Vent: wasted $180 on a so-called "heavy duty" welding hood that fogged up within 10 minutes on my first job in Flint

The lens kept steaming even after I tried anti-fog spray and left it in the truck to warm up, so did I just buy a dud or is there a specific brand that actually works for boilermaker work in cold weather?

4 comments

4 Comments

taraross1mo agoMost Upvoted

Wait, did you leave that hood in your truck overnight in Flint weather and then expect anti-fog spray to do anything after that? The real problem isn't the brand it's that you're fighting physics. A cold hood hits warm moist air from your face and that's going to fog regardless of what sticker is on it. You need to warm the lens up with your body heat or the truck heater before you strike an arc, not just leave it sitting there. Also check if your hood has a respirator gap underneath because that lets warm breath rise right up behind the lens. Anti fog spray is mostly a gimmick if the temperature difference is that big to begin with. Try keeping the hood inside your coat against your body for a solid 15 minutes before you start welding and see if that changes things.

caseythompson1mo ago

Did your buddy try warming his hood on the defroster first? Mine swears by it.

paulw531mo ago

Haha yeah @taraross is totally right about that! It's basic science, can't fight it.

the_max1mo ago

Ngl I had the same problem with a Jackson hood back when I was doing boiler work near the Detroit river. @paulw53 is right that taraross nailed it, because I left mine in the cab overnight once and it fogged up so bad I almost threw it in the scrap bin. What finally worked for me was keeping the hood under my arm or between my legs for like ten minutes while I was setting up rods and prepping the joint. Also if you got a gap under your lens from the respirator like taraross said, a piece of duct tape across the bottom really does cut down on the warm air sneaking up. Sucks to pay that much and have it fight you on day one though.