Mask fogs up in the cold

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So i searched the forum and found recomendations for baby shampoo, toothpaste, and some stuff used by scuba divers.any idea if any of these work in the extreme cold?the problem is you cant breath through your nose much when it is in the single digits, your nose just runs non stop if you breath through it and you just end up with snot running down your face if you do.so i would take a couple deep breaths, hold breath, strike arc and weld as long as i could hold my breath.  not ideal ...any better ideas?this little project is just welding some washers to some rebar for emergency anchors, but the next one might be more critical, so it would be nice if the darn helmet wouldnt fog up .
Reply:they sell an anti-fog spray for glasses it'd be worth a try
Reply:A lot of divers just use spit although the commercially made stuff works better in my opinion but as far as an application to a welding mask i do not know. I have a 15$ Hobart mask that fogs up all the time and i cant stand to use it but my Jacksons with the large window don't fog up at all. Maybe try a different mask I think the window is closer to my face when i use the Hobart.
Reply:I dry mine out over a torch and after that the welding heat keeps it warm enough to stay clear.Two turn tables and a microphone.
Reply:I wonder if the circuitry could be scavenged  from battery powered socks  and adapted to the inside of the helmet around or on the top or bottom of the shield?Victor Oxy weld/cut Setup Meco Midget Torch outfitEverlast 2016 250EX & Power Cool W300Lincoln Power mig 210MP  w/amptrol and Spool GunEverlast Powerarc 200 Hypertherm Powermax 45Bandsaw, Lathe, grinders, press, Bridgeport, etc.
Reply:it seems like when you breath out of your mouth, your breath hits the mask and flows up right over the glass causing it to fog.maybe some kind of deflector to force your breath to flow down?  I thought about heating the glass with a heat gun, but at single digit cold, it don't take long for it to get cold again.  Perhaps with a lot of welding, it would stay warm, but i'm only welding for a few seconds at a time.....  i dunno ... i might try the heat gun and see how well that works.fogs my glasses up too sometimes, so i might just be out of luck.
Reply:rub the lens with a dry bar of soap and wipe the residue off with a paper towel. the glycerine in the soap will helpa lot..when the snot runs down your face  it will freeze when it gets below the hood so dont worry ..
Reply:Anti fog spray works well on our snowmobile helmet shields.A quality welding helmet like a Speedglass will also help. The Speedglass helmets have side vents that exhaust your breath outside of the helmet.JasonLincoln Idealarc 250 stick/tigThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 52Miller Bobcat 250Torchmate CNC tableThermal Arc Hefty 2Ironworkers Local 720
Reply:Like snoeproe said, the speedglas has vents in the hood. When mine starts to fog up, I exhale by blowing hard toward the vents, like trying to blow out a candle. Seems to help the warm, damp air leave the mask.
Reply:Fog or frost?   There is a difference.  There are things that work with fog but NOTHING but heat can combat frost.Have tried everything over the years.  I live in the Great White North and have worn glasses since a year before my earliest memory.  I've tried it allGordie -- "I believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
Reply:I would think in todays technology , someone makes welding equipment for extreme conditions, it might not be cheap but it will work, all those alaskan oil pipes, what did they use?Of all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:i might be out on a limb here, but i was wondering if a sand blasting helmet could be retrofitted with welding glass.  The ones our contractors use to sandblast bridges have a regulator that hook up to the air compressor.  it pressurizes the hood with some positive air flow.just some kind of small jet of air over the glass on the inside would probably keep it from fogging.  Like Nitesky said, if it stays foggy very long it will freeze, then you have to find some heat to clear it up.million dollar idea guys ... fog free welding helmets for welding in the cold.  Smart money makes them blow warm air for creature comfort.I'm gonna try some soap here tonight and see how that works.  it's prolly dirty anyway, good excuse to clean it.
Reply:Shaving cream works like a million bucks.Put a little dollop on and buff it dry.The moisture in your breath will still collect but not as fog.
Reply:I have seen resporater masks that have air intake and exhaust behind the head. You might try one of those. I have seen them in woodworker magazines.
Reply:Originally Posted by Meborderit seems like when you breath out of your mouth, your breath hits the mask and flows up right over the glass causing it to fog.maybe some kind of deflector to force your breath to flow down?  but at single digit cold, it don't take long for it to get cold again.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauYou could try wrapping a bandana or something similar around your face to where you look like the bank/train robbers in the old westerns, to direct your breath down and away from the inside of the hood. This might help the problem with your glasses, too. Just don't forget to remove it before you go into a bank or train station.Best solution, move to a warmer climate You won't catch me out working(or playing) in single digit temperatures, unless it's doing something to get the heat back on inside.
Reply:Originally Posted by BistineauYou could try wrapping a bandana or something similar around your face to where you look like the bank/train robbers in the old westerns, to direct your breath down and away from the inside of the hood. This might help the problem with your glasses, too. Just don't forget to remove it before you go into a bank or train station.Best solution, move to a warmer climate You won't catch me out working(or playing) in single digit temperatures, unless it's doing something to get the heat back on inside.
Reply:My 3M 7500 series respirator exhausts downward inside of my Jackson NexGen helmet, and I don't have any fogging problems.  Nor do I have dirty boogers!
Reply:Man, this was bothering me all last project, I must have thrown my glasses across the shop 5 times when they would fog up and I could not see, so mad! tried the rainex stuff made me mad I was using it when the stuff fogged up it was just crap. Now I went to REI and in there snow skiing and boarding area they have some stuff called, no kidding, Cat Crap. rub a small bit on buff off and no more fogging. they did the tea kettle test a boiling pot steam coming out put a clear shield in the steam and one side dripping wet fogged up and the other clear. and it works.
Reply:I am curious about this.Living in Australia it never freezes here, but I have spent a couple of years in the Antarctic so I can well understand the problem.Would it be practical to wear a dust mask under your helmet ?The exhaled vapor might condense onto the mask, instead of the helmet window.The mask would get wet pretty quickly, might even freeze, but at least you can see what you are welding.Never tried it, have no idea if it would even work ?????Last edited by Warpspeed; 01-13-2012 at 07:57 PM.Cheers,  Tony._________________________________Transmig 310 + Argoshield LightOxy acetyleneOxy propanePrehistoric stick welder_________________________________
Reply:the dust mask would work well for someone that does not wear eyeglasses i bet.me, i cannot ever wear dust masks because they refuse to seal around the nose under the best of conditions.  many brand new dust masks have died a horrible premature death under my watch because of this. the bottom breathing resparator is likely the best option for someone who wears glasses, those do tend to seal up around the face much better.i'm gonna come clean here guys ... didn't try anything ... it's supposed to be nicer tomorrow, so the welding will wait until then.  last night was an emergency because of the wind ... no wind tonight, hence no emergency   smart money would do it tonight while not having to fight the wind, but what can i say ... why do now what you can put off until later ...
Reply:just buy a pancake hood and all your worries are goneLincoln Pro Core 125Lincolin sp 100Miller Big 40Lincoln Idealarc SP250miller matic 212http://www.facebook.com/hdwelding?sk=wallwww.hdweldingbeds.com
Reply:+1 on the 3 m respirator, i had the same problem in upstate ny and fixed it with a cheap 3m respirator with a few holes towards the bottom to direct airflow away from the lens
Reply:i have tried lots of different gimmicks. the shaving creme works the best. The cheaper stuff works best. creme not gel.
Reply:Its condensation doesn't matter what gimmick you try it isn't going to stop until you get the temperature warmer of your helmet warmer, try a herman nelson directed at you while you are work and erecting canvas around your weld area.Its a big problem for me too, since I weld in our backyard. I just try to direct my breath sideways. It works most of the time, but is kinda annoying.-Alex-AlexSears/Craftsman 230A Buzzy BoxSears/Craftsman 180A Buzzy BoxChicago Electric 80A InverterALL STICK...ALL THE TIME!I spent a lot of time with the square peg and round hole.
Reply:Originally Posted by roadkillbobbI would think in todays technology , someone makes welding equipment for extreme conditions, it might not be cheap but it will work, all those alaskan oil pipes, what did they use?
Reply:Originally Posted by heimbuckweldingjust buy a pancake hood and all your worries are gone
Reply:See this http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3...dglas/WeldingShields/EyeFaceProtection/9100Shield/Speedglas9100Air/
Reply:not to needlessly revive a thread, but i did some more welding in the cold, and found that constant welding does help.the first few beads i was fighting fog on the inside of the mask, but after 10 minutes or so, the mask had warmed up a bit and it wasnt a problem.perhaps one can "preheat" their mask with heat gun on low, or perhaps with a shop light and get through the first few minuets of welding before the mask naturally warms up.i'm still gonna go to Scheel's and see if i can find that stuff that was mentioned earlier.