Welding helmets are an important piece of safety equipment for anyone who welds. They protect your eyes from the intense light and sparks from the welding process. Over time, however, they can become dirty and dusty. This can impair your vision and make it difficult to see what you are welding. This blog post will show you how to clean welding helmet lenses quickly and easily.
So, how to clean welding helmet lenses? There are several ways to clean the lens on your welding helmet. You can use a buffing wheel, rubbing compound, polish, or wax. Make sure to use proper ventilation when cleaning your lens, and keep your head out of the smoke. Store your helmet properly when you're finished using it.
Before jumping to how to clean a welding helmet lens, let's first understand what causes the lens to get dirty? Then we will be able to take the necessary steps to clean it.
Let's start with understanding the cause of dirt on the lens.
What Causes the Lens to Get Dirty?
Welders need to clean their lenses for several reasons. These include:
- Dust: Welders know that workshops and work yards are not the cleanest of places. Dust and dirt can easily accumulate on your helmet. This is especially true for grinders and other power tools, which emit many particles into the air. Most helmets have an exhaust valve at the bottom, which can get clogged up easily. The helmet won't keep you safe if it's not regularly cleaned.
- Weld Smoke: Smoke made when you weld can leave a smoky film on your lens even after it has gone away. The heating of air particles causes the film, so it usually happens in warm, dry climates or when you weld outside. The film can also be caused by welding on dirtier metals, such as steel.
- Weld Spatter: When we weld with our mask on, small bits of metal come off. Those little blobs stick to our glasses and make them dirty when removed. Spatter hitting us in the face can cause problems, however. Welding spatters hot enough to burn us if it lands in the right place.
- Scratches: Your helmet is important to you, and with good care, it will last for a long time. However, over time the outer lens will get scratches on it. You may not notice them at first, but they can become annoying if they get too deep. It is not recommended to use any scratch remover to create more scratches.
How Do You Clean A Welding Helmet Lens?
Some welders may not be very careful when they clean their welding lenses. They might use their hand, towel, or even dirty T-shirt! Long-term this is not a good way to clean your welding lens. You should use these three ways:
Use a buffing wheel to make your helmet lens shine
Welders use a helmet to protect their eyes while they are working. The helmet has a clear protective lens that can get scratched over time.
Welders wear a helmet with a clear lens. This lens can get scratched. It is possible to clean and restore the lens with a buffing wheel and light buffing compound. A buffing wheel and light buffing compound can clean and restore the lens.
First, buy some light buffing compounds in cake form. Please turn on the machine by holding it or by plugging it in.
Put the part of the helmet that needs to be cleaned against the still-spinning wheel while it is spinning fast enough to clean off any dirt from this part of your helmet's lens.
To buff off, welding spatter and polish out scratches on your helmet, move the lens around gently while applying just enough pressure. The spatter will be gone in a few minutes, and the scratches will be polished out.
However, if you use your helmet a lot, the scratches will eventually come out anymore, no matter how much you buff them. It is time to get a new clear protective lens when that happens.
Use a rubbing compound to make your helmet lens look shiny
Another way to clean your clear visor is to use a rubbing compound like car detailers to make cars look shiny.
We recommend using 3M rubbing compound 05973 when cleaning your lens. This compound removes scratches, stains, oxidation, and surface marks.
It is effective on any polycarbonate surface. It can be a bit pricey, but you only need a few drops so that it will last a long time. This product is for the dust and soot created when you weld.
You must use a lighter compound for your lens. People might scratch your lens if they use a heavy compound, so make sure you only use the light stuff. If it's too hard to get off with the cloth, try using water and soap first to take it off.
After removing all the dirt and grime, wipe it again with a cloth. You will see that the scratches and marks will also go away.
Once the compound has dried completely, wipe off any residue using a soft cloth. This will help make sure your lens doesn't get smudged and blurry.
You can use polish
Another way to clean your helmet is to use some polish, such as Pledge or Armor All.
Even though you might think that all the dirt is gone, using glass cleaner and then polishing will help remove any new dirt that has come. It also leaves a thin film behind. This will prevent scratches on the glass.
To make it easier to see while welding, try to clean off any swirl marks on your lens. This way, the light will not reflect off the lens and make it hard to see. You can also put the polish on the lens so that you can see better when welding or if it is foggy or has smudges on it.
Polish will help keep your lens from fogging up and smudging its surface. It will also fill in scratches on the surface of the lens so that scratches do not get bigger and don't need to be replaced sooner than normal.
07 Steps for Cleaning Welding Helmet Lenses
Welders face several dangers on the job, but one of the most common is the arc eye. Arc eye is a condition caused by exposure to welding sparks, leading to blindness.
To prevent arc eyes, welders must take steps to protect their eyes. One way to do this is by cleaning their welding helmet lens regularly.
This guide provides a step-by-step guide on cleaning a welding helmet lens. Follow these steps, and you'll be able to keep your welding helmet lens clean and free of debris.
- Understand the Necessary Precautions
- Remove the Lens
- Remove the Abrasive Dust and Other Debris
- Dry with a Microfiber Towel
- Examine Your Helmet
- Put the Lens Back in the Helmet
- Keep Your Lens Clean
Step-01: Understand the Necessary Precautions
Before cleaning your welding helmet lens, you should know a few things. These are not just so that you do not get hurt, but they can also keep your lens from being damaged.
The lens on a welding helmet can easily get scratched. To avoid this, hold it from the sides and wear soft gloves.
Secondly, you need to use a thin microfiber towel. This is the best type of towel to use to avoid scratches. It's a good idea to buy a new towel specifically for this job. Don't reuse towels or use old towels, as that can cause scratches.
Thirdly, welder helmets have a lot of parts. One part is the lenses. Some people put a coating on them, and these are harder to clean than other kinds because scratches can spread and remove the coating.
Step-02: Remove the cover lens from the welding helmet
Narrow spaces can be a tight squeeze, especially when cleaning them. That's why many people use a cover lens to soak in hot water mixed with a household detergent overnight. This will make the following cleaning steps easier by initially breaking down the imperfections and blemishes on the lens.
Step-03: Remove the Abrasive Dust and Other Debris
When you take off your helmet, you need to remove the abrasive dust and other debris. This is not easy to do because the dust can scratch the lens. You cannot just wipe it off because this will make more scratches.
Instead of using a cloth to clean your welding lens, you can use hot water! Keep the hot water warm, so it doesn't damage the lens. Add some soap, so it cleans better. Rinse the soap off when done.
On the other hand, it may seem like the easiest way to clean your helmet is with compressed air. But if you use an auto-darkening helmet, the compressed air can damage the electronics.
If you're a welder, there are some products out there that can help you get the job done. But don't waste your money on them if they won't work much better than warm water. We recommend using water or compressed air instead since it's cheaper and will be just as helpful.
Step-04: Dry with a Microfiber Towel
Now that you've rinsed your lens off, it is time to dry it. Microfiber towels and eyeglass cloths are the best. We also don't suggest using one you found lying around your house unless you know where it's been stored. These towels can wear down quickly, and the last thing you want is to scratch your lens.
If the lens has a dirty spot or two, you can gently rub it with a damp microfiber towel.
Step-05: Examine Your Helmet
Before replacing the lens, make sure it is firmly seated. It's normal to find a few screws loose or dirty spots on your helmet. Now is a good time to take care of them by cleaning and dusting them. You don't want to put a clean lens on a dusty helmet.
Step-06: Put the Lens Back in the Helmet
Once your helmet is ready to be fitted for a clean lens, you can put it back on. Be gentle when you put it on, or you might scratch the lens, and then it won't work well. Always hold the helmet from one of the sides, and don't let go of that side while you're putting in or taking out the helmet.
Different models have different ways to put the helmet back on. You will do the same thing as taking it off but in reverse order.
Step-07: Keep Your Lens Clean
Now that your lens is clean, you need to keep it clean, so you don't have to clean it as often. It's not too hard to clean it, but it can be not very pleasant if you have to do it every week. One of the best ways to avoid cleaning your lens often is to store your welding helmet in a bag. If you don't have a bag, consider buying one.
Welding makes your lens dirty. If you are welding, some things will help keep it clean.
Don't worry! There are some important tips to help you keep your helmet lens clean.
Let's look at some welding accessories to help you make sure your lenses stay clean.
What Can You Do To Prevent Your Welding Lens From Getting Dirty?
It's important to keep your helmet lens clean, especially if you wear glasses. Here are four tips to help you do just that.
Apply a small amount of wax to the shield
You should apply some wax to the outer lens. This will stop weld-spatter particles from sticking to the plastic lens as much, and it will also make it easier to clean the lens. But be careful not to put on too much, or you'll end up with more gunks on your face shield.
Use Proper Ventilation
Welders need to use proper ventilation to avoid buildups from their work. This means having a fan blowing in the opposite direction to help get rid of fumes and smoke. You can also set up your workspace to have good air circulation. This will help keep you safe and healthy, reducing your risk of feeling sick or nauseous.
Keep Your Head Out of the Smoke
Welding can cause smoke. Be sure to keep your head back from the smoke and wear a clean lens. You will not need to get as close to your weld if you have a clean lens because you can see it better.
Besides this, it is important to stay stable. You can do this by keeping your body squared off to the weld and keeping your arms stable. This will help you stay safe and not get too close to the weld or the smoke it produces.
Store Your Helmet Properly
It's important to store helmets correctly. This means not leaving them in direct sunlight or in a place where they could get damaged.
Be careful to store your helmet in a way that keeps it safe. Make sure you use a welding bag instead of any old place in your workspace. If you are storing the helmet on a shelf or workbench, make sure it is in a cloth bag, so it doesn't get hurt if it falls off.
Safety Precautions for Cleaning Welding Helmet Lens
You want to be safe when cleaning welding helmet lens, don’t you?
Follow our safety precautions for cleaning welding helmet lens!
- Don't just hold it from one side if you're holding the lens. That way, it won't get scratched too easily.
- Sometimes microfiber towels will scratch the lens, so don't use them if you can help it.
- If your welding helmet has a coating, be careful not to scratch because that could remove it and make your helmet lose its special power.
- If you put a lens in water to clean it, it could fall out, so be careful. If you don't care for them, the lenses could scratch or break.
- Make sure your hands are dry when touching a welding helmet lens. If there's water on your fingers and you touch the lens, the lens could scratch.
- Don't let welding helmet lenses come into contact with gasoline or thinner.
Can You Clean A Gold Welding Helmet Lens?
The gold welding helmet lenses have a thin film that reflects the UV lights. If you scratch them, the film will be gone, and your eyes can burn because of the UV lights going through. The gold welding helmet lenses are a good idea to use, so your eyes don't get hurt.
As you can tell, it might be better to get a new lens. But if you need to clean the gold lens, be careful. If you use things that are not safe for gold lenses, they will get ruined.
When Should You Get A New Lens?
For most intents and purposes, if you're having trouble observing the lens of your welding visor, it's probably in need of a cleaning or replacement.
If you attempted to clean the lens of your welding visor but didn't notice any difference and your goggles still appear to be scratched and dirty, the chances are that it is time for you to check out an alternative option.
Similarly, if the lens has been exposed to a high amount of heat and you can't seem to get rid of that greenish tint, it is time to replace the lenses.
Conclusion
In conclusion, most lenses will require thorough cleaning, polishing, and conditioning. However, most people only need to clean their lens occasionally or whenever they notice a spot appear on their lens. Cleaning your lens is important because it prevents your vision from being impaired.
To keep your lens working like new, carefully follow the steps given in this article, and you will be able to have a smooth and clear viewing area with no spots on your lens.