Answering a viewer’s question, Kevin addresses how to see what you are doing better through your welding helmet. To do so, he lets viewers “climb into his helmet” with him. His helmet has five different shades of darkness, from level 9 to level 13. The first shade, or tint, is the lightest, level 9. Kevin says he uses that shade outside, where it’s brighter, to lighten up the work area so he can see what he is welding more easily. But, as he points out, the shade you pick is based on personal preference. With level 9, you can see the arc and the end of the welding torch. Next he turns the darkness to level 10, which he prefers when welding with the MIG welder inside. It’s not quite as easy to see. Next is level 11, which he likes to use when TIG welding because the TIG arc is a little brighter. He points out that it also depends on the amperage or voltage that you’re using – the higher the voltage or the higher the amperage, the brighter it’s going to be. Next, he admits that he never uses shades 12 and 13, except for this how-to video! He finds them too dark. And you can see that in the two tests he runs – both are just spots of light, with 13 clearly darker than 12. Then he shows the adjustment knob on the outside of the helmet. On his welding helmet, you can change it even with your welding glove on. It has a rheostat, so you can not only set it to 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13, you can set it anywhere in between, for whatever works best for your eyes, your setting, your project, and wherever you happen to be standing. He says other helmets have electronic controls inside and are not variable, so you just have to become familiar with your own helmet – and pay attention to these preferences when you’re buying a helmet. He urges you to play with the shades until you find what works best for you. Finally, Kevin suggest you pay attention to the light around you while you are welding, because the light coming into the helmet can wash out your view. Pay attention to whether you have fluorescent lights in your shop or studio or are welding outside in the sun, and how they affect your view through the welding helmet. He suggests you put your hat on backwards, wear a hood, turn the lights off, or otherwise control that exterior light source to help you see out of your welding helmet better.
