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From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
Lens shade is a personal preference. I've been an aircraft welder since the late sixties and I've always used a #12 lens. My philosophy is always use the darkest lens you can and still see what you are doing.
You'll find that the more experienced a welder becomes, and the more confident he is, the darker shade he can use, since he knows what he is seeing.
TIP: spend the $200 and get a good auto-darkening hood. You can adjust the shade as you choose and the auto feature is worth every penny. Barring that, spend $15 on a gold-plated conventional lens; it lets you see in actual colors instead of green, and makes for much more comfortable welding.
(from an ex-code welding inspector) ...you will ''see'' more as you get experienced...often new mig users hold the gun in directly front of them, too close to the work (should be 1/2'' away), block their own view...gold coated lenses are best, #10 as a minimum, the light level in your work area has an effect...i do not endorse the use of auto-darkening helmets--there is an instant that you are exposed to full arc intensity and altho brief (something like 1/250 th sec for the electonics to work), there are reports of eye problems.
note about shield gas vs flux core:
shield gas produces better welds ,little or no clean-up after, second pass without prep, and actual cost is very near equal to flux core...ANY breeze will carry away the shield gas, even an open doorway..you can NOT use shield gas outdoors, use flux core outdoors
(from an ex-code welding inspector) ...you will ''see'' more as you get experienced...often new mig users hold the gun in directly front of them, too close to the work (should be 1/2'' away), block their own view...gold coated lenses are best, #10 as a minimum, the light level in your work area has an effect...i do not endorse the use of auto-darkening helmets--there is an instant that you are exposed to full arc intensity and altho brief (something like 1/250 th sec for the electonics to work), there are reports of eye problems.
note about shield gas vs flux core:
shield gas produces better welds ,little or no clean-up after, second pass without prep, and actual cost is very near equal to flux core...ANY breeze will carry away the shield gas, even an open doorway..you can NOT use shield gas outdoors, use flux core outdoors
I agree, buy the bottle. I guess the flux core works but from what I have heard not as well as the gas. Never used the flux core but I ve used the gas for 20 years.
With the advent of the small mig/tig the oxy acet sets are a thing of the past for welding.