Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Auto darkening welding helmet for eclipse

I’m not a welder, not even a mostly bad one. I have an auto darkening, probably from harbor freight and wondering about using it to look at the eclipse. What do I need to know before I do something stupid and go blind😀

Certainly your question has been asked on the internet, use your search bar.


Here is an example of what using the search will do:
Hint: keywords

I used a couple of lenses from a helmet on the last eclipse. I wanna say anything 9 or higher was GTG.

Some of the auto helmets are 8.5

This is just from memory and I'm not that smart. FYI.

Test it on the sun.

I seem to remember from our eclipse a few years ago that auto darkening hoods would not respond properly to the sunlight of an eclipse, to protect your eyes.

The 'net is full of articles right now discussing the subject. A traditional hood with glass lenses is recommended with glass shades of 13 to 14.

It takes a 12 to be the safest, but a 14 is to dark.

12 to 14 they say. A number 10 lense and sunglasses be fine

Can you set your phone to selfie and look at it over your shoulder?

A 10 lens and a layer or 2 of the mylar space blanket you keep in your go bag to hide from thermal optics will work too.

NASA says the only welding goggles that are safe for direct viewing of the sun are those of shade 12 or higher. But this is higher than the shade that’s typically used for most types of welding.
The space agency also says that many people may still find the sun too bright with a shade 12 and some find the sun too dim with a shade 14. Meanwhile, shade 13 is even more uncommon and hard to find.

American Astronomical Society (AAS) also recommends avoiding the use of adjustable or auto-darkening welding helmets or similar products to view the sun.
“Many don’t go as dark as shade 13 or 14, and even those that do post a grave risk to your eyesight, either because you accidentally adjust them to an unsafe setting or because they don’t auto-darken fast enough when you look at the sun with them,” AAS says.

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/v...536-a6cb0009-43ba-4b6a-a206-68144e00ba8f

i took a few brief glimpses of the last eclipse with my Miller auto darkening helmet set at Max... didn't no any betta'... Lord struck me Blind!... now i get around using a striped cane, a seeingeye dog and a tin cup!...

mama always told me not to look into the eyes of the Sun... but mama, that's where the fun is... Some brimstone, baritone, anticyclone, rolling stone, Preacher from the East... Say's dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in it's funnybone... That's where they expect it least...

Springsteen did have a way with words

Worked for me last eclipse (2017).

During an eclipse there is reduces sunlight, not greater. Therefore, it wont appear "bright".

The problem with viewing an eclipse with the naked eye is the UVA and B (C is mostly filtered by stratospheric O3).

The cornea and lens filter out much of the UVB, but none of the above do much to filter UVA.

The pupil dilates in the relative darkness of the eclipse, but what isnt visible is the UVA and B


The retina/macula are therefore unprotected from damage, potentially causing minute blind spots and future macular degeneration.
Will UVA and B cause the welders lens to "auto darken"?


Does a welders lens block UVA and B?

The answer to that and that only has the answer to the OP's question.

"Looks good, tack it."

I personally wouldn't even trust a cheap one for welding, but I trust a 3M Speedglass every day, all day.

Shade 13 max, and even strobe safety lights on a fork lift and alarm strobes on machinery will trigger the lens unless I adjust it out with the sensitivity settings. The sun does infact trigger it unless the sensitivity setting is maxed.

I'll be stuck inside today during that time frame and really couldn't give a damn about watching an eclipse. Betting really heavy odds that once you've seen one you've probably seen 'em all.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^Listen to this guy, he wears a helmet all day, every day.

I tried it didn’t work😵

If the sky is clear I’ll view it with my iPad. Seen one before. Mostly I’m interested in how dark it gets down here.