Fred Beagle Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I've been running my little forge a lot lately and over 25 years I've been a welder and I've always have taken good care of my eyes but still occasionally I sometimes do get flash burned. This last time I wasn't doing any welding but I was running the forge quite a bit and I have to look into the forge make sure I'm not cooking the metal. But the reason I'm starting this thread is I was wondering if Plasma torch glasses were sufficient to prevent flash burn from the forge or is there something better. I've been reading a little bit about Didymium lenses and I wonder if anybody has any experience with them Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Flash burn, similar to welding flash burn, is not a common problem with forges. The welding flash burn is from UV radiation. Your concern with forging is IR (infra red) radiation which can contribute to cataracts. You need glasses which are IR filtered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I use safety goggles with a #3 welding tint, for protection against both flying particles (especially scale) and IR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Beagle Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 Thanks for the replies, One thing I was wondering was if Didymium lenses used by the glass blowing industry was th e same as cutting torch goggles. I mean why pay 50 dollars or more for just common welder goggles. I use a quick change hood and I did do some welding when the flashed occurred but I"m not sure if it was from welding or from starring into the forge. I may need to lose the quick change welding hood and go with an old school hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesman7 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 I've been wearing a shade three face shield when looking into the forge at welding temps. I like it a lot, but have no idea how well it is blocking IR. If there is something better that is not just a rip off I would like to know about it. Fred, I'm a welder too and have stuck with the old school helmets. I don't even own one of the quick change helmets. When I use them at others shops they tend to confuse me because I end up flipping them out of habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 No, didymium glasses filter sodium yellow wave lengths and don't do much good at the forge. I have a couple pair of the really expensive but near useless things. The guy selling them sure knew how to make them look good. Don't stare into the fire, keeping an eye on things isn't the same thing but staring at strong IR sources is a bad thing for your cornea. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 I am moving this to PPE I wont comment other than to say It has been covered in the pinned post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.