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Up Topic Welding Industry / Welding Fundamentals / Why a pancake hood?
- - By Fritz T Katt (**) Date 10-20-2010 01:11
Topic says it all...
Parent - By Cumminsguy71 (*****) Date 10-21-2010 12:30
For me Fritz I like the pancake when I'm outside welding. I carried my digital elite and pancake when I was running the 6" pipeline a few weeks back. I used the Miller early morning before sun came out and once the sun was up I switched to the pancake. For one, the pancake defended better against ol' sparky jumping off in my ear. Second, I hate how the sun glares in from behind me and makes it more difficult to see the things I want to see. The pancake is pure darkness and with the #10 shade and good sunshine you can see the pipe, the previous passes, bevel and so forth with no problem. Third, with the glare from the sun I was always reminded that I really needed to shave. While welding, plus glare from sun got a great mirror image of my graying stubble over the top of the current weld I was laying in.

Now, I absolutely love my Miller but when it comes to the sun and outside, always fall back to my pancake. Spent 3 weeks running hot water pipe for some boilers indoors. That was 3 weeks of Miller time. Great because I could push a button, grind, push again, weld. We went outside to tie in a stub up to some new "plastic" line and out came the Wendy's. When I get a new pancake I'm going to get an auto dark lens for it, then the miller won't see much weld time when I'm running pipe outdoors. Still be my go-to hood for mig, tig, indoor piping but outside, can't beat the pancake. Plus, it's hard to burn up a Wendy's pancake. It used to be white, now more smoke brown but still hangin' tough. The standard hoods catch things in the corners where your lens meets the hood and melts, cracks shaded lenses when welding overhead excessively. Had a clinker burn through the outer lens and crack the shaded lens, didn't know until I struck the next arc....Whoooaaa boy!! Overhead, 7018 on 1 inch plate for hours and hours at a time. Lucky for me one of my old Jacksons, simple cheap fix. Do that to a Miller digital elite and that's gonna hurt. Hope this helps answer your question, happy welding!!

Shawn
Parent - - By ronnie taylor (**) Date 10-22-2010 16:17 Edited 10-22-2010 16:19
I think being versatile is the best way to go, just my 2 pennies
Attachment: securedownload.jpg (94k)
Parent - - By aevald (*****) Date 10-22-2010 22:16
Hello ronnie, appears as though you are definitely covered in the diversified area. I have probably 5 or 6 hoods myself, just don't have a pancake and yes, some are better suited for a particular task than others. Best regards, Allan
Parent - - By ronnie taylor (**) Date 10-22-2010 22:35 Edited 10-23-2010 00:24
Yes sir, I believe it is my responsibility to be prepared...isn't that right stanantonio hint hint, poke poke:) :)
Parent - - By stanantonio Date 10-23-2010 21:18
lol Ronnie you are absoutly right!!! I have worked in alot of different welding fields I just choose to work pipeline cause thats is what I most enjoy.  I used to for a long time use a fibermetal hood to weld with on the pipeline cause it felt weird to weld with out a pair of safety glasses underneath my hood.  If your going to buy a pancake and I encourage that you do so. My choice is a Wendys pancake hood and an Arc One auto lens number 9 or 10. Take the time to really get the shape of the wood to fit to your face. It usually takes me a couple hours and maybe the help of someone else as well.  I use a pencil grinder with a burr bit or a flapper wheel to sand it to fit.  A bad fit on a pancake is really noticeable so take your time to make it fit accordingly and wear you welding cap when you fit it just like you would be using it out in the field and sand it in little measurements cause you can always take more off but you cant put more on if you sand to much off. You see pancake hoods all the time here on pipline work or in the south. I love to take hood on some tube welding work or up north where theres not any one thats has seen one before. You will get alot of people coming up to you asking questions about this new hood that they have never seen before.
Parent - - By JeremyW83 (***) Date 10-23-2010 21:39
I was working in Dallas on a chilled water system for the city.  I was using my pancake and their inspector hasseled for about 2 days because he had never seen one before.  i took me stopping production and calling Sarges.  I let them talk to him while I stood there smokin a cig.
Parent - - By ssbn727 (*****) Date 10-23-2010 22:17
The bright side to that story is that you ended up getting paid on the "company dime' to smoke a cig while not even being on break! ;)

Respectfully,
Henry
Parent - - By JeremyW83 (***) Date 10-25-2010 23:58
Yes it was.

How are the travel plans workin out for you?
Parent - - By Skaggydog (**) Date 10-26-2010 00:51
First pancake I seen was in 1964, made from cutting goggles and thin plywood.
Parent - - By Pickupman (***) Date 10-26-2010 01:54
Don't let part b hear you or he'll be accusing you of rednekdom too.
Parent - By Fritz T Katt (**) Date 10-28-2010 01:57
I'm proud to be a redneck.
- - By Fritz T Katt (**) Date 10-22-2010 00:09
Now I see the light... or lack there of.
Parent - - By Rig Hand (***) Date 10-22-2010 01:50
A pancake will fit pretty tight to your face which comes in handy when high winds and sand/dust is a factor.
Parent - - By Johnny Walker (***) Date 10-22-2010 04:33
Pancake is the only way after u get used to it kinda sux when the gas company says no to pancakes but as long as they leave the hard hat out I'm ok I'll drag up if they pull the hardhat hood crap
Parent - - By Superflux (****) Date 10-22-2010 06:54
The hardhat/hood combo is the cruelest thing ever inflicted upon us welders! Pancakes are great for what they are designed to do, if you don't mind an alien attached to your face for 12 hours.
Parent - By Pickupman (***) Date 10-23-2010 03:03
I went to a guy who does lettering on trucks and had him make me a vinyl smiley face to put on my pancake. Gotta have a sense of humor, right? :-) Tom
- - By joe pirie (***) Date 10-27-2010 02:27
worked a job at a school in los angeles. 1st week pancakes were fine then some safety dweeb
brought out the hardhat hood requirement. I complied with my miller elite and went along with the
program. 2 days later i was writen up at a safety meeting for wearing my hatdhat backwards
i explained to the safety man that i was a welder and had to wear it backwards to use my hood.
said he didnt care that i should take the inner strap system out and turn it around every time i took my hood off. ended up every welder on the job had to be given a second hard hat for use when they weerent welding. I got run off cause boss said it was my fault the 2nd hard hats were required and cost the company over 1,000 dollars. what a load of crap union steward wouldnt help me at all . waiting for labor board hearing.
Parent - By ronnie taylor (**) Date 10-27-2010 03:09 Edited 10-27-2010 04:28
Thats why the lid on that speedglas in the above pic is turned around. My green hat said it was company policy.
Up Topic Welding Industry / Welding Fundamentals / Why a pancake hood?

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