Do welding hoods work at 0 degrees Fahrenheit?

[@rudyrivera7426]

Interesting thanks for sharing! And keep warm! We just had 4.5 inches of snow! Here in Channelview Tx. Epic winter storm here.! 👌👍

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

You have had more snow than we have had this winter so far lol.

[@Saleen35000]

@@makingmistakeswithgreg Im in the greater Montreal Area and we dont have alot of snow this year too. Usually it counts in feets lol . Its cold as hell though , this morning was -35 celsius

[@fastbusiness]

"It's so cold here, I saw a politician with his hands in his own pockets"

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha that’s cold 😅

[@Ca21431]

Glad I'm not the only one! I'm in buffalo ny and same deal here, welding in my garage and my hands kept goin numb had to call it a day!! Great video!!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

The cold snap that hit was no joke. Wish I had a fireplace to fall asleep next to lol.

[@TheGameBoy56]

Give this guy a like. It’s gold out side

[@BCole-bj4lv]

On that fogging issue. I use a 3m respirator 6503QL. It seems to keep fog at bay, as your breath leaves at the bottom. I love this respirator as the QL - (quick release) is the greatest thing. You can drop it with one hand and talk or eat or get a quick drink and latch it back on and work without removing it. Use it once and you'll never use another. I use the 2097 filters, although I think the 2091 filters will work for welding. I've worn this unit 8 hrs a day for years. Another "must have" that I use and learned about from another welder (Taylor Welding) is a correction pen. They leave a thin white line that won't come off with heat. Because of that, you can use them when plasma cutting. Don't leave home without one. It's become indispensable to me.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Great tip on the pen I will give that a shot (never heard of that). That respirator seems like a sweet setup, I have never seen that design either. I will have to try one out too 😀

[@charlottesspot]

good video!

[@moseph_v3904]

This was a fun test. And a nice way to make the most of the cold!! I will mention that it's not just cold batteries that can impact performance. Auto-darkening lenses darken by activating liquid crystal elements, just like an LCD display. If it's cold enough, the liquid crystal itself can start to take longer to 'react' to the electrical signals. Also, while maybe not as a big a risk with welding lenses and basic LCD displays, with things like laptops displays and such, be careful with storing LCD screens in overly cold conditions for too long. I used to work in a computer repair shop, and I've seen laptop screens that people left in their car overnight with temps approaching -40C/F and there's no fixing them. Only replacing

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Makes sense that cold could permanently damage the screens. Atleast a welding hood is cheaper than a laptop, that’s an expensive mistake yikes lol.

[@OldTantoGuy]

Preventing your welding hood's lenses from fogging up - just one more reason to ALWAYS wear a respirator while welding!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That will definitely help in many cases 😀👍

[@fasteddie8782]

I'm going to buy my first welding setup in my first helmet this is a good video for me I was wondering how much can you trust these helmets

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

So most modern helmets are good/safe. Harbor freights hoods all meet safety specs. I would avoid buying cheap ones off Amazon, those often don’t meet any safety specs.

[@rjay1674]

That apparatus you used looks like something I would have done. Wait it minute, does that mean I've finally made to the big leagues? Thanks for the video, I would never have thought about how temperature might effect the operation of my welding hood.

[@jamesrichardson1901]

How about a discussion of welding in the cold and how temperature affects or doesn't affect the process and weld quality?

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I did some testing on super cold steel in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4vQon2litmkfc0si=jyj_yXIK2wIt0Lrk however I could definitely do a video on tips to weld in cold steel weather.

[@TorBoy9]

My cheap auto darkening welding helmet only goes down to -5C / 23F. I'm not welding in the winter, too cold. Today here in Toronto it will go down to -19C / -2F tonight.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

It’s no fun welding in the cold 🥶. Stay warm 😀👍

[@bluesman6955]

Thank you for another great video Greg. Where do you live where it gets that cold?

[@andrewbradstreet4218]

Few people know, the pressure one might feel, to HAVE to not stick a rod , because you you only had a half breath to begin with, before you can't see a dang thing due to ur hood fogging over

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Every time you can’t have the rod stick it will 😅.

[@Tech-NO-City]

I bought some 7018 3/32 ESAB electrodes. I hope there as good as you say they are when they arrive. I only use Lincoln rods they run so nice, but the price is getting out of hand.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Esab makes 3 7018 electrodes, the atom Arc, the sure weld, and the prime. I personally like the prime the best, because of the graphite tip. It makes starting the arc easier in odd positions and makes starting porosity a non issue. For repair work it’s my go to rod. Their other rods are good as well. Lincoln’s 7018 Excalibur is a great rod as well, but it tends to be expensive per pound unless you buy it in 50lb boxes. The only 7018s I have found I don’t like tend to be real cheap ones on Amazon. They tend to run differently box to box and size to size. I like things to be the same, it makes it much easier to get the desired results 😀👍

[@BCole-bj4lv]

I was freezing my butt off yesterday and today welding in an unheated building. My hoods worked fine. I got into a position where I couldn't see out of my hood so I had to grab a glass to use by hand and decided to grab one of the Copkim 2x4 auto glasses that I bought, 2 for $8.99, on amazon - no joke. They worked fine, although I'm not advocating for them as I haven't really put them to work. They may be junk. It was the first time using one. I have so many hoods laying around I thought I'd just toss them in as backup or for others to watch.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I am kind of surprised they rated the hoods fairly high for operating temp compared to what they would run down to. Glad to hear yours worked fine too. Have any tricks to keep the stuff from fogging up? That’s one thing I need to figure out lol.

[@theseldomseenkid6251]

@makingmistakeswithgreg Try Rain-X Anti-Fog. Make sure the lens is very clean before the application. Apply a thin layer and buff it in quickly with a clean cloth. This is guaranteed to work except when it doesn't.

[@brnmcc01]

I think as long as the sensors are clean, and the batteries are fresh, these hoods will work fine. I don't recommend trying it with half dead batteries though :) It was so cold today, they got 8.5" of snow in New Orleans, they were shoveling snow in the French quarter. Some snow in Pensacola beach too. Crazy. Preliminary estimates of 14-17 billion dollars of damage in Florida.

[@Mundane-Doom]

Some??? We got almost 8 inches covering everything lol

[@brnmcc01]

@@Mundane-Doom Wow. Up north in Indiana here it was nice and sunny but -2 degrees this evening.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

8.5in in New Orleans? Wow. They get literally no snow ever. Stuff like that will shut whole cities down since they probably don’t even have a snow plow.

[@Christopherbever]

Hey Greg! Got my tig lessons rolling along in the shed on my everlast. I love it! I just scored a bobcat 225 for a steal! I’ll be mobile welding in no time 😂 (joking) do you have any vids or opinions on older wire feeder attachments or the newer voltage sensing wire feeder suitcase welders? Found a miller S-32s for $100 but idk what I’m looking for yet obviously. I just want to be able to flux core out the back of the truck.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Glad to hear things are going good 😀. So that particular wire feeder is kind of a unique device. It can operate on both CC (constant current) and CV (constant voltage) power sources. Wire processes regulate voltage to a fixed number (say 19 volts) and the amperage is based on the wire feed speed. More wire equals more amperage. So anyway, that feeder is capable of working on most CC stick welding machines and should work on a simple engine drive. It will actually operate off the output of the welder and not require separate power in most cases. The adjustability is a bit different on the system without direct voltage control. I believe voltage is adjusted via a ratio based on wire feed on that unit. As far as how well it would work on the setup you have I am not exactly sure. I have welded a lot with suitcase feeders on power sources, but only on ones that I could directly adjust the voltage. For the price it might be worth screwing around with I think 😀

[@googlegok9637]

I noticed on entry level auto that the reaction time slow down with temp? For me , worse about cold PPE is the moment it get in contact with the skin. it be a respirator or the headphone type ear protection.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

A lot of the entry level hoods use an internal battery that’s charged via solar, and I bet the voltage drop when cold is real bad. Having to wear cold gear sucks, the older I get the more I try to warm things up lol.

[@meguinlia]

I've never even thought of this being an issue. Were I am it doesn't normally get much below freezing here in the winter and that's normally only at night unless there a southerly blowing up from Antarctica. I have definitely been flashed by low amp TIG when I've had low batteries though so I think your on to it the voltage dropping more at really cold temperatures. Also I find cheaper auto darkening really struggles with pure helium but no issues with argon. I guess this might due to the different spectrums each ionized gas emit and tuning the sensitivity towards argon.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Very interesting, I have only tig welded with a helium blend and never straight. Helium boosts the voltage required to maintain an arc so there is a lot more heat input in the weld pool with a tight arc vs argon. Clearly it must do something with the light output if it affects arc sensors. That would be a rough one to be flashed by due to how bright a/c tig generally is.

[@tallyman15]

It is snowing here in Tallahassee FL.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That’s wild, hopefully it melts fast

[@Mundane-Doom]

Oh yeah 6+ inches of snow here in sunny Florida so colder than shit is a perfect description 😂

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

That’s wild. That would be the last thing I would want to see outside of my window there lol.

[@joesbarbecue1]

Completely off topic. Love your stuff, I'm learning tons at 63 and am enjoying busting a few balls of guys with way more knowledge and experience than I, who've been doing stupid shit forever because of....uh..it doesn't''t matter. To coin a new phrase: Fuck 'em, let 'em stack dimes! Here's what's pissing me off. My very first squirt gun was a Lincoln weldpak 100 that I saved from going to a pawnshop somewhere, and have ran it forever off grid on numerous generators, large and small. The weldpak has a power switch, Yay! It's right on the front! I've recently acquired: Esab EMP 210, Titanium 225, and the famous Best Arc 500 gen 10. They all sit about eye level on a new Homeless Dopes 78" shelving unit, all cuddled up side by side. What a royal PITA to try and reach around the back of each one to try and find the power switch! What the hell was wrong with putting the switch on the front like my old Lincoln? I just don't have the time to take these all apart and figure out if it would be easy or not to move the switches up front. So, here's your next video idea. I'll be standing by. Thank you.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

So for some reason many welders only do rear switches now. I have heard a major reason was electrical compliance with countries outside of the U.S., and that could be true. Many of the welders I own would have no technical issue having a switch on the front. The power cord on most welders enters the back and then goes straight to the power switch. A front switch would require the input wires to go all the way to the front or a relay that’s in the rear that’s controlled by a switch on the front. Either way it’s way better having it on the front. The only welder I have with a front switch is the fronius accupocket 150 I have.

[@nealesmith1873]

Mighty cold over there! Here in Mexico we are at about 34 F and we think it is pretty cold!

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

34 is tolerable lol. I like it super hot over cold. Lived here all my life and I still don’t like the cold lol.

[@melgross]

Nice that they meet their specs. How cold is shit anyway?

[@junit483]

22F/-5.56C

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Whatever the temp is when you stick to a seat in an outhouse lol. I was surprised all of them beat their ratings, I thought for sure atleast one would not work.

[@tigxxl]

😁👍

[@ThePinkPanth3r]

Think we are hitting zero at 7am, but i have to take my snowblower to storage if i want to weld, very small garage

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I would keep the snowblower where it’s at lol.

[@MrHonestZ1]

I think you're in Wisconsin and I work in Illinois yeah you got cold weather up to two dude yeah it was like minus 11 on my dashboard

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

When it hits sub zero it’s rough lol.

[@almostretired67]

-2 this morning in upstate NY

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Entirely too cold 🥶 lol

[@morenothing4u]

Either turn on the workshop heater or call it a day.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

I ran 2 heaters (one kerosene and one propane) for 2 hours and barely broke 40 in the tin shed I work out of lol. Luckily I can just edit stuff indoors for a few days, it’s crazy cold.

[@Trump985]

Some of us have to work outside believe it or not. Up here zero degrees is a nice day outside, it's when it gets below -20 that it really starts to suck especially on the night shift when it's really windy. Probably the worst night I can remember was working the 18:00 -06:00 shift, it wasn't that cold around -15 to -20 F however it was blowing 60 mph and let me tell you that was a absolutely miserable night, especially as the only mechanic on shift who was dealing with broken down equipment all night long. The sea spray was freezing to everything and covering everything in ice, at one point I was 30 feet up a ladder that was covered in ice and hydraulic fluid, with the wind blowing 60,changing a hydraulic hose. You really start to question your career choices on nights like that!

[@yurimodin7333]

Its snowing at The Gulf of America......Global Warming has been defeated.

[@fasteddie8782]

Yeah I'm going to buy one at harbor freight it's like $100 it's a gasless one.. I just need to build a well like 1-inch s*** together I think flux core it's called.. see that I got to spend $500 with a thousand bucks for a miller 140

[@DarienNewman]

Sometimes my Miller doesn’t work with TIG at regular temperatures

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

It’s pretty common for many hoods to struggle with tig. The higher end ones generally work good with tig. Often times the only hope to get things to work better with one that’s struggling is adjusting the sensitivity sky high. If that doesn’t work and the batteries are fresh, there isn’t a lot that can be done 😕.

[@Boodieman72]

It was -14F this morning with a windchill of -35F.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Now that’s cold 🥶. Car exhaust probably freezes in the pipes lol.

[@beyondmiddleagedman7240]

45 this morning and 61 this afternoon. Wed is supposed to be at about freezing. At least welding creates some heat to soak up in your fingers.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha that is t-shirt and shorts weather lol. It will be atleast 3 months before it might hit 60 here ☹️

[@GustavoCastillaEtherDreams]

Cold to know 😲🤒

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

🥶too cold lol

[@GustavoCastillaEtherDreams]

@makingmistakeswithgreg -30 out your way? Want to go fishing?

[@theseldomseenkid6251]

The moral of this story is live someplace warm during the winter. ... dontchaknow.

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Very good advice lol.

[@daltonmaddox6404]

ive got a 500$ jackson and a 80$ lincoln there is no difference in the 2 i swear the lincoln is so good

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Not too surprising. Lincoln has some really good lenses even in their cheaper hoods. It’s nice when you don’t have to break the bank to get a decent hood.

[@daltonmaddox6404]

@ absolutely brother only complaint is the viewing area they make it look big but its still the regular sized lens, thats why i bought the jackson thing has a 6 by 7 inch viewing area lmaoo its huge

[@stephanied143]

well that's to cold to be working 😂 .

[@makingmistakeswithgreg]

Haha good day to avoid the worksite and stay in bed lol.