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.