexiglass and I made my own from it. If I find the old lens I will try to clean it with PB Blaster.
TY

 

[DoubleO7]

Have you tried cleaning with WD40?
It seems to clean a lot of different stuff, just don't use it on anything you will ever want to paint.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I kind of felt the same way about the auto darkening helmets until I realized the problem was my fault. The place where I was storing the helmet when not using it was dark most of the time. When I started keeping it in a more sunny location I didn't have any more
problems with it.

 

[old]

This is not spam. There are new people that come to this site every day and info that may help them save there eye sight is something all should know. I am just giving real life facts and what happened to me when working where other people where welding side by side and how it can/will happen simple as that so why would you not want to know this or are you not smart enough to understand simple life facts

 

[old]

By the way my not saying something about how one's eye can be harmed by an auto dark helmet would be just like you telling some one the PTO guard will keep them safe well in theory yes but I have seen many that would rip a mans arm off

 

[Jim.ME]

This is off the original poster's topic, but the fact is if welders are close together there are portable screens, or other barriers can be made, that should be used between them. It can be done, I've had to do that many times in tight areas, over the years. One will get flashed just as quick with a regular hood if they don't have it down or lift it when the person beside them is striking an arc or welding. An auto darkening hood is not the only cause of getting flashed in such situations. Just my opinion, just as you have yours.

 

[Goose]

Why is it that whenever someone on this forum asks a simple, straight forward question someone almost always chimes in with a very negative, disparaging comment that usually doesn't even address the original question? The original question here was simply how to clean a lens.

Another example is Generac generators. Whenever they are mentioned, one person usually jumps in, calling them 'Generjunk' and claiming their warranty is worthless. As it happens, I've owned a 10KW Generac generator for six years and it's been flawless. I can't comment on the warranty because I never had to use it. I had to replace the original battery last fall, but after six years that was to be expected.

I don't care much for a particular make of pickup truck, but I don't go berserk berating them down whenever they're mentioned. If the owner is satisfied that's all that matters.

Sheesh!

 

[stevieb49829]

Mine started acting up, but it darkened at inappropriate times, instead of flashing me. Changed out the batteries and no problem.

 

[stevieb49829]

The Scotch part was right. However....................

 

[stevieb49829]

I've had to reset the sensitivity when I get in situations where the surroundings tend to set off the lens: bight sunlight, shiny surfaces in bright sunlight, etc.

 

[stevieb49829]

I have an aversion to WD 40. It has it's uses, but I don't use it, nor do I have any laying around that I could test. It might work. I'll let someone else take that on who has a can or two sitting around. Steve
PS: I'm not going to defend my aversion, because it probably is based on nonsense.

 

[stevieb49829]

a thin sheet of polycarbonate might work better than plexiglass, but is probably really hard to find. I'd find an old snowmobile windshield to cut them out of.

 

[old]

Where I had problem with helmet and getting flashed there was no way to have screens etc. between each welder. You put the dock section you where building in a jig and welded in the cross section and in a 20 foot section there could be as many as 10 cross sections so you could have 10 guys welding at the same time 5 on each side of the jig. This was also back when the auto dark helmets first came out so no one knew about wearing dark safety glasses under the helmet etc. And it is not fun to have your eyes burned and no potato's on the eyes do not help. I had it happen offend enough that the E.R. doctor sent home with me the eye drops that numbed the eyes so I could save an E.R. visit if or when it happened again

 

[MarkB_MI]

3M makes excellent, albeit expensive products.

 

[Ozlander]

(quoted from post at 08:37:48 02/28/22)

(quoted from post at 22:36:55 02/27/22) I will NEVER again use an auto dark helmet due to getting flashed too many times when working as a dock welder. Too many times in the E.R. after midnight due to burned eyes. I use only gold plated lens in my helmets now

Why do you feel the need to spam this same story EVERY time someone even mentions auto darkening helmets? Even when it has nothing to do with the topic at hand? We get it, you had a problem when working side by side, 30 years ago. No one here is working in that sort of setting and auto darkening helmets have been around for decades now. Stevieb49829 was offering a way to help others clean their lenses, there was no reason to hijack his thread just to tell everyone your story. Again.

nd again.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 09:44:39 02/28/22) I don't weld much. No trips to ER.
I had a crazy neighbor who didn't use anything when welding with a mig. No ER.
I bought a special welding helmet so I can see when using a mig.
No advice how to clean lenses, don't weld that much..keep helmet in a cloth bag when not in use.

What is the helmet you use for MIG George? I have a terrible time trying to see the puddle or where I'm going when I use MIG. The arc just isn't bright enough I think.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 10:51:16 02/28/22) I looked for the correct size of lens for my helmet and could not find it at the welding shop that I bought it from or three local stores in town. I was given some plexiglass and I made my own from it. If I find the old lens I will try to clean it with PB Blaster.
TY

Get online and look. I've about given up trying to find stuff locally, even at the welding stores.

 

[MarkB_MI]

> What is the helmet you use for MIG George? I have a terrible time trying to see the puddle or where I'm going when I use MIG. The arc just isn't bright enough I think.

Have you tried using a magnifying lens inside your helmet? They can make a world of difference, particularly for us farsighted old pharts.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

(quoted from post at 20:04:13 02/27/22) At the time the auto dark helmets had just come out so new tec. Where I worked we stood side by side with other welders so if they started to weld but off to the side you could in fact get flashed and I did a number of times. This was back in the early 90s by the way. My dad didn't like getting a phone call from 911 saying you need to take your son to the E.R. due to welder burned eyes.

So because when they were new they weren't all that good, that means that the technology never ever ever will improve, right?

Time to move back into a cave, beat a cow to death with a rock, and gnaw on its corpse.

 

[Stephen Newell]

I tried that but the harbor freight helmet I have you can't access the battery.

 

[stevieb49829]

Since its my topic, I'd like to call a halt to the discussion on the pro's and con's of autodark helmets, with one ounce of advice: get the best one you can afford, learn how to adjust the lens for sensitivity and darkness, and fix it if it starts to act up, BEFORE you go to the emergency room. steve

 

[glennster]

bret, try using a spot light bulb on your welding spot. i have trouble seeing the arc with both stick and mig, ( cataracts). i found the light
helps a lot. btw first cataract surgery is next week! woo hoo!

 

[caterpillar guy]

I use old broken window glass for the front shield in my mask then just pitch them when they get to bad. Last one I pitched was several years ago. Don't like plastic it colors and cracks easy. Have had lots of old window glass over the last 60 years and easy to cut to size. Got a whole box of them setting in the cabinet of parts waiting to be used. Box will out last me.

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 10:38:10 03/01/22) > What is the helmet you use for MIG George? I have a terrible time trying to see the puddle or where I'm going when I use MIG. The arc just isn't bright enough I think.

Have you tried using a magnifying lens inside your helmet? They can make a world of difference, particularly for us farsighted old pharts.

Yup, cheater lenses and glasses. The issue for me is MIG arc isn't as bright or large as with stick, so I can't see the surrounding area or the puddle outside of the core area. I've turned the shade control down to where the arc is starting to bother me and it doesn't help. Some have advised shining a bright work light on the area and that helps some.

If anyone else has this issue and has come up with a good fix, please share!

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 00:36:33 03/02/22) bret, try using a spot light bulb on your welding spot. i have trouble seeing the arc with both stick and mig, ( cataracts). i found the light
helps a lot. btw first cataract surgery is next week! woo hoo!

Best of luck with it Glenn. A friend had both his done last year (after 8 or 9 months of being near blind- I was worried he'd off himself!) and he's better than he was before he tells me. Amazing the things that can be done these days!

 

[Bret4207]

(quoted from post at 09:06:33 03/02/22) I use old broken window glass for the front shield in my mask then just pitch them when they get to bad. Last one I pitched was several years ago. Don't like plastic it colors and cracks easy. Have had lots of old window glass over the last 60 years and easy to cut to size. Got a whole box of them setting in the cabinet of parts waiting to be used. Box will out last me.

I had the thought of using actual glass. Does the spatter stick? I think I've seen tempered glass lenses for sale. I know a couple of my old helmets had cracked glass lenses. Must be what used to be used before plastic became common.

 

[stevieb49829]

On my old helmet, I started cutting the lens protection glass from UV protecting picture glass. It's relatively thin, and the UV coating is somewhat resistant to the splatter sticking to it, IF you can tell which side is coated to keep it to the outside. My local picture framing company always had cutoff and broken stuff they throw away. steve

 

[Dave F. 54]

Old, I glad to see you back on the forum. Keep on posting Dave F.

 

[jniolon]

I've got a Miller Elite helmet and love it...with all this lense talk I looked at mine and it was bad. I've got plenty of new cover lenses but it's always something I'll do next time (got to finish this project)

well I changed mine yesterday and boy...there really is a puddle in there !!!!

thanks for the nudge Stevie



j

 

[fixerupper]

Would ultra fine buffing compound clean the lens? I will have to give it a try on my helmet when I get home. I do have a roll of thin lexan I bought for cutting out sand blasting helmet lenses. I have never used it in the welding helmet though.