Gold Lenses? Which ones would you recommend?

admin

Hey all, I'm semi-new welder currently in school, and I'm having a hard time figuring out the deal with gold lenses. My instructor recommended that our class buy some gold lenses for stainless steel TiG. I've used the gold lens that my school has available and I know that It's like welding in 4K. Compared to my shade 11 standard green lens, it's like night and day. However, the lenses that my classmates purchased seem no different to a normal green tinted lens. I was just wondering if someone could maybe vouch for a gold lens? From what I've gathered it's pretty common for people to by a gold lens but for the arc to still appear as it would in a regular green lens. I'm holding off buying one until I'm certain it's actually good for what I'm paying for. Any help is appreciated, thanks!
Reply:Unlike standard 'old-style' lenses that filter by adsorbing light, and usually do so better with certain colors, gold lenses reflect most of the light, all wavelengths equally, so what you see is not colored by the filter. If you are seeing color when using a gold lens, might the hood have both a lower shade level gold lens and a standard lens under it? Or maybe this is something new I'm unfamiliar with but is intended to make seeing the weld easier when working on specific metals?I have a few gold lenses, probably in shades 10 and 11, but haven't used that hood in a long time, as many years ago I bought a Speedglas APC hood with light sensing-adjustable filter. I don't recall gold lenses being that expensive.BTW, what is meant by "It's like welding in 4K"?
Reply:

Originally Posted by Oldiron2

Unlike standard 'old-style' lenses that filter by adsorbing light, and usually do so better with certain colors, gold lenses reflect most of the light, all wavelengths equally, so what you see is not colored by the filter. If you are seeing color when using a gold lens, might the hood have both a lower shade level gold lens and a standard lens under it? Or maybe this is something new I'm unfamiliar with but is intended to make seeing the weld easier when working on specific metals?I have a few gold lenses, probably in shades 10 and 11, but haven't used that hood in a long time, as many years ago I bought a Speedglas APC hood with light sensing-adjustable filter. I don't recall gold lenses being that expensive.BTW, what is meant by "It's like welding in 4K"?
Reply:

Originally Posted by 52 Ford

Welding in 4K - He's talking about clarity. 4K being "Ultra High Definition" on TVs, it's roughly 4 times as many pixels as a "normal HD" 1080x1920 TV. In other words - Them gold lens are easier to see through.