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Before I got my auto-darkening mask when first learning GTAW welding I had a few close calls. The window is so dark you simply have no sense that a fire has st

Before I got my auto-darkening mask when first learning GTAW welding I had a few close calls. The window is so dark you simply have no sense that a fire has started until it may be too late, you can't see anything at all unless it's the brightness of a lightning bolt. Even with the auto-darkening window the field of view is substantially reduced. I wonder if in the future welding masks will integrate fire alarms.

hinkley 6y ago
May end up being a good use for a VR headset. Pass-through video with HDR support.
- cma 6y ago
  This is actually how HDR image processing was invented: http://wearcam.org/mannventionz/mannglas.htm http://wearcam.org/mannventionz/mannglas.htm
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    Steve Mann is a super interesting and very nice character.
    - hinkley 6y ago
      Oh that Steve Mann. Yeah I probably fished that idea out of long term memory.
  - hinkley 6y ago
    So besides 1) looking like a cyberman and 2) likely being dangerously clunky for working up high, I wonder why these didn't take off?
- kibwen 6y ago
  This seems like such a cool idea that I wonder if anyone's already working on it. I've only done the most meager amount of welding, but the "position the tools exactly where you need them to be, snap your head to flip the visor down, do the task while barely being able to see what you're doing, then manually flip the visor back up" workflow seems like it could be improved. The auto-darkening visors mean less fiddling with the mask, but you still can't really see what you're doing, and I think the jury is out on whether or not long-term use of the auto-darkening visors will damage your eyes based on the teensy amount of flash exposure you get with each weld. I wonder if a specialized camera could provide better visibility in the extreme brightness.
  - hinkley 6y ago
    I meant to ask: Do you guys close your eyes for a moment when you start the weld, or just burn your retinas a little bit? Sounds like the latter...
    - kibwen 6y ago
      I believe my machinist friends call this the "safety squint". :P Their attitude appears to be that a little bit of flash from occasional welding isn't going to hurt you; it's the professional welders who're at it all day who need to take the most care.
      - unholythree 6y ago
        I’ve heard it as the OSHA squint although I do like the alliteration of your’s.
    - jacquesm 6y ago
      I close my eyes. And I have a pretty fast set of glasses even so it's not enough to be able to avoid a blind spot after an hour or more of work. Better safe than sorry. The auto darkening glasses make it much easier to start a weld though, you know exactly where you are relative to the workpiece, which especially with stick welding is the difference between a lot of cursing + frustration and some reasonably good work.
  - phonon 6y ago
    The dynamic range for the types of sensors needed would be immense, even with Neutral Density filters...sounds like a fun project!
  - bargle0 6y ago
    I’ve seen pictures on reddit of guys using a piece of cardboard and a smartphone as a “welding mask”.
- azernik 6y ago
  Interestingly, I've seen the equivalent of this on the low end - workers in third-world machine shops or electronics recycling places with an opaque block between them and the workpiece, with a cell phone and its camera slotted into a cutout. Just look at the phone screen, not the workpiece.
unnouinceput 6y ago
they will not. ever. wanna know why? economics. until economy is taken out, it will always prevail
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  That's why we have rules, regulations, and laws.
  - unnouinceput 6y ago
    exactly my point. economy is taken out when you apply a law or a regulation on what OP idea suggested we currently have market/economy as the one that dictates it, hence none implemented this
nordsieck 6y ago
> I wonder if in the future welding masks will integrate fire alarms. I don't really see that as a feature anyone wants. It's pretty easy and straightforward to buy a fire/CO alarm and keep it near you. If you need to be mobile, it seems straight forward to put them on a cheap chest rig. I get that there might be some convenience factor involved, but: 1. It's pretty terrible UX to add weight to people's heads. Even a little bit makes everything a lot worse. 2. Having an alarm integrated into a mask is going to a Gillette razor blades / HP inkjet situation, where the alarms have to be changed out every 6 months and cost $200. There is great virtue in staying on the path of high volume and multiple suppliers.
- scsilver 6y ago
  I could see it being an additional feature to AR masks, add a ir sensor and some machine learning to classify as welding spark vs material or liquid fire and you don't need to change parts.
TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
Modern auto-dark shields have periferal vision windows. One of the most used brands around these parts is SpeedGlas by 3M https://www.awsi.com.au/3m-speedglas-9100xxi-welding-helmet-501826 https://www.awsi.com.au/3m-speedglas-9100xxi-welding-helmet-...
jcampbell1 6y ago
I consider a CO2 Fire extinguisher as standard as a metal brush. Keep it just as close as your brush and the pin out. I used to TiG and the fire risk is at least predictable and reasonably avoidable. With a MiG, you can start a fire 8 feet away. The auto-dark can be a mixed bag as you leave it down longer and less likely to notice a fire due to the field of view that you mention. I'm not sure how you would build a fire alarm. Coatings tend to smoke so detecting ionized air would probably just drive you nuts.

hinkley 6y ago

May end up being a good use for a VR headset. Pass-through video with HDR support.

cma 6y ago
This is actually how HDR image processing was invented: http://wearcam.org/mannventionz/mannglas.htm http://wearcam.org/mannventionz/mannglas.htm
- jacquesm 6y ago
  Steve Mann is a super interesting and very nice character.
  - hinkley 6y ago
    Oh that Steve Mann. Yeah I probably fished that idea out of long term memory.
- hinkley 6y ago
  So besides 1) looking like a cyberman and 2) likely being dangerously clunky for working up high, I wonder why these didn't take off?
kibwen 6y ago
This seems like such a cool idea that I wonder if anyone's already working on it. I've only done the most meager amount of welding, but the "position the tools exactly where you need them to be, snap your head to flip the visor down, do the task while barely being able to see what you're doing, then manually flip the visor back up" workflow seems like it could be improved. The auto-darkening visors mean less fiddling with the mask, but you still can't really see what you're doing, and I think the jury is out on whether or not long-term use of the auto-darkening visors will damage your eyes based on the teensy amount of flash exposure you get with each weld. I wonder if a specialized camera could provide better visibility in the extreme brightness.
- hinkley 6y ago
  I meant to ask: Do you guys close your eyes for a moment when you start the weld, or just burn your retinas a little bit? Sounds like the latter...
  - kibwen 6y ago
    I believe my machinist friends call this the "safety squint". :P Their attitude appears to be that a little bit of flash from occasional welding isn't going to hurt you; it's the professional welders who're at it all day who need to take the most care.
    - unholythree 6y ago
      I’ve heard it as the OSHA squint although I do like the alliteration of your’s.
  - jacquesm 6y ago
    I close my eyes. And I have a pretty fast set of glasses even so it's not enough to be able to avoid a blind spot after an hour or more of work. Better safe than sorry. The auto darkening glasses make it much easier to start a weld though, you know exactly where you are relative to the workpiece, which especially with stick welding is the difference between a lot of cursing + frustration and some reasonably good work.
- phonon 6y ago
  The dynamic range for the types of sensors needed would be immense, even with Neutral Density filters...sounds like a fun project!
- bargle0 6y ago
  I’ve seen pictures on reddit of guys using a piece of cardboard and a smartphone as a “welding mask”.
azernik 6y ago
Interestingly, I've seen the equivalent of this on the low end - workers in third-world machine shops or electronics recycling places with an opaque block between them and the workpiece, with a cell phone and its camera slotted into a cutout. Just look at the phone screen, not the workpiece.

unnouinceput 6y ago

they will not. ever. wanna know why? economics. until economy is taken out, it will always prevail

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
That's why we have rules, regulations, and laws.
- unnouinceput 6y ago
  exactly my point. economy is taken out when you apply a law or a regulation on what OP idea suggested we currently have market/economy as the one that dictates it, hence none implemented this

nordsieck 6y ago

> I wonder if in the future welding masks will integrate fire alarms. I don't really see that as a feature anyone wants. It's pretty easy and straightforward to buy a fire/CO alarm and keep it near you. If you need to be mobile, it seems straight forward to put them on a cheap chest rig. I get that there might be some convenience factor involved, but: 1. It's pretty terrible UX to add weight to people's heads. Even a little bit makes everything a lot worse. 2. Having an alarm integrated into a mask is going to a Gillette razor blades / HP inkjet situation, where the alarms have to be changed out every 6 months and cost $200. There is great virtue in staying on the path of high volume and multiple suppliers.

scsilver 6y ago
I could see it being an additional feature to AR masks, add a ir sensor and some machine learning to classify as welding spark vs material or liquid fire and you don't need to change parts.

TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago

Modern auto-dark shields have periferal vision windows. One of the most used brands around these parts is SpeedGlas by 3M https://www.awsi.com.au/3m-speedglas-9100xxi-welding-helmet-501826 https://www.awsi.com.au/3m-speedglas-9100xxi-welding-helmet-...

jcampbell1 6y ago

I consider a CO2 Fire extinguisher as standard as a metal brush. Keep it just as close as your brush and the pin out. I used to TiG and the fire risk is at least predictable and reasonably avoidable. With a MiG, you can start a fire 8 feet away. The auto-dark can be a mixed bag as you leave it down longer and less likely to notice a fire due to the field of view that you mention. I'm not sure how you would build a fire alarm. Coatings tend to smoke so detecting ionized air would probably just drive you nuts.