SLAG Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Fellow blacksmiths and, also, metal workers. There will be a total eclipse of the sun August 21 in much of the United States See, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_August_21,_2017 Does anyone know if ARC welding glasses, (or shields) will protect a viewer's eyes from the solar eclipse. Viewing a solar eclipse without eye protection can cause irreparable damage to the viewer's retinas. In a worse case scenario, a person can go blind Solar eclipse lenses are available. But I am cheap. I have a good arc welding helmet,. So can I use it instead? Hopefully someone on this vast forum has the answer. No guesses please. Thank you. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 The long ago partial solar eclipse in this area, the warning was NO. If you wanted to view the partial eclipse you should do it indirectly, that is through a pin hole projected onto a piece of white paper with your back toward the sun. I remember setting up a telescope with the eye piece projecting onto a white sheet of paper. The set up was at the edge of a tree. Imagine my surprise when every where there was little bit of sunlight making it through the tree, there was projected a white circle with a crescent taken out of it. They were all over the sidewalk, the yard, everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Strange coincidence. There is a guy with a YouTube channel called Cody's Lab so just posted a video about his solar eclipse goggles that were made using welding goggles. He's quite the intelligent science type and he claims they are sufficient as he has set himself up. He also has a penchant for playing with mercury so you be the judge of his legitimacy. Search for the name of his channel on YouTube if you want to hear his rationale. Lou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 According to NASA's website, the answer is YES (pace @Glenn) but with a minimum of shade 14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Excerpts from the NASA article. Observing the Sun can be dangerous if you do not take the proper precautions. The solar radiation that reaches the surface of Earth ranges from ultraviolet (UV) radiation at wavelengths longer than 290 nm to radio waves in the meter range. The tissues in the eye transmit a substantial part of the radiation between 380 and 1400 nm to the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye. While environmental exposure to UV radiation is known to contribute to the accelerated aging of the outer layers of the eye and the development of cataracts, the concern over improper viewing of the Sun during an eclipse is for the development of "eclipse blindness" or retinal burns.ISO-approved solar-eclipse glasses must meet certain safety requirements. Exposure of the retina to intense visible light causes damage to its light-sensitive rod and cone cells. The light triggers a series of complex chemical reactions within the cells which damages their ability to respond to a visual stimulus, and in extreme cases, can destroy them. The result is a loss of visual function which may be either temporary or permanent, depending on the severity of the damage. When a person looks repeatedly or for a long time at the Sun without proper protection for the eyes, this photochemical retinal damage may be accompanied by a thermal injury - the high level of visible and near-infrared radiation causes heating that literally cooks the exposed tissue. This thermal injury or photocoagulation destroys the rods and cones, creating a small blind area. The danger to vision is significant because photic retinal injuries occur without any feeling of pain (there are no pain receptors in the retina), and the visual effects do not occur for at least several hours after the damage is done [Pitts, 1993]. It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and techniques. Even when 99% of the Sun's surface (the photosphere) is obscured during the partial phases of a solar eclipse, the remaining crescent Sun is still intense enough to cause a retinal burn, even though illumination levels are comparable to twilight [Chou, 1981, 1996; Marsh, 1982]. Failure to use proper observing methods may result in permanent eye damage or severe visual loss. -------------- Shade 14 is too dark to be a standard shelf item at many welding supply stores. It may have to be special ordered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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