Gas welding goggles for glasses wearer

Help required for occasional welder with failing eyesight.

My welding used to be pretty reasonable but is pretty hopeless now as I can't see what I'm doing.

Plenty of magnifying lenses available for welding helmets for Mig etc, but I'm struggling to find anything for gas. Either 50mm lenses for Bocal goggles or big enough to go over my specs.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Have you tried a burning visor they should have enough room for your glasses

We use them all the time.…..lol

Have you tried a dimming welding helmet, very see thro on lightest setting

freelance said:

Have you tried a dimming welding helmet, very see thro on lightest setting

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I tried that on my mig helmet but its still too dark, its not to say it wont work with other masks

I should add it was a cheapo from ebay 20 quid !!

I use a solar powered full face helmet with specs on, interior switches adjust sensitivity, tint and switchable for welder or grinder with rotary control also on side of helmet, does arc, mig and gas for me no problem

I have been meaning to get an auto darkening helmet for years and this sounds like the justification I need. Hadn't spotted how much cheaper they are now. When I last looked they were about £100.
I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a neater solution for gas welding. There must be loads of myopic gas welders out there. What did everyone do before auto darkening helmets?

Quote =What did everyone do before auto darkening helmets?

Nodded you head to drop the mask as the ark was struck, or as my granddad used to do whilst doing homers not bother and end up with ark eyes he could weld bloody anything

I meant for gas welding, not electric...

I used to be able to weld anything when I could see! A while ago a friend showed me an air filter housing for a BMW 3.0CSI that I modified for him about 30 years ago when I was welding most days. I had gas brazed it. No way I could do that quality now.

headintheclouds said:

I have been meaning to get an auto darkening helmet for years and this sounds like the justification I need. Hadn't spotted how much cheaper they are now. When I last looked they were about £100.
I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a neater solution for gas welding. There must be loads of myopic gas welders out there. What did everyone do before auto darkening helmets?

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The first one I bought back in the early 2000s was about £200 from BOC, it was the bee's knees, now can be had for as little as £25 Latest one I bought was a mere £40 from Sealey.

You should try popping into Machine Mart or your local welding supplies as they will be able to help you select a goggle that fits and help out with the various grades of lens for your needs.

There are companies that offer carious lenses that will work on various masks, like these https://engweld.co.uk/category/welding-lenses

kevstar said:

Have you tried a burning visor they should have enough room for your glasses

We use them all the time.…..lol
View attachment 156367

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Was this a case of BBQing gone wrong?

dieseldog69 said:

Was this a case of BBQing gone wrong?

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This was what was left the engine room of a ship we scrapped they were fuel tanks black heavy fuel
all over the place bloody dam well dangerous...... we aint called the suicide squad for nowt

Although we did heat up tins of soup wi the burners haha

kevstar said:

This was what was left the engine room of a ship we scrapped they were fuel tanks black heavy fuel
all over the place bloody dam well dangerous...... we aint called the suicide squad for nowt

Although we did heat up tins of soup wi the burners haha

Click to expand...

That looks like fun, certainly more fun than digging footings and laying tarmac

dieseldog69 said:

That looks like fun, certainly more fun than digging footings and laying tarmac

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We had a ball destroying it, we were burning off 40ftx 20ft sections of the decks & dropping them 30ft
to the next level felt like an earthquake, there were a few disasters along the way haha
Just waiting on the next one coming in

Update - I just got some 50mm diameter lenses on Fleabay that fit gas welding goggles such as BOC Bocal.
The description was Double Convex Dia 50mm Focal Length 1000mm Optical Lens
Fitted in place of the clear glass in front of the filters. Not quite as much magnification as I would have liked, but much better than without.
I use 2 dioptre glasses normally. May try some of these lenses with focal length 500mm and see if that's any better.