Tools Of The Trade: Getting To Know The Welding Hood
Welders rely on a lot of different tools and equipment pieces to do their jobs. However, there is nothing more personalized and important to a professional welder than the helmet they use for face, eye, and head protection. Welding hoods and helmets come in all kinds of forms. What once began as a crude shield to protect the face and eyes from sparks has evolved through the years into a vast array of protective options with all kinds of cool features. Here are a few key questions to help you get to know the modern-day welding hood a bit more.
What are the roles of the average welding hood?
The welding hood is an extremely important form of personal protective equipment. The hood protects your head and face from flying sparks and the immense heat that can come along with welding. The filter or shield for the eyes is designed to negate the dangerous bright lights coming from the welding activity.
What is a carbon fiber welding hood?
Carbon fiber welding hoods are some of the most preferred welding hoods of the modern day. These hoods are designed to be lightweight, so they reduce the risk of neck and shoulder fatigue while working long hours and they are not as hot and uncomfortable. Even better, carbon fiber welding hoods can be custom made for the welder, so the professional has a helmet that is the perfect fit specifically for their face and head shape.
Are pancake hoods betters than traditional welding helmets?
Pancake hoods have a broadened circular face shield that is flat like a pancake. Some welders do prefer pancake hoods because they give a larger area of protection from sparks; the large, disc-like front can sometimes help deter sparks from landing on your shoulders while you work. In reality, which hood is the better option really does come down to personal preferences. Some people prefer a less bulky and lighter weight hood, for instance.
What does it mean if a hood has an auto-darkening shield?
The auto-darkening shield (or filter) is actually an implement that found its way into the welding helmet in the early part of the 1980s. The eye shield is actually an LCD screen that has an auto-darkening shade that adjusts freely when the light gets brighter or when a welder starts to weld. This implement changed everything about how welders performed, saving time and reducing the risk of eye injury. Welders could leave the shield in place between welds without adjusting the shield for protection.