Working with sparks flying around and high temperatures being present close to your face is more than enough to make you use protective equipment. This is the case with welding which is quite a unique fabrication process that even a total newcomer can learn how to do it.
But even experienced and new users need to be wary of the dangers of welding and how wearing the right helmet is key to keeping your vision safe. This is where an auto dimming welding helmet comes into play. While there are passive welding helmets, auto-darkening ones are inherently a lot safer and more convenient. They work thanks to electronic devices that detect the welding arc and automatically dims the glass.
How to Adjust an Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet
Shade
The sensors that are used on most self dimming welding helmets are rather quick and activate the desired shade without much delay. But a quick set of sensors isn't the only thing you should consider when adjusting welding auto darkening helmets. The shade itself is more important.
The level of shade is measured on a scale starting from 1 and going all the way to 14. As you'd expect 1 is the lightest level of shade you can get and 14 is the darkest. You shouldn't always go for the darkest shade as it can impede your view of things. The level of shade will depend on the brightness of the arc.
Delay
The shade isn't the only thing you can adjust on an auto-darkening welding helmet. You can also adjust the delay the sensors have between detecting the arc and actually dimming the glass. Why would you do this? Adjusting the response time allows you to have more control over the helmet and allows the visor to darken when you feel like it.
Because sometimes you may have a different type of light flashing at you and you don't want the visor to go dark unless it's the arc. A longer delay will prevent the visor from darkening when it's not needed. Plus you can look away before the arc goes on and prevent your vision from getting damaged if you have your helmet set with a longer delay.
Sensitivity
If you want an even better experience you should adjust the light sensitivity on your auto-dimming helmet. This refers to the lenses as they are the ones that help trigger the shade. Usually the brighter the light is the darker the lens will get. But you can set the lens to react to brighter lights far less or even more than it already does.
What to Consider in an Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet
Sensitivity
Talking about sensitivity, you should also check how much you can alter the sensors on an auto dimming welding helmet. By this, I mean how much you're able to adjust the light sensitivity. There are even some more rudimentary helmets that don't allow you to adjust the sensitivity or allow you to do very small adjustments. Keep an eye out for those as you don't want to end up getting one of them.
Viewing Area
The viewing area of a helmet plays a big role in how well you'll be able to make your welding joints. A helmet with a larger viewing area provides better visibility while one with a smaller viewing area makes for a more focused view. Remember that welding auto darkening helmets with a larger viewing area are often not good for your neck.
Weight
What I mean by a helmet not being good for your neck, is how heavy it is. Heavy self dimming welding helmets are usually those that allow you to have greater visibility.
While a bit of weight isn't as big of a concern if a helmet is too heavy it can strain your neck and even cause headaches if you use it for long periods of time. If welding is all you do then go for the lightest possible helmet that satisfies all your needs.
Sensors
The number of sensors an auto dimming welding helmet has determine its response time and light-sensing capabilities. Usually, hobby-level helmets come with 2 sensors but if you're a more experienced welder you'll need to consider one with 3 or even 4 sensors on it.
Helmets with 4 sensors are industrial-grade equipment as they have better coverage. But if you don't want to spend all your funds on an auto-darkening helmet then go with one that has 3 sensors. This type of auto-dimming helmet is still viable for production work but not for out-of-position applications.
Shades
The range of shade levels can tell you a lot about a self-dimming helmet. Usually, most auto-darkening helmets have a range of shades starting from 8 to 13. But there are many different range variations. You'll need to choose the range depending on the type of welding you do.
Battery vs Solar
You can also choose between a battery-powered helmet and a solar-powered one. The advantage of the former is that you don't need to be outside in order to charge it and use it. The major advantage of a solar-powered helmet is that it can be used without the need to put it on a charger from time to time. You can also get a helmet that combines the two which gives you the best of both worlds.
