Reflector spot light and my autodarkening helmet

I have never had this problem stick welding, but when I use my Lincoln MIG welder (always with flux-core) I have trouble seeing the puddle, and I often wander away from the seam. Using special care to keep the filter clean has helped, but I still have problems. Taking the advice of several experts (including Ernie Leimkuhler) I went out and bought a 75 watt halogen reflector spot to illuminate the weld area. Trouble is, as soon as I turn on the light, my helmet goes dark, and I lose the advantage of the autodark system.

I am so used to autodark that I can't live with that. Have any of you been through this, and how did you solve it? I guess I could put the light on a foot pedal, but there must be a better way.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman
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At this point..I think Id change to a different autodark hood.

Gunner

The current Democratic party has lost its ideological basis for existence.

- It is NOT fiscally responsible.

- It is NOT ethically honorable.

- It has started wars based on lies.

- It does not support the well-being of americans - only billionaires.

- It has suppresed constitutional guaranteed liberties.

- It has foisted a liar as president upon America.

- It has violated US national sovereignty in trade treaties.

- It has refused to enforce the national borders.

...It no longer has valid reasons to exist. Lorad474

Reply to
Gunner Asch

Had a similar problem until I woke up to the should have been obvious fact that my photochromic prescription eye wear auto darkened at the same time as the helmet. Cheap reading glasses cured it.

Reply to
PhilD

Your helmet doesn't have a "sensitivity" adjustment, does it? (Sometimes the obvious IS overlooked.)

OK, if it doesn't, how about a filter over the light sensor?

Bob

Reply to
Bob Engelhardt

Check and see if yours have a sensitivity setting. If it does, adjust it. If it doesn't, that is what distinguishes one level of AD from another.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Ditto. But then I have to wear contacts, AND use readers, as welding with bifocals is like driving drunk with one eye shut for clarity.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Are you aiming the light correctly - i.e. at the weld from your side? If you aim it back towards you and the helmet sensor can see the bare bulb it will trigger. If the light is aimed at the weld with the bulb out of view it will be no problem. I've routinely illuminated my weld work area with a 500W halogen flood and never had a problem with my EQC.

Reply to
Pete C.

I've also got a 500W I use; if I set it too high (as in physically up above me too high) the reflection off my welding bench will set off my Northern Tool auto-dark, with the sensitivity turned down. I have to be careful that it's off too the side "enough".

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

(...)

Yup. Same thing happened to me. I discovered that installing 'too much' fluorescent lighting gave me 'just enough' light to see the job without triggering the autodark inappropriately.

Cheater magnifiers helped a bunch, too.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I want to thank everyone who has responded--these suggestions are sure to solve my problem.

Gunner, I am using the same HF$49.95 helmet you recommend. If I have to spend big bucks for an upgrade I will, but some of the other suggestions seem to be better.

Phil D, my phototint spectacles darken much slower than my helmet--I don't think that is the problem.

Steve B. if you have difficulty with bifocals inside a helmet, wait 'till you start wearing trifocals. Wearing cheap reading glasses is a good solution. BTW, this also completely eliminates the phototint effect that Phil is talking about. Steve, you and Bob Englehardt both mentioned a sensitivity adjustment, which probably would help, but my cheap HF helmet doesn't have it. Bob's idea of a filter would probably also work, but finding just the right density by trial and error might be tricky.

Pete C and Joe Pfeiffer both gave me the best suggestion--set the angle of the light so it does not shine on the helmet, nor reflect off the work back to the sensor. This works, and is the simplest and cheapest.

Winston, if I had to invest in more fluorescents I would, but Pete and Joe have saved the day for me.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

"Leo Lichtman" wrote

Steve, you and Bob Englehardt both mentioned a

Be careful. You know that you can get flashed by someone welding in the shop and you're not even watching or close. And you don't know it has happened until your eyes start feeling like they have sand in them. I wouldn't call trial and error tricky. I'd call it risky.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

For reasons that escape me completely, non-prescription non-bifocal reading safety glasses do not seem to exist. But IMHO this is one place where paying the money for prescription lenses is worth it, so that's what I do.

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

Interesting. I have a 250 watt halogen over my TIG table and unless I look up wards at it..it doesnt trigger my mask. Ever. Is the light to the side or behind or above you? One of my masks will trigger if the light is in front and above me, when I jiggle my head just right. A rather expensive one too.

Mine is set to the side..3 oclock and set rather high. Never triggers the hood.

Cool!

Gunner

The current Democratic party has lost its ideological basis for existence.

- It is NOT fiscally responsible.

- It is NOT ethically honorable.

- It has started wars based on lies.

- It does not support the well-being of americans - only billionaires.

- It has suppresed constitutional guaranteed liberties.

- It has foisted a liar as president upon America.

- It has violated US national sovereignty in trade treaties.

- It has refused to enforce the national borders.

...It no longer has valid reasons to exist. Lorad474

Reply to
Gunner Asch

"Steve B" wrote: Be careful. You know that you can get flashed by someone welding in the

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bob's suggestion was to place a filter over the sensor on the helmet to reduce its sensitivity to the halogen light. This would require a filter that allows the helmet to trip from the welding light, but keeps the halogen lamp from doing it. This would not affect the transmission of light from the arc to my eyes, so would not be risky. Thanks for your concern, though.

Reply to
Leo Lichtman

"Leo Lichtman" wrote

Be safe out there!

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Reply to
Steve B

I think the concern would be discovering you had too dark a filter over the sensor, so the autodark didn't trigger when it should have.

Reply to
Joe Pfeiffer

Since the auto dark lenses are supposed to provide full UV and IR protection whether in the dark or light state, I don't think there is any risk of harm. It is not that uncommon for an autodark's sensors view to be blocked by part of the item being welded, resulting in a flash. Just a bit dazzling and annoying, not dangerous unless perhaps it causes you to stumble and fall off a scaffold.

Reply to
Pete C.

What's that Lassie? You say that Joe Pfeiffer fell down the old sci.engr.joining.welding mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:40:55 -0700:

I thought I saw them in the MSC catalog.

Reply to
dan

We found non-prescription, non-bifocal safety reading glasses at our local welding supply house. They're available in all the standard diopter values.

I also found safety glasses bifocals with 0 correction for the 'distance' part and +2.0 for the 'reading' part.

I switch between both pairs depending on the task at hand.

Shop around and see what turns up!

Carla

The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.

Reply to
Carla Fong

We found non-prescription, non-bifocal safety reading glasses at our local welding supply house. They're available in all the standard diopter values.

I also found safety glasses bifocals with 0 correction for the 'distance' part and +2.0 for the 'reading' part.

I switch between both pairs depending on the task at hand.

Shop around and see what turns up!

Carla

The only normal people are the ones you don't know very well.

Reply to
Carla Fong

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