I used to have good eyes. I never needed glasses until I hit 45 years old. Now I have trouble seeing the MIG joint to be welded when it is under the nozzle. This is often the case when I am welding in the pull direction. It typically isn't a problem when I'm pull welding Tee joints because I can estimate the joint based on the intersection of the two plates. It also isn't a problem with push welding because the arc lights up the joint to be welded. I have read several discussion threads regarding this and I tried out the various suggestions. This is what worked for me.
1. Using a lighter shade
This is still a work in process, but I wanted to share my observations to date. I did a bunch of MIG welds to try out the various lighting arrangements and I included a close up of one of the vertical up weld from my trials.
Don
1. Using a lighter shade
I use a manual hood with a #9 shade lens that is gold plated to reflect some of the arc light and this works very well. I tried a #8 lens and I found that although I could see under the nozzle better, the arc was too bright and distracted me.
2. Replace the Polycarbonate lensCleaning the lens works up to a point, but I found that many tiny scratches tend to make the background cloudy. I have found that I need to change the lens often so that I can get all of the available light on the joint. With a new lens I can actually see under the nozzle pretty well.
3. LED LightsI bought a 10 watt Motorcycle flood light and a 12 volt DC power supply. I mounted the light on a magnetic base. This arrangement works well and I can actually see the joint with my hood down provided the metal is slightly reflective.
4. Welding outdoors on a sunny day.Works great but is of limited usefulness, especially when it is windy or 23°F outside.
5. MIG light that mounts to the torch, just behind the nozzle.I tried it out but I didn't like it because it didn't provide enough light and it got in my way.
6. Looking from the sideThis helped because I could see more of the joint under the nozzle.
7. Weaving or making cursive e'sThis works well because it moves the light around, which helps me to see the joint.
This is still a work in process, but I wanted to share my observations to date. I did a bunch of MIG welds to try out the various lighting arrangements and I included a close up of one of the vertical up weld from my trials.
Don
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