Are Auto Darkening Welding Helmets Safe? (Tested)

ByRobert Collins
A welder welding the steel

Specific arc welding processes, including plasma cutting, MIG welding, tig welding, or stick welding, emit harmful ultraviolet rays. These rays are similar to those emitted from the sun, and they can be detrimental to the human eye. During the welding task, you should be protecting your eyes against ultraviolet or infrared rays.

Wearing a welding helmet based on darkened eyes will enable the welders to understand what you are doing in your task. There is no need to fear having your eyes get damaged at any point.

How to Do Auto-Darkening Welding Helmets Work?

If we talk about the working process of auto-darkening helmets, they work through an exciting process. Its working process combines special glass with various sensors and layers. To successfully work with auto-darkening welding lenses, the below-mentioned components are required:

1. Arc and light sensors

The helmet is included with the arc and the light sensors, positioned at the front side of the helmet. It is above the main viewing port. These helmet sensors are responsible for detecting the arc light once you start the weld. It, later on, sends the signal to darken the entire glass fully.

2. Viewing glass

A wide range of glass filters is available, including polarization filters, UV-IR filters, and different LC cells. Based on the light intensity, these glass layers get triggered to lighten or darken.

A welding doing his welding works

3. Controls

Generally, welding helmets are based on more than one knob. These knobs are responsible for controlling the shading speed, shading, and angle of viewing glass.

Multiple Lens Shades in Auto-Darkening Helmet

The auto-darkening helmet is based on 13 shading gradients. But the adjustment of these gradients is based on arc intensity.

A welding sparkles

It is easy for the welder to adjust the shades with the knob inside or locate it on either side of the helmet. Shading generally starts at the level of 3 for outdoor welding projects. Indoor welding projects will have a level of 0 or 1.

Once you start moving to any darker place, the lens will instantly transition to the darker shade.

Key Features of Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet

  • Auto-Darkening welding helmet goes dark magically when you start welding.
  • It is a light-weight helmet and will provide you full protection
  • Easy-to-control shade ranges from DIN 4 light state and 9-13 dark state.
  • Comfortable to wear while doing welding tasks.
  • Provides you with a good vision of light coming towards you.

Auto-Darkening Helmet: Care & Maintenance

If you want your helmet to stay for long-lasting years with you, then it is essential to give your helmet the best care and maintenance. Maintain it properly to work better to protect your face and eyes. A few things to keep in mind for the upkeep and maintenance of auto-darkening helmets are:

  • Do check the lens. The lens is known to be the central part of any welding helmet. It is responsible for protecting the welder from dangerous infrared or ultraviolet rays. Make sure that the lenses are free from cracks and are thoroughly cleaned. Replace them if you notice any damage.
  • There are different ways that you can use for testing the auto-darkening mechanism on top of the mask. One best way is to use the torch strike method. Wear your helmet and strike the torch in the front view. A sudden spark will cause the helmet to darken up instantly.
  • The following important tip is to test the knobs and sensors. Before each use, make sure that the helmet is working correctly. Plus, make sure that the knobs and sensors are fully tightened up and are in the appropriate settings.
  • Last but not least, make sure that it is clean with a soft cloth. Avoid using harsh chemicals for cleaning purposes. Solar cells and sensors need to be cleaned with mild water and soap. It would help if you never submerged the helmet in any liquid.

  • How can you test your auto-darkening helmet?

    • Before you start using the auto-darkening helmet, make sure that the welding helmet will properly darken itself as the arc begins to flash. The most accessible testing approach is to perform the sun test. You have to take the helmet outside in the sunlight and turn it on. Make it look in the sun’s direction and figure out if the welding lens shade itself according to the required level or not. Now locate your hand in front of the helmet and lend for a few seconds to figure out if the lens shade itself in time or not.

    How long can you use auto-Darkening Helmets?

    These helmets can last for a maximum of 7 years with a fixed or replaceable battery. They might start losing functionality after that. You should change the glass lens, batteries, and mechanism with time.

  • Can you damage your eyes with auto-darkening welding helmets?

    • No, they won’t damage your eyes at any point! These helmets are safe for your vision if the battery is charged enough to power up the primary sensors and automatically darken up the lenses. To ensure that it functions accurately, you should adjust it properly, maintain it, and serve it nicely.