Purpose of a Welding Helmet
The best way to attach two pieces of metal to one another is by welding. This is a process that heats the two pieces of metal to extreme temperatures, which causes them to fuse together. In some types of welding, there are filler materials that are used to strengthen the weld, but the process is generally a very hot and fairly dangerous one. To combat the many dangers of welding, most welders will wear specialized welding helmets and heat shields to protect their faces.
Other People Are Reading
-
Warning
-
Welding is a complicated process, and definitely not something the amateur should attempt unsupervised. Even less advisable is anyone attempting to weld without the proper face protection. Failure to use facial protection could result in blindness, burns or other heat-related injuries.
Types
-
There are around 50 different welding processes described by the American Welding Society, each of which has its own special needs and classifications regarding face protection. If you're looking for a face shield of some kind, determine which products are used for which types of welding. Generally, welding helmets fall into categories of face shields and full face masks, both of which can have either fixed lenses or auto-darkening lenses.
-
Protection From Slag
-
You can see slag flying away from this welder's torch. One of the dangers of welding does involve some random chance: slag is extremely hot metal flying away from the welding site. If a piece of slag hits your skin, it will cause a serious burn; worse, if it hits your eyes, it could blind you. Most welders wear heavy fire-retardant clothing to protect their bodies, and a helmet to prevent slag from coming into contact with their face.
Protection From Heat
-
Anyone who has touched a stove knows that heat can cause pain and, if left in contact with skin too long, can cause severe burns. In some welding processes, the heat released by the welding torch or the filler material is so extreme that you don't even need to touch it for it to burn you. The heat radiation alone can cause second- or third-degree burns, which is the reason that heavy clothes and masks with heat shields are worn for those welding processes. The heavy clothing and heat shielding in the mask absorb this heat radiation, so while you may still feel warmth through them, you will not get burned.
Protection From Bright Light
-
Welding creates extremely bright light. Certain chemical processes give off a lot of light in addition to all of the heat generated. Many arc welding processes, and those involving oxygen burning, are extremely bright. Staring directly into these processes would be like staring at the sun for too long and could cause blindness. This is why the material your visor is made of is so important. Most fixed visors are like sunglasses, blocking most of the light, so you can see easier. There are also auto-darkening lenses, which are more like photosensitive Transitions brand sunglasses: when the light gets brighter, the lens gets darker.
-
References
- Photo Credit the electric welding image by Victor M. from Fotolia.com welding image by glgec from Fotolia.com welding stars image by Kaarel from Fotolia.com
