Pancake welding hood seems like a strange name huh? Well, when you take a look at a picture of one it starts to make more sense.
The front of the hood is just as flat as a pancake, well even flatter than most pancakes honestly.
Pancake welding hoods were made popular by pipeline welders many years ago, and they are sometimes called pipeline welding hoods because of this fact.
The construction of these hoods is pretty simple. There is a thin, normally round, front plate with a hole for an eyepiece assembly. On one side there is another plate that keeps hot sparks off of your head and face.
The opposite side of a pancake welding hood is completely open.
So what are the main advantages of a pancake welding hood? Well, let’s take a look.
Unmatched Fit
This may come as a surprise if you don’t own or have never looked into pancake welding hoods before, but you actually custom sand the eyepiece of the hood to match your face shape.
Yes, that is right, you don’t have to read that again. The eyepiece of a pancake welding hood is made of wood, and there is normally sandpaper included when you purchase a hood. You actually sand the hood until you are satisfied with how it fits you.
No other type of hood can say that!
This means that light, sparks, dirt, and any other external debris stay away from your eyes.
Light Protection
If you are welding outdoors in bright sunlight, bright overhead indoor lighting, or even if there are other welders welding close by then you know first hand how annoying extra light getting into your welding hood is. It definitely interferes with your ability to see and focus on the puddle.
This is the exact scenario that a lot of pipeline welders deal with. A lot of the time they are welding outside in bright sun, and they also often weld in teams. Both of these things cause lot of extra light to enter normal welding hoods.
The pancake welding hood solves this problem because, as mentioned previously, it is custom fitted to your exact face shape. When fitted correctly virtually no external light will cause problems for you while welding.
Lightweight
If you do not weld for long stretches of time then the weight of your welding helmet might not be something that has bothered you.
But if you do then you will appreciate the light weight of a pancake welding hood the simple construction provides.
You will be able to weld all day without the weight of your hood causing neck strain.
Superior Ventilation
Due to the pancake welding helmet’s simple and open design it has a great deal of ventilation.
This makes sure you stay cooler in hot conditions whether that is welding outside in the hot summer months or even when welding in hot indoor conditions.
Stays Put
If you weld in a lot of different positions then you will appreciate that a pancake welding hood stays in place better than most other types of welding hoods.
A lot of this is due to its light weight as well as the way the hood attaches to your head, just like a pair of goggles.
Another nice advantage of pancake welding hoods is you can lay your head on the ground if welding from underneath without knocking your hood off,
There are some things you might not like about pancake welding hoods if you are used to most others types of hoods.
You Can’t Just Flip Them Up
If you need to switch between using your hood as a welding hood and face shield a lot then you might not like a pancake welding hood. They are best for welders who weld for long periods.
Some people install auto-darkening lenses into their pancake hoods to help with this problem, but it is still not the same experience as flipping up your hood.
Sanding for Custom Fit
While we think the custom fit by sanding the pancake welding hood is one of the neat things about it some people do not like the sanding process.
Depending on your face shape quite a bit of sanding may be needed to get the perfect fit.
One tip we have received is that if you find you need to do a lot of sanding for the perfect fit you can use something like a rotary tool to speed up the process.
Conclusion
A lot of welders love pancake welding hoods and others do not care for them. It will really depend on the type of welding you do and you personal welding style.
One thing is certain though, pancake welding hoods do offer a unique set of features compared to other types of welding hoods on the market today.
If it sounds like a pancake welding hood is right for you then take a look at our information on how to pick the best pancake welding hood.
