What does the welding mask protect?

Welding in a domestic or industrial environment is a very dangerous operation, which requires high skill and maximum safety. In particular, we can say that the temperature in the region of the welding arc reaches 6-7 thousand degrees, and the current is within 200A. With welding, not only need to work with caution, but even look at the welding process is required in a special way, because The brightness of the arc exceeds 10,000 times that which is permissible for the human eye. In this case, a welding mask comes to the rescue.

There are a lot of varieties of this device for welding works, and when choosing a device for face protection and vision, the following factors should be taken into account:

• The type of welding to work with;
• volume of work;
• Place of welding (room, open air);
• Presence of harmful substances in welded surfaces (manganese, zinc).

Welding masks are divided into those that have a fixed filter (standard mask), masks with a lifting filter type, automatic masks of the "Chameleon" class and masks that have, as an option, a supply under the air shield.

In domestic welding , a standard welding shield is usually used. It can be used if the volume of operations is small, because The shield needs to be held in one hand, the welding machine in the other, which creates a lack of ability to hold or move the part. Another inexpensive version of the mask is a hinged design. Welding mask of this type is easy to use, strong, but often causes neck disease, tk. The mask on the face is lowered with a nod of the head. In addition, the mask filter of this class is very dark and before the arc ignites, the welder sees nothing. For TIG welding, a mask of a certain configuration is needed, which differs from semi-automatic welding and MMA welding.

A universal welding mask can have a "Chameleon" type light filter, which is a multilayer structure made of polarized film and liquid crystals. It allows you to get the blackout of the required level automatically at the very beginning of welding, adjust it to change the brightness, and also has filters to protect against harmful infrared and ultraviolet radiation. The mask filter works from lithium batteries - tablets or from solar panels. Welding mask of this type often has an attractive exterior design reminiscent of a helmet of a motorcycle racer or astronaut. Creative welders order a mask painting in one or another style and flaunt on the work platform, for example, with the "head" of a tiger or a robot. Technological appearance is also emphasized by the fact that a number of mask settings (darkening, time delay of opening the mask after the completion of the welding process, etc.) can be "dialed" directly on the light filter.

When protective masks are chosen, it makes sense to pay attention to the brand, the country of manufacture, the availability of certificates for the light filter (to avoid fakes), the warranty period. The selection of a mask should be approached responsibly, tk. For a poor-quality product or own avarice will have to pay with such a precious gift as good eyesight.