Head gear and eye protection

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Some dummy said there are no stupid questions, so here's one that's pushing the envelope.All my experience has been with OA ; I'm very new to stick.Can light stick welding on the flat be done with only goggles ofsufficient shade? I realize there are a lot of variables involvedi.e. thickness of the material being welded, stick diameter andtype, on and on. For clarity, I'm talking about on the flat only, novertical, horizontal, and especially overhead!Sparks that fly when OA welding were not a big concern, eventhough I've had my share of tiny burns from some of the biggerflyers.How about the dangers of hot flying debris from stick welding?Is a helmet mandatory if stick welding light (< 1/8 " ) mild steelon the flat?I'm guessing the short answer is YES and Don't even think aboutanything less that a helmet shade 11. Forget the minor expensefor the protection afforded, etc.I don't know exactly what to expect from stick, so that's why I asked this question. Don
Reply:When doing any type of arc welding you would want your face and any exposed skin covered or you will end up with a sunburn. I have had an arc burn on my arms from welding with short sleeves and that was all it took. So yes, the short answer is yes, welding isn't any fun if it hurts. Good luck.TiggerAaronHTP Invertig 201w/ CK-20 torch and Bernard ChillerHTP MicroCut 300 plasma cutterLincoln R3S-325 w/ TA 17A Wire FeederVictor Super Range II O/A kitClausing/Colchester 13X40 LatheBridgeport 9X42 Mill
Reply:Thanks Tigger, radiation burns to exposed skin is an importantreason to wear a helmet. I wasn't even thinking about that andshould have been. I was tunnel visioned in on the physical burnsfrom flying sparks. Great point!