Eye Protection

[SteppingBird]

Hi Guys -
I've just discovered something and I was wondering if I'm doing the completely wrong thing:
As I set myself up for lampworking, I bought myself a couple pair of diddy glasses and I used them religiously. However, the other day, I was in a hurry and forgot to put them on... and I realized that I had a MUCH easier time in the flame.

Is this totally stupid on my part? I don't want to blind myself, but boy was it easier for me to function.

Any advice? I'm a dorky beginner.

[GlassGalore]

Are you using soft glass or boro? Didymium glasses are for soft glass, and without them, you typically can't even see the bead you're making for the yellow 'flare' coming off the glass.

You need to wear the eye protection.

[squid]

Well, for soft glass it's more for convenience than preventing harm. There's no IR from soft glass like there is for boro.

[wadiefong]

Hello! Please do wear your safety glasses! I'm just a dorky beginner too , but at the very LEAST, I would worry about glass popping off rods during heating, or other flying bits of hot glass hitting the eyes and potentially causing some damage. There is a thread that speaks of safety glasses here:

http://lampworketc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175862

While there is more potential for harm from infrared and ultraviolet light if you are using hard glass (borosilicate), you also need to worry about that yellow glare (also called sodium glare) while you are melting glass. Here is a safety article written by NIOSH:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports...-0139-2769.pdf

and Sundance has a helpful chart comparing the different types of safety glasses/lense protection factors:
http://www.sundanceglass.com/didymiumsr.htm

Hope this helps, and protect your eyes

[ben david]

Another trick is to increase the light level of the rest of your work area.
This will let you see clearly even if you are using heavily tinted safety glasses.

If the flame is the only very bright spot in your field of vision, you cannot work as easily.

[Art of Hand]

Hi Sandy
Are you working with a Hot Head? I cannot work with my didy glasses with the HH. I just use my normal glasses. I also 'see better' without them. With my dual fuel torch, I need the didys to see through the flame ...

What ever you choose to wear, please wear glasses (safety/readers/didy). I got a nasty burn on both eyelids a couple of weeks ago when I took my didys off for a moment after wearing them non-stop for about 6 hours.

[tracijo99]

I have never used my diddy glasses with COE104, BUT when I used Bulls Eye I forgot to put the diddy's on and I felt like I had sat under a sunlamp with my eyes open it hurt so much, and the pain felt like sand under my eyelids for a day and a half. Note: I had only made one large bead using BE, thank God... I had that much pain from using COE 90, for only an hour or less.

I see better without the diddy glasses in COE 104, always have and I always wear protective clear glasses!

I heard you can use the Phillips 202 over the diddys for protection using BORO, I am afraid to try it after my experience with the COE90.

I am about to start using BORO, I am hoping to hear from anyone about what eye protection keeps your eyes healthy and allows the best visibility?

Thank you!

[Elizabeth Beads]

Man, i wear my Didymiums religiously and I still feel night blinded by the soda flare from soft glass.

You might consider a Didymium shield if the glasses themselves (i.e., the frames) are what is making it more difficult for you to function.

[NMLinda]

Originally Posted by squid

Well, for soft glass it's more for convenience than preventing harm. There's no IR from soft glass like there is for boro.

Oh, Squid, not true!!! At least, not entirely. Soft glass DOES emit IR - black-body radiation theory applies to soft glass every bit as much as it does for boro. Boro can emit greater levels, yes, and in very similar IR bands, but that does not make working with soft glass safe without the right IR protection. As rough metrics, the NIOSH saftey publications I've read indicate that one can work for up to 8 hours at a distance of 18" without exceeding the recommended safety exposure limits for IR. A great many of us either aren't tall enough or don't have arms long enough to maintain that distance (or can't see what they're doing at that kind of distance....). Even soft glass can cause a great deal of IR-related eye damage and discomfort, particularly for folks with light colored eyes or for those who are prone to IR sensitivity. Over the years, I've read a growing number of posts by LE members who have shared their eye problems as it relates to poor eye protection, most of whom work soft glass, that seems to corroborate the NIOSH recommendations.

James Kervin's book "Everything you ever wanted to know about glass beadmaking" has a great section on IR concerns, including for soft glass, in his Safety chapter.

You're work is beautiful - I hope you're protecting your eyes!

Regards,
Linda