Help... almost blinded

[Mad-Dax]

Hey I was DC welding/practice on steel last night for the first time and pretty soon after I started i kept getting brilliant flashes like the SUN!! At first I thought it was the filler rod (just mild steel filler 3/32) cause it kept doing it when I dipped it in the pool..but it seemed to do it randomly as well. Maybe my auto-darkening welding hood is not working. I did not have a problem doing AC welding. I sharpened my rod with the chem-sharp and wiped residue off with a rag....dunno if any of that would cause those brilliant flashes.

[JJW]

Mad-Dax,
TIG welding can be tough for an auto-darkening helmets.

Also some helmets have just a single sensor and some have 4 or more sensors.

If you can adjust your sensitivity turn it up.

Make sure your helmet has fresh batteries.

Good Luck,
John

[Mad-Dax]

They are supposed to be lithium rechargeable and they cannot be changed...well maybe they can i have to read the manual again. It has a solar cell on it. ..so I put the helmet in the window all day and when I came home I put it on and while looking at a light bulb and turned the bulb on ...it darkened and I did turn it down darker too...tried that a while and it seems to work fine...maybe it needed a recharge...I'll go test.

[matteh99]

I have heard of helmets having to be left in the sun to charge.

I would also make sure the front of the helmet is clean. If the sensors are dusty or dirty it can make the helmet less sensitive.

[WAYNESWORLD]

What brand and model helmet is it?
Wayne

[gwk]

I have a similar problem. firstly , do what JJW said turn up the sensitivity to high. and check your front cover plate for dirt ,dust,burn spots by the sensors like Matth99 said. I was told cause I have a 2 sensor helmet which works great for mig,and arc welding that for tig welding you need a 4 sensor helmet. this is what I have notice that causes mine to flash. I usually weld with the garage door open. on bright,sunny days is when I have the problems with the flashes. at dusk or night or cloudy days I never get flashed. I think that the more intense light from the bright,sunny days cause the sensors to be less sensitive and makes it harder for the sensors to pick up the tig welding "rays". I have had two different, 2 sensor welding helmets and both have flashed me with the same conditions as I described above tig welding. the one helmet is a 2 sensor hobart from 2003 , the dale earnheart jr. one.

[Mad-Dax]

Mine is a harbor freight cheapy

[everlastsupport]

L-ion can be charged. Never heard of a straight lithium that can be.

Does it say they are straight lithium?

[Mad-Dax]

L-ion can be charged. Never heard of a straight lithium that can be.

Does it say they are straight lithium?

No no you know what I meant ...the rechargable lithium-ion kind.

[Mad-Dax]

I still get flashed all the time when doing steel or stainless...never on Aluminum AC mode. In Dc I have noticed that it happens when I try to dip the rod. I used some 309L on some stainless 321 to 316 last night and it will ball up when I try to dip it in the puddle and then it will take forever to melt....like the skin on the aluminum....that is when it gets really bright and i can't look at it...and also the arc turns green.

No I am not using aluminum filler....it is so hard to read but it looks like it says309L 1/16 marked on it. I told the guy at the welding supply I was gonna weld 321 SS and he gave me a handfull of those rods.

[everlastsupport]

I still get flashed all the time when doing steel or stainless...never on Aluminum AC mode. In Dc I have noticed that it happens when I try to dip the rod. I used some 309L on some stainless 321 to 316 last night and it will ball up when I try to dip it in the puddle and then it will take forever to melt....like the skin on the aluminum....that is when it gets really bright and i can't look at it...and also the arc turns green.

No I am not using aluminum filler....it is so hard to read but it looks like it says309L 1/16 marked on it. I told the guy at the welding supply I was gonna weld 321 SS and he gave me a handfull of those rods.

On the flash, that is a helmet issue.

You can use SS filler on SS plate. What gas are you running?

Can you post more info?

[Mad-Dax]

Straight ARGON...so it doesn't matter what SS rod i get? I got some 316 rod and I will practice with it. I left the helmet in the sun this morning so it was there until the sun went behind the house for the solar cells to charge....I doubt it will fix it. Maybe I need a helmet with 4 sensors instead of two.

[everlastsupport]

I use our 2 and 4 sensor helmets and a flash is rare. Never on the 4 sensor.

316L is good $$ SS filler.

[Gary]

Mine is a harbor freight cheapy

Hey Mad dax, I went with the harbor freight route and haad the same problem , Also what I found was they are fine for some welding UNTIL you try a good hood, Man you cant believe the difference when you get a good hood.
I went ahead and got a Miller Elite series hood and the difference is night and day comparing the 2 hoods. The harbor freight hood when working basicaly you can only see only the arc not the work piece. After I got a better hood which was WELL WORTH THE MONEY i could see the part that I was welding on as well as the weld pool and I could not believe that I went 5 years with a harbor freight hood. If you get a chance to try one out check out a good hood from somewhere and weld with it and you will gladly spent the 200 or 300 bucks for one.. I sure wish I had. But money was always tight with me so I thought a hood is a hood , but give one a try and you will never regret paying for a nice hood..It REALLY made me a better welder being able to see what I was welding and where I was going verses a cheap hood that only let you see the arc puddle.
Gary

[performance]

Our helmets have excellent clarity. Some of the cheapest hoods are cloudy in the dark shade. Even our lowest model has certified clarity levels from CE

[everlastsupport]

I have used the HF helmets, they work, but in no way compare to our helmets. Clarity is incredible as long as you get the shade set right.