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Bought a Hobart Handler 190 220v Mig welder

what shade lens are you using Mikey von? 1 trick I learned long ago is that 1 shade dose NOT work for everyone. most run a 10, but if I do the puddle is too bright and I cant tell where the flux ends and metal begins. I use a 12-13 and can tell exact distinct lines between them. makes puddle control WAY nicer. even when you step up to shield gas it may make it nicer. I use a darker shade on all of the bright stuff than most.. worth a try once
 
MAKE SURE when you go to chip off any slag that you are wearing safely glasses. Hot slag pops and shatters like glass but it's a super thin on the weld bead. If it hits your eye you WILL BE in a world of pain, and could possibly lose an eye VERY easily. I don't speak from experience thankfully because I ALWAYS try and wear my safety glasses regardless of what I'm doing in the shop.

But I have had hot slag when stick welding pop off when chipping it off and had it hit my face and stick and burn me. No way in hell am I'm taking a chance with the only two eyeballs I have. SERIOUSLY HEED THIS SUGGESTION. I DON'T want to see a post about "well I didn't wear glasses when chipping slag and lost an eye". Seriously, don't be a dumb ass. Be responsible in your shop or garage work habits. You wouldn't do this in front of a welding Foreman on the job because you would probably get bitched at or maybe even fired for such stupidity. Learning how to weld is easy and fun. Losing an eye is also easy, but certainly NOT FUN I'd bet.
 
I am exceptionally paranoid now about getting any hot metal,flux,or sprays like carb cleaner or brake cleaner in my eyes ,since I had cataracts removed from both my eyes and they installed prescription plastic lens implants in them to replace the ones lost due to the cataracts..even specks of rust,dirt,or any other crud could lead to having to undergo eye surgery again to replace the damaged lens(s)...

Though my eye doctor tries to allay my fears by saying "you should be able to do whatever you used to do without fear",I still don't want to push my luck..they seem much more sensitive than they used to be to any forigen objects or chemicals,and especially bright lights like welding arcs,or LED's,and once you have had to live with comprimised sight, you dam sure dont want to risk going blind,believe me..

I'm not as eager to lie under a vehicle and work on one now,and my ambition to weld or braze things is not exactly high either--even just heating up a rusted bolt or nut often produces a "pop" that splatters molten metal and rust in your eyes...and I have a really hard time seeing thru goggles or safety glasses,I have to use reading glasses up close now to see well too..

Another side note,never use brake cleaner to clean off something your going to weld or heat up ,it'll release a deadly gas that can permanently cripple lung tissue or suffocate you..
 
Good tips! I need prescription glasses to see anything. I have clear safety lenses (prescription) for my Oakley Flak Jackets. I also have some sweet amber lenses for them that I use for hunting. I basically always have my safety glasses on.
 
If your glasses are "real" glass lenses,make sure to keep them covered up with safety goggles--I've lost more than one pair when spatter hit the glass and puts a pit in them that cant be removed!..if they are plastic,keep carb and brake cleaner away from them,they'll "melt" instantly and get ruined too..
 
diesel4me said:
If your glasses are "real" glass lenses,make sure to keep them covered up with safety goggles--I've lost more than one pair when spatter hit the glass and puts a pit in them that cant be removed!..if they are plastic,keep carb and brake cleaner away from them,they'll "melt" instantly and get ruined too..
Click to expand...

I can attest to getting slag stuck in my glasses...

However the plastic lenses are not that susceptible to chemicals. I've cleaned over spray off mine with lacquer thinner before.
 
Some acrylics are more resistant to solvents than others I suppose--the 39 dollar Walmart plastic lensed glasses turn into useless frosted lenses if a drop of strong solvent hits them..
--I opted to get "real" glass lenses,despite the optometrist insisting plastic was lighter,safer,etc--after I ruined a few pair of plastic lensed glasses I no longer wanted them--but the slag in the glass deal wasn't much of an improvement..

I'm glad now I only need reading glasses "close up",and can use throwaway ones from the discount stores,instead of having to wear glasses all the time,and fear breaking or ruining them..but it also increases my chances of getting crap in my eyes,with NO glasses on most of the time too..:doah:..
I have had debris bounce off my face,off the back side of the lenses,and right into my eyes while wearing regular or safety glasses too--when it would have just bounced off my face and not gone in my eye without them too..they aren't a 100% certain "safety" ,really..
 
I've had prescription safety glasses before. They meet pretty much every spec for safety glasses used in a variety of fields. Never had any problems with solvents or anything else
 
I take very good care of my prescription polycarbonate glasses. I use a full face shield over them when grinding or spraying nasty chemicals. What I didn't plan on was a spark from doing some hot mig welding with LA-75 dropping down my helmet and inside the right lens. It left a nice burn mark.

I about **** my pants, because a half inch towards my head would have been my eyeball. Those were my newer glasses and I could see a step better than 20/20 with them. Now I am wearing my older glasses and only see 20/20, which I learned isn't perfect, just good/decent. I really need to get some leather over the back of my helmet.

Ear plugs are a must for any mig welding other than a quick tack where sparks aren't likely to come at me. Hot metal down the ear really sucks. Luckily it didn't make it all the way to my ear drum. The noise is not good for your ears either and I am very sensitive to sound and already have mild HF hearing loss.
 
Assume any and all safety crap you wear will get wrecked/burnt over time. That's the nature of metal work. If you don't want something you own melted, burnt, pitted etc...don't use it when welding, grinding etc. That being said, if you approach it knowing your protective gear is a consumable I think you're better off. Your own person is not a consumable. :D
 
My fave is welding without a helmet. Did that last night fixing Nick's exhaust... :whistle:
 
Now wire wheel that crap off so we can see your beautiful weld.

Also anti spatter in aerosol form is a wonderful thing
 
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