RatDog

I know a lot of you have welding equipment. Don't risk your eyesight with your welder's eye protection.

http://www.king5.com/mobile/article/...safe/465810487

Steve

car junkie

OK we want to be safe, but, I looked at a few eclipses with no eye protection and am here to talk about it without burned out holes where my eyes used to be. Millions probably billions of people have done it and will continue to do it without issue. I wouldn't recommend staring at it but a quick look is not a problem.

Vettegeezer

I plan on using my 20X spotting scope with eyepiece pointed towards sun and image projected onto a piece of white paper. Can also use a removable camera lens (removed from camera), to do the same thing.

CrossedUp

For direct viewing, any ND filter with an OD (optical density) of 5 or greater should be safe to use, including welding goggles.

dmaxx3500

I think its a scam to sell the stupid glasses

now they are saying if you point your camera at it the insides of the camera will melt too

Frankie the Fink

I have enough trouble trying to keep the sun from melting the paint on my hood - I'm not risking my eyes.

Patrick03

Welding goggles are supposed to be ok to use if they are #14. #12 aren't dark enough. If you are in the path of totality, once it has fully eclipsed, you can look without glasses. The sun is fully obscured at that point and what you'll see is the corona around the sun. The corona won't blind you. If you aren't in the path of totality, keep those glasses on or use other methods.

Hoping for clear skies in Michigan!

DansYellow66

People glance up at the sun for a second or two, thousands of times during their life. We drive our cars into the setting sunset. It's the staring at it for a length of time that's the problem. I guess a lot of people can't exercise self control and sure enough there will be reports of people with eye damage.

I did wonder if my self darkening welding helmet would activate if I directed it towards the eclipse. But I'll probably wait to see it on TV and at most walk out and take a split-second glance in that direction and go on with my rat killing.

Mark_Milner

Like most, my welding helmet has a #10 lens in it. It isn't dark enough. I can see the fluorescent lights in the garage with it.

Some sites say #12 is minimum. Others say #14. But the standard #10 in most isn't.

Now the big thing is the UV and IR, not just the brightness.

As such, my eyeglasses have a UV filter coating on them, so I wonder if that is enough with the #10. Also, the standard plastic safety glasses have a UV filter to them. My self-darkening UV sensitive Transition eyeglasses won't if I'm wearing the plastic safety glasses over them.

So adding the two, the safety glasses and the Transition eyeglasses is probably enough extra behind the 310 to be safe.

BUT, there are no do-overs and the only way to know is try it and see. But if I'm wrong, I'm screwed, so I'm not that big of gambler.

I do have a second #10 lens. Two together make enough density to be roughly #18, which is probably so dark I can't see anything.

BTW, the electronic/self-darkening welding hoods are designed to NOT darken in sunlight. Some say they will protect, others say they won't.

You only have one set of eyes. I wouldn't chance it.

jasonsamara

Well I'm sitting here with my telescope (it's safe with its no glare coating), and my 1960 corvette with the hood open and air cleaner exposed. I'm ready, I'm sure it will all work out.

Tampa Jerry

I am ready here in Tampa. I will be listening to Pink Floyd. Jerry

Frankie the Fink

Just hold your smartphone down at an angle with the camera flipped to take pictures rearward in selfie mode and snap a pic looking in the camera and get it out of your system. You can even be in the pic.

ejboyd5

Not necessarily true - it depends how many you ingest.

AZDoug

Welding googles, used for oxy-acetylene welding or torch cutting, is not the same animal as an arc welders mask/helmet with an 11 or higher filter.

I imagine many people don't know the difference, which is why the warning.

My auto darkening helmet, goes dark all the time from reflected sunlight, if used out doors, there is sensitivity adjustment in it as well as darkness adjustment, I can set it as high as 15 darkness, the sens i have set on high (easily set off) for when i am tig welding with a small arc.

Doug

AZDoug

FWIW, a #9 and a #10 lens, combined, work wonderfully.

Doug

MOXIE62

I'm in west KY so the total will be here. My eye doctor appointment is in 2 weeks and I plan to ask him if he had any people with damage from the sun.

Randy G.

It's overcast here. I'll watch it on TV with my 3D glasses on.

Mike Terry

It has started here in central Indiana.

DansYellow66

I just tried my auto darkening helmet which only goes up to a #13. I could tilt the helmet up while keep my eyes lowered until I sensed that it had darkened and then look up for couple of seconds to see the partial (early) stage of the eclipse.

However, when the eclipse progresses, I'm not sure if there if there will be sufficient brightness for the helmet todarken. Any clouds going past the sun, hindered it's darkening when I tried it.

jimh_1962

oh crap! I'm blind!