spot welding with a MIG

[enjenjo]

When you are tacking, or Spot welding with a MIG do you wear your headgear? I have a instant on welding mask, so I typically do, but I wondered about the rest of you.

[idrivejunk]

I do a very few initial tacks without, when one hand is holding pliers or magnet to keep a small piece in position.

[58 Yeoman]

I do. My eyes are bad enough as it is.

[Rochie]

Yep always!! if you ever had welders flash you know why.

[Beck]

I wear an instant on also and do wear it when spot welding or tacking.

[chimp koose]

I sometimes just close my eyes and listen to the sizzle . This results in a strange pattern of red on my face that is white where my facial wrinkles are . I rarely do it but sometimes there are just a few to do and the helmet is either a long way away or else the light sensor on it is going to be blocked anyways like under dash . I have found wearing reading glasses under the helmet rather than bifocal safety glasses helps to keep me wearing the helmet . Nothing more frustrating than not being able to focus when the bifocal doesnt line up with the lens of the helmet .

[idrivejunk]

I can do plug welds without seeing during the weld, by the sound yep. Those are the fun kind. Prefer to do with hood on though. Anytime I don't use it, I try to shadow my face with a hand, and turn my head.

It took me a minute to craft my initial response into a "for the record" reply. But theres something I don't get, about this very subject. With no welding training or book learning under my belt (almost none) and a job that requires plenty so let me talk it out and you guys can maybe clue me in, OK?

I have the blue flamed HF helmet. Unless somebody holds a flashlight directly on my desired tack spot, at an angle that goes around my hands and all and gets in under the gas nozzle... ain't no way to see enough with hood down, to put the wire where I want it.

So, I rest the nozzle against the work piece with wire where I want and...

A: keep both hands on the gun and nod my head sharply to bring the hood down. Enough nod to do this normally produces a hand flinch however and I lose place.

B: Try to keep the wire position with one hand, nozzle resting on piece, use other hand to flip hood down then back to gun with that hand. But normally lose place that way also.

If everything faced the sky, I could see good enough. Light is always only behind what is to be welded, in my environment though. So what am I supposed to be doing? I end up making an initial erronious zap after hood is down, and working in the glow of that. At any point after hood is down, where my weld gap is is a guess in all cases except what few tasks happen to be positioned favorably for the available light.

[bucketmouth]

If it's a quick tack just to hold something in place I dont but most times I wear a auto tinting helmet.

[Rochie]

IDJ, try a magnetic based light of some sort to focus on the joint line.  I also wear glasses to weld as I don't see as well as I used to.

[chimp koose]

IDJ , i guess you could get some kind of light to slap onto your helmet that points in the same direction you are looking . That way it will not trigger the dimmer in your helmet.

[416Ford]

Yes, I wear a helmet whenever possible now. When I worked in the shop where I work, I did wear welding glasses and SPF45 to keep from burning the face.
Closing your eyes while spot welding does not protect your eye.
The auto helmet are a great invention and I wish we had them when I started out welding.

[idrivejunk]

More light is the answer I reckon. I wonder what just a good helmet is like.

[Rochie]

My helmet is a $200 Speedglas.  I still have to have a light on the joint line

[enjenjo]

A LED flashlight fastened to the helmet, and directed at the work does wonders. I have three auto darkening helmets, an ancient Jackson about 30 years old, I seldom use it because it requires batteries, a Miller about 10 years old that does a good job but has a small lens area, and my current go to, a $50 Harbor freight that that has a 4.5" by 4.5" lens.

[papastoyss]

I keep a supply on hand of the small 1"x 3" led flashlights HF used to give away w/a purchase & use 2 adel clamps to attach them to the mig gun. works great. Not my idea, saw this on the Hamb long ago.