Glasses vs. shield
 

Just buying the final few things to start up this awesome hobby/art/obsession. And I've got a question about eye protection -- Soft glass only.

Who wears glasses vs. uses a shield, (other) AND WHY??

I'm leaning toward an AUR 92 shield for the following reasons
-more protection from popping glass
-easily see the color of the glass on the table
-more comforable (and affordable than clip-ons or prescription glasses)


Any comments, experiences, etc?

Thanks so much. You guys here really are the best.

Lynda J

I would still want something protecting my eyes from flying bits of glass.

I'm thinking about getting a shield to protect my skin a bit. I have rosecea and when I get hot sitting with my face so close to the flame I figure it's not real good for it. I also need to wear prescription glasses for upclose.

However...I am probably going to get a pair of prescription glasses instead. I tried a shield and I found it got in my way a little too much. I'm sure I would get used to it but I think I would prefer the glasses.

It does get in the way sometimes (Deb it wasn't set where it should have been in class!) but most times I don't even realize it's there!

LOL! Hi Anne. I liked the shield but I would have a lot of trouble with it like that. I am thinking about asking Mari sometime if we can set hers up so I can try it. It's a lot of money to spend if I don't like it!

Anne, I sure wish you were coming to Beadapallooza!

Me too!! I'll see ya in MN though! I want to figure out a way to rig my shield like Shari (Sislonski) to where it is coming down in front of her, not from the side.

I have both, but no boro glass so I use the shield for boro mostly.

I have one complaint. The arm part gets in the way for me. I need to get my dear hubby to make me something so I can pull the shield down from the ceiling and there won't be anything I hit on the sides.. I'd use it more then.

Other than that, it's great.

Kristi

I use the shield too. I agree that it keeps the heat off of your face and keeps glass from popping there too. I really don't think it gets in my way, I've been using it for 3 years now and it's still in really good shape. I have it on my left side toward the back of the bench, I do wish the swing arm was a bit longer though.

Donna

I just got a shield and used it for the first time tonight. I can see the benefits of both. the main reason I got it was because I have problems with my contacts occasionally and wanted to be able to torch with my regular glasses on. I like it and think if I can figure a way to rig it so it doesn't have to sit on the table, I would absolutely love it.

I use a shield because I hated wearing didys over my prescription glasses and my prescription changes too often to warrant the expense of prescription didys. It took me a little while to get used to having the arm there, but within a week or so I didn't even know it was there. Still trying to figure out a way to have it mounted above to free up some room, but I wouldn't go back to glasses for anything now.

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. This will help with my decision.

Lynda

The shield arm can be ordered longer, and you can also order additional arms and swivels if you want to add additional axis of movement.

One of the things I did with mine was to turn the base upside down and clamp it to the top of my vent hood. I used a 2nd swivel and arm to bring the shield out towards me.

Lauri Copeland has the boro shield and she took the frame off the mount, rotated it 90 degrees so the flip section is at the very end, then clamped the base under the bench directly behind the torch. She got it in the position she wanted it then cut the excess rod from the arm so she can get close.

The beauty of the shield is that it is so flexible. It's limited only by your imagination.

It also does come with a pair of clear safety glasses to wear behind the shield if you don't already wear glasses.

Meant to quote myself and messed it up but I did want to say that I forgot to mention in the first post of mine that the "gooseneck" arm is really flexible and most times it is out of my way!

I go back and forth. I haven't been using the shield recently because it got in the way. I was using arm rests that sat on top of the table (Jim Smircich-style) and I had a Beth torch that didn't have a torch marver, so I had to use the table top to marver. I may set up the shield again now that I have the Lynx with a torch marver and am using different arm rests that don't take up table space. I have the boro flip-up for the shield, which is nice. Boro glasses are so dark you can't tell what you're doing, so the shield is nice.

By the way, unless they've changed the design, the Auralens shield has two rods for supports -- hard to describe, so just go to the site and look at the pictures. I guess it's a Phillips product that has the gooseneck. The gooseneck seems like it would be more adjustable. On the other hand, the Phillips version is either all-boro or all-soft glass; it doesn't have the flip-up option, which is nice.

I guess if you went to a class or a demo, there would pretty much always be a pair of glasses available that you could borrow if for some reason you couldn't bring your shield. For a class you'd almost certainly be able to bring your shield. If you were just going to watch someone demo, you wouldn't be able to set up your shield, and if you couldn't borrow a pair of glasses, that would be a drawback, but it's a pretty small one.

Yes, Phillips has the gooseneck. Jim at Blue Moon makes them with the gooseneck and a quick connect connection to where you don't have the heavy base. They are really nice!

i use glasses, but i can easily see why to use a shiel, i've had a few pieces of glass explode and hit my face where its not [rotected

I think most of the people who have problems with the glasses are people who wear prescription glasses. That's been a pain on my nose for a year now so, since I so enjoy this art, I decided to go ahead and order myself the shield from Mike. Can't wait to get it. My DH is going to put up a bigger (for 'bigger' read normal sized and not the piddly thing we put on there when we moved my studio down here) this weekend so I will have to see, when the shield comes, how it can be rigged on the hood if I don't like it on my work table.

I've used Mike's shield since he came out with it and wouldn't make beads without it! Also, wear didyiums behind it -- gotta protect our MOST IMPORTANT tool! I (thankfully) had the foresight to order my shield with the boro flipper as I'm now doing lots of boro...we sure have to be grateful to all of those tool folks that keep us safe & happy making beads! They're the greatest...

Lea

i use glasses auralens, and a welding shield shade 3, plastic 5$ from welding supply, it hangs from fishing line and a hook in ceiling so i can move it out of the way when i want, great for shielding heat from my face, godsend last night making large trees.

I have the goosneck shield, and wear prescription glasses. I am on a HH, and I don't know if it is just me, or if anyone else has the same problem, but I am constantly having to look "around" the shield as I can't see a darn thing through it. I can't see the flame at all, and never know if I am below, in, or above the flame. I was wondering if getting a pair of Mike's glasses with my prescription would be better.

Edited to say that I now have a minor burner and I love my shield!

Another vote for the sheild!
It does help block some of the heat during our miserable Texas summers, along with giving my glasses-wearing nose a break!
Kim

I wear a gold coated faceshield with a didy coating too, shade 3 or five, not sure, bought it from Wale apparatus. $94.50 and it keeps my face cool when my chest and arms are on fire from running the Barracuda full bore :)

I use a huge pair of didy glasses, prescription glasses, and a boro shield from Frantz. I've got the shield hung from my ceiling and anchored to my torch. I've cut most of the ear pieces off of the glasses and tied a piece of elastic to what was left of them, and they're quite comfortable, even over my prescription glasses.

Blast Shield
 

I have a clear Blast Shield made to fit my Mini CC, so it fastens on the torch, comes straight up in front of me from the torch, and it has a built in graphite marver--slick! I have roseaca and the Blast Shield blocks the heat. I only work with soft glass, but when I need it, I have a square of shade 3, purchased from Blue Moon Glass in Austin, TX.

I highly recommend the Blast Shield as they are built for the specific torch and do an excellent job of protecting your face. K

I bought a didy shield this summer from Blue Moon and I absolutely love it. I've had two pairs of didy glasses and neither pair was comfortable. I could never torch very long without the glasses giving me a headache. The shield eliminated that problem.

I don't find it to be in the way, at least, not very often. I bought the longer necked version and it clamps to the edge of my work table. It is to my left.

Did I mention I love it?!

I love my shield.

Didn't answer the poll because I use both glasses and a shield. Glasses for my eyes because 1) glass does fly around the shield 2) I often need to look around the shield for some reason; the shield I have mostly to pretect my face and neck, which react badly to infrared. I get a sunburned effect I don't much care about !

I have both, also. I got the shield because I wear prescription glasses--progressives--and it was pain to put didys over the glasses and I did not want to scratch the coating on the glasses. But the arm does get in the way. This winter I bought new Wale lampwork safety glasses and a blank insert that I took to my optician to have my prescription inserted. They also make standard reading inserts--so you and change the insert when you eyes get worse. Check it out here: http://www.waleapparatus.com/catalog...showprevnext=1

I like the Wale gasses but have to take them off to check the color developing in the bead versus just looking around the shield. So, no perfect solution.

Ruth

I've found a way to work around that if you have the long flexible arm. I've set it up so that the arm runs along the edge of the table and it comes up vertically right in front of me. You can sort of see it in my pics.