Can I Use Regular Didys...One Time?

Flamin' Francesca · #1 2011-02-11, 5:02pm

I've never worked boro, but I'm going to take a marble class next month. I hate to buy glasses for boro for one class. Can I get away with regular didys that I use for soft glass or will I do serious damage? Thanks for your input

deb tarry · #2 2011-02-11, 5:34pm

I have worked boro with didys and my eyes were really tired at the end of the day, sore to. I don't think there was any serious damage but I was only working with clear. I would recommend getting shade 3 or 4 to work with boro cause you will like and will want to work with it again. Just my two sense worth.

Hangs Well · #3 2011-02-11, 5:43pm

Probably, but with marble work you are going to be working with a relatively large gather and getting the glass very hot all the way through, so I would recommend something with UV and IR protection. You might look into clip-ons to add to your didymium glasses. This is what I used when I started out. Getting a shade level of 3 (WLD-S3-PCO) would probably do. You can pop them up when you need to see your work more clearly and they are only $25.00.

http://www.phillips-safety.com/store...fslfkbi2mivn17

Flamin' Francesca · #4 2011-02-11, 5:50pm

Thanks very much. i'm glad I asked!

Alaska · #5 2011-02-11, 5:57pm

AirGas has some nice clip on flip up shade 3 for about nine bucks. Use these and they work well with regular glasses and a didy shield.

They could be bought online or they can be ordered from a local shop. Look for CAS 40427-00000.

Hangs Well · #6 2011-02-11, 6:43pm

Good call Alaska!

Flamin' Francesca · #7 2011-02-11, 6:59pm

Thanks, Alaska. I'm going to check these out.

Alaska · #8 2011-02-11, 10:39pm

AirGas shipping is a bit on the high side for online orders. However, just order them from your local AirGas shop and the total cost is $9.40. That is what they cost here. Perhaps a little less in the lower 48.

cheng076 · #9 2011-02-12, 12:03am

Regular old dark sunglasses will work on a temporary basis.

Dasi · #10 2011-02-16, 10:07am

Frantz is having a sale on glasses...
http://frantznewsletter.com/

e. mort · #11 2011-02-19, 5:12pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheng076

Regular old dark sunglasses will work on a temporary basis.

Regular sunglasses won't take away the sodium flair, so you won't be able to see what you are doing.

JEK3 · #12 2011-02-20, 1:41pm

You can do anything once. Skydiving without a parachute. Diving for sharks wearing a meat suit. Playing in traffic.

Dragonharper · #13 2011-02-20, 3:01pm

The instructor I had at Corning, only wore didy's BUT we were not doing big pieces, more like scientific work which is what he used to do for a living. I use my ACE 202's when I go to corning for classes, but I've noticed that if I work a lot of color it's almost too bright. Whale Apparatus makes a pair of glasses for doing soft and clear boro with minimal color.

ETA:
If it were me I'd try it, I don't think there would be too much color in a marble to cause a problem.

ginkgoglass · #14 2011-02-21, 5:23am

Another option is to ask the instructor if they mind you using soft glass.
If you don't plan on doing boro and want to use these techniques for soft glass that might be your solution.
But if you do try boro, you probably will be doing it again, it is addictive!

Or borrow a pair . . . Surely the instructor or someone in the class has an extra set or some clip ons.
It seems silly to buy a pair of boro lenses until you are sure you are going to be doing boro on a regular basis.

There are some people who do boro on a regular basis that don't use boro lenses and don't seem to have any problems with it, but I don't know what the long term effects of this would be. But for you, it would just be for a couple of hours. Like people have said, it's the color not the clear that causes the eye strain and yes it can be super bright.

Sue in Maine · #15 2011-02-21, 5:55am

The damage is an accumulative one so a few times working boro with regular didy's should not hurt you.

Sue

Mr. Smiley · #16 2011-02-21, 8:43am

I'm going on 11 years wearing my didys for 95% of my work... a lot of it depends on how sensitive your eyes are to light... working small doesn't produce enough IR for me to worry about and my eyes aren't sensitive to light. I do own shade 3s and 5s... and use them when i need to... everybody is different and needs to do what they are comfortable with...

mkultra23 · #17 2011-02-23, 8:21am

Definitely go to a welding supply shop and get some welding shades. I bought a pair of the fitovers and cut off a couple large slices then fixed them to my didymiums with wire. Voila cheap but effective emergency Boro split-lens.

asimeral · #18 2011-02-23, 8:56am

You only have one pair of eyes, and they are not regenerative.