[Entropy11]

In my never ending quest to go off on any tangent possible, I’ve been digging more and more into finding a good solution to weld more efficiently. 90% of my “bad welds” relate to my view of the weld area. I was using one of those small headlamp lights for quite some time now. Recently manufacturers appear to be adopting lights into their helmets.

Anyways, I’ve progressed from the headlamp mounted on top of my helmet to 3V LED E10 bulbs mounted in E10 sockets, to now LED “NEON” strips. I just finished soldering it up so haven’t tried it yet but it does appear to shed loads of light exactly where I want it.

After playing with different options, here were my wants/needs:

- flush mounted
- broad illumination
- light weight
- as indestructible as possible
- efficient battery useage

LED “NEON” isn’t new but it’s catching on and has already become very cheap. It uses COB instead of SMD led chips to give an overall neon-type glow instead of individual light points.

You simply need your choice of LED strips and your preferred AA/AAA battery holder (I use Amazon for all this stuff). I’m running 5V neon strips cut into 4” lengths and a 3 AAA battery holder for 4.5V. I’ll also test it at 6V with a 4 AAA battery holder as these leds are usually very tolerant of moderate +/- voltage. If you’re concerned like I am about the present day cost of batteries, note that you can now buy a pack of USB rechargeable Li-ION AAA’s that will charge in 20min and last about 1K cycles for roughly $20.

Kind of crude looking in these pics but I just threw it together quick.

[Entropy11]

BTW, you can also go the easy route and zip-tie one of these on either side of your helmet and direct them in the general area you need.

I use them often when welding in panels because they magnet right to the panel and let you put the light exactly where you want it with the flex neck. Very bright lights so you can easily see high/lows as you’re fitting panels as well as proper placement of initial tacks or arc starts.

[gto4ben]

Great idea! Once you've settled on a design and have a parts list, I'd like to duplicate it with my Viking helmet too! I hope it's not too front heavy since my helmet barely stays up as it is.

[Cammer-6]

nice job
Ive been using a small flashlight attached with magnets for years
and came up with this one that son bought in a quantity@$6 ea
I put some hose over the clip to make it grip better.
I can aim this and its bright enough to even use in daylight.
Plus its a good place to stash a penlite

[Dave R]

I put them on my left or right glove depending which hand I’m holding the mug gun in. It wrecks them but lights up the work exactly where I need it. No fancy mounting system, just straps, tape and sometimes I even hold the light in one hand once everything is tacked.

How heavy does it make your helmet? I’ve been using Optrel since they were the lightest I could find.

[KS circutguy]

never had that problem using old school non auto dimming welding hood.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by KS circutguy

never had that problem using old school non auto dimming welding hood.

Which problem - not being able to see or the heavier helmet? Either way, I think you’re correct. When auto dimming helmets first came out, they were advertised as to how quickly they would dim with the most expensive ones being the fastest. Now that info is difficult to find, presumably because it gets slower as the helmet ages. Even if the split second stays minuscule, it is conceivably enough to damage your eyes over time. I’ve found that I need brighter task lighting over the years even though I don’t need a cheater.

Added bonus is that they’re super light which helps with long 12 or 16 hour days. Unfortunately I could never use one due to neck and concussion injuries that made nodding it into place impossible. After a disabling accident at work that stopped me from being employable, I’ve just been doing my own autobody work with a 110 mig but that’s even worse because there’s a lot more stop starts so more micro flashes. I just keep getting brighter lights hence the glove lights.

In case anyone is wondering, I’ve always had regular eye exams at the optometrist who uses state of the art equipment so nothing observable has changed in my eyes.

[Entropy11]

This is probably the lightest system I’ve had yet. The 3V E10 bulbs could possibly be lighter overall because it’ll run on just 2 cells. I can’t say how the light output and longevity compare between those and the LED’s yet.

I use Lincoln Viking 3350 helmets. My primary one has the 4C optics and it’s the closest thing to viewing in plain daylight that I’ve tried. 75% of what I’m welding at home lately is impossible without supplemental light (in the trunk, under the car, head stuck up inside the wheelhouse…). Adding more general flood lighting in those areas only seems to create shadows or even worse reflections inside the helmet. I like the idea of the fingertip lights but I just get frustrated when the light isn’t lighting up where I look when I turn my head or whatever. Lol, that’s definitely a “me” problem though. Anything other than helmet mounted and I feel like I’m holding a flashlight specifically where I want light.

Again, I guess this whole solution is more of a “me” thing specifically but I thought somebody might like to try their own variation of it instead of dropping $$$ on a new generation helmet with light built in. I TIG almost everything and one misplaced arc start on a 20ga butt weld because I can’t see 100% ruins my mood quickly. Lol

[Cammer-6]

I bought my son a new Lincoln hood for Christmans but havent tried it.
I put a new Lincoln lens in my 20 yr old Daytona Mig helmet because its frankly the lightest
hood Ive used(think pipeliner light).

[dataway]

Excellent idea ... I'd use that in a heartbeat.

For those of us welding in tight spaces, under a car, in a trunk, beneath a tractor ... well the old school flip down helmet is just not an option ... not enough room. Way back in the day when people had to do that kind of welding they often used flip down goggles or even a hand held glass.

When I started doing welding that required critical fit up, or holding parts in place by hand, or some other situation that required visibility right up to the second the weld was being made ... the auto darkening helmets were a godsend. I love them.

Lately I've been positioning Milwaukee work lights close to the work to do the job a lighted helmet would do better.

Remember ... never post a project like this without direct links to the products used ... cause lots of me are lazy

[Cammer-6]

weight on mine without penlite is 12.9 oz
with it is 14.4 oz
IIRC the new Lincoln I bought son is about 2x that.(21oz is what spec says)

[LM93]

Have you ever used gold-leafed weld lenses? They make quite a difference TIG welding.

[carbking]

"A man's got to know his limitations" - Clint Eastwood

One of my limitations is welding, and all the light on a helmet wouldn't help me a bit.

Fortunately for me, there is a guy down the road a piece that can weld the wings of a fly together................in the air!

Sounds like a good idea, hope it works for you.

Jon

[Entropy11]

Originally Posted by dataway

Excellent idea ... I'd use that in a heartbeat.

For those of us welding in tight spaces, under a car, in a trunk, beneath a tractor ... well the old school flip down helmet is just not an option ... not enough room. Way back in the day when people had to do that kind of welding they often used flip down goggles or even a hand held glass.

When I started doing welding that required critical fit up, or holding parts in place by hand, or some other situation that required visibility right up to the second the weld was being made ... the auto darkening helmets were a godsend. I love them.

Lately I've been positioning Milwaukee work lights close to the work to do the job a lighted helmet would do better.

Remember ... never post a project like this without direct links to the products used ... cause lots of me are lazy

Sorry about that! I didn’t link to Amazon because I just grabbed the cheapest parts I could as a test. I honestly think with led’s it’s worth the extra $5 for better quality. The battery holders showed up with half of them broken, so you’re better off on your own there too maybe. Lol

That being said, I’m going to re-do it in the future. I like the way it works but I’m used to more light. Adafruit makes awesome flexible led “neon” that you can wrap around anything so that would eliminate all the soldering and I could wrap the led’s around 2-3 times. Runs off a single 9v. Also usb-c rechargeable ones available for that too. Try at your own risk but here’s a link though: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3865 (there are even videos in the link if you scroll through the pics)

Tonight I just tested this: SLONIK Rechargeable Headlamp Flashlight - 500 Lumens Ultra Bright Headlight - IPX8 Waterproof Head Lamp Light for Outdoor Running, Hiking Gear, Hard Hat Helmet - Camping Accessories for Adults, Black https://a.co/d/holCQuW

About 4oz. And $24, but it’s more along the lines of what I’m used to, only better.
-usb-c quick recharge
-a bunch of dimmable settings
-easy on/off
-easily adjustable pitch up/down
-focus anywhere from spot—> flood

Loving it so far. Best is that it remembers your last settings each time you turn it on so you’re not clicking it 10 times in a row. Kind of obtrusive in size though, but I can easily move it from above to viewable area to below if needed.

[Entropy11]

Originally Posted by LM93

Have you ever used gold-leafed weld lenses? They make quite a difference TIG welding.

I’ve read about them several times but never tried them. I really should look into them. Thanks.