Helmet for glasses

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Hi all.  I am a new member, Mom of a student welder.  He is in the phase of verrtical welding and struggling.  He wears pretty high strength glasses.  I am wondering if the generic helmet issued to him in school may not be good enough for him.  Any opinions on possbily getting him a better helmet/lenses?  Thanx in advance!
Reply:It would be helpful to know what hood / lens shade he is using. Sometimes an adjustment in the darkness of the shade, more or less, depending on the individual and the intensity of the arc can help, but my gut feeling is that vertical welding takes lots of practice and is more difficult to learn than most other positions, and if he has had success with other positions, probably not the hat.I wear glasses.
Reply:Perhaps he could join and ask the questions directly:I only suggest this as it would get to the solution quicker as the problem may not be with his spectacles- since you didn't mention that he had any problems before the Vertical phase.If he is a youngin' then you can monitor the communication..Ed Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:Broccoli1, Good advice, I was gonna suggest the same. 2 thumbs up on the parental monitoring thing..... I didn't think about that part.I am what I am, Deal with it!If necessity is the Mother of Invention, I must be the Father of Desperation!
Reply:Yeah Mom!! My contribution is: make sure he can focus at the focal length of his puddle. I like getting 'up close and personal' with my weld. But I can't see that close without a magnifier inside my helmet (like reading glasses). Sometimes we get so intense that we can't figure out that we can't see the puddle. Have him look at the palm of his hand, how close can he focus? This is the same distance that his puddle should be when he's welding.Another point about vertical is: watch the puddle closely. He's making SMALL shelves for each puddle to rest on, for the next puddle.9-11-2001......We Will Never ForgetRetired desk jockey. Hobby weldor with a little training. Craftsman O/A---Flat, Vert, Ovhd, Horz. Miller Syncrowave 250
Reply:It took me a long time to learn vertical up.  David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Thanx so much for the advice!  Will definately pass on your remarks-you guys are great!
Reply:i normally wear progressive trifocals(?) which weren.t  working well for me when i weld, so i got a pair of "reading"glasses made just for welding with a 12" focal length. When i lift the hood to look around they  are very fuzzy, but when the hood is down they work very well..i also got some replacement clear lenes, a new  #9 Gold lens, and vision is much better.
Reply:Mom,I doubt it has anything to do with the hood.  I wear bifocals, I've got some seriously bad distance vision, and my optometrist set the reading distance for my bifocals at about 2 feet away so I wouldn't have problems reading my computer.  Problem?  I weld @  1 foot away, or less.  Kept having the dickens of the time trying to weld.  Finally took my glasses off, and since I'm near-sighted, I have no problem welding without glasses.  If your son is near-sighted, have him give this a try.Oh, yeah, make sure he doesn't get absent minded and just set them on the bench.  BB's and spatter make a mess of a pair of plastic lenses in NO TIME......(Ask me how I know...)Regards, KbnitI r 2 a perfessional
Reply:I started welding without glasses. Vertical uphill is probably the most difficult procedure to master. It takes tons and tons of practice. I now wear progressive bifocals and have my optometrist set up my reading distance for about 12 inches so I can see what I am doing when I weld. No glasses and reading glasses aren't even an option for me (legally blind in the right eye without them). If my welds start going downhill I know it's time to get to the eye doctor.Most likely it is just a case of needing more practice. All of the schools where I have welded or visited used good hoods, just not high dollar autodarkening hoods.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Thanx again you guys!  Well, the son is home this weeke-end--somewhat "down" as he has to repeat this phase of vertical....sigh.  BUT.. he said some guys had to repeat the first phase, so he doesn't feel toooo bad )  We showed him your posts, and he realizes that he just has to practice..practice..practice..
Reply:It is difficult and time consuming. Tell him to use the smallest electrode he can (3/32 usually) as it is much easier to get down and once you have it with that one move up to the next. Once you can do vertical up with 7018 the rest is a breeze. If you can find it there is a very good thread that hung around here a few months back on this very subject with a lot of good info on technique for this position. Have him read it because it will really help him out.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Make sure his glasses are ajusted properly. If he has to look over the top of poorly fitted glasses to see out of the window of the helmet that's no good. With the glasses proerly adjusted adjust the head gear of the helmet to align the lens of the the helmet with the glasses. While it's easier to get this alignment with a big window helmet it can be done on most any helmet. It's just one more thing that people with glasses have to learn to deal with because if he ever welds in the feild and not at a bench there will be plenty of times when he has to cram his head in where ever the helmet will fit and adjust his head and eyes to see the best he can.
Reply:i wear my glasses sometimes when i weld. i went and bought an auto shad from miller. works well. lots of adjustments with the new ones that are now out in referance to the head strap which allows you to adjust how far your face is to the lens which helps with some people. also you can adjust the shad of the lens without having to take the helmet apart. auto shades are a little pricey but well worth it in the long run. i was even able to write mine of on my taxes after i bought mine since i use it for work. i believe you can do that for students too.
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Reply:Hi all  I'm happy to report that he passed vertical!  Now on to overhead and bevel.  Again, I so appreciate everyone's advice!