Excellent suggestions, Stanton. You've spent time with your hood down.

If I may offer another suggestion: Try to not to position yourself, and especially your hands, over what you just welded. You don't want the distraction and discomfort of the heat from your previous welds and the hot metal. I always try to start my welds with those welds that are the furthest away and work toward myself. Did what I said make sense in a sort of convoluted way?

Spend the money for a good hood. I own a 3M Speedglas 9100 which is a pretty expensive hood, but I only have one set of eyes. I used a 3M PAPR unit when I welded at Deere and it was the cat's pajamas. Wish it would have followed me out the door when I retired from that place.