I think I'm blind

[roadstar06]

Happy New Year ! I bought a Lincoln flux core welder couple months ago so I can add stuff that wasn't put on my frame and I'm having a really hard time seeing out of the auto darkening mask I picked up on Amazon, I even trid sun glasses under mask and still not able to see so called puddle when I practice. when I turn it up to 13 its to dark 10 is good until i strike arc then I get flash. what am I doing wrong?

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

Masks are for pussies, get tougher eyes! No just messing with you buddy, did you take the plastic off the lens? What color lens? Are you indoor or outdoor? If it's a cheap harbor freight style auto-mask it may just be defective, if your gonna be welding any decent amount it's worth it to buy a good hood. Do you have vision problems as it is?

 

[mrtwowheel]

I've asked the same question for years. I never understood what people are actually seeing while welding. I go one to two inches at a time, stop to see how far off track I've gone. Embarrassingly, I've welded some critical things this way. This is the very first that I've heard someone mention the same problem. Even when I think I am seeing the parts and the weld, I can still be WAY OFF track.

Scott

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

Ok I'm gonna try to help this, first questions,
What's your sensitivity set at? What's your delay set at? And what's your shade set at? Also what kind of lighting conditions are you welding in, i.e. Indoor or outdoor?

 

[Paul Sutton]

If you are referring to gasless MIG welding then one issue is the amount of smoke produced and this will obscure the molten pool. However, I have found that certain brands of gasless MIG wire produce much less smoke. For example the SIP gasless wire is very good and you can actually see what you are doing. The cheap AC voltage MIG welders can be an issue with poor quality wire and you just will not see a thing. Several years back I converted my AC gasless MIG to DC and switched to SIP wire which is twice the cost and everything is good now - but I still lack experience so often my work looks a mess.

Also, the cheap AC MIG welders usually only have two current settings, 45A and 90A. For 1mm to 2mm metal the 45 A is too low and the 90A is too high for the occasional hobbyist like me. When I converted the welder to DC I also rewound the transformers primary to give me theoretically 45A, 60A, 75A and 90A. I find the 60A setting is best for 1mm - 2mm. The DC gives much less splatter.

Try a friends gas MIG welder and you will see the molten pool for sure and have a nice welding experience.

 

[650Skull]

No back lighting, All light should be coming from in front or above front, but not so high it gets behind your helmet...........Ceiling lights

 

[BobbedSled]

I has the same issue wirh a HF helmet. If there is a darkenibg adjustment try turninf that down. In the end I just sprang for a miller digital elite. The differwnce was sifnificant. As a suggeation, see if you can borrow one to try and see if you notice a difference. In my experience the premium helmets arenr the same as lesser ones but more expensice, your not just payinf dor a brand label. They are expensice for a reason as i found out.

Others wirh more experince may see it different but in my limited experience it was a huge jump is quality and subsequent performance for me.

Not sure on the welder but if it is by any chance the 90w flux core type like home depot sells, be caeful with what you weld as it will not penetrate properly.

Best of luck on the projects!

 

[peanut]

I've Mig and Stick welded occasionally for over 20 years .
I've always used the cheap fixed strength masks and I've never been able to see anything I'm welding either.
My welds have been all over the place.

last week I needed to Mig weld a new sill on my car and after several attempts at plug welding ,the welds were all over the place again .

I ordered up one of these Auto Darkening helmets at $20 It is bloody fantastic !....

I can see my weld puddle clearly. I am always spot on where I need to weld and the mask filter is lightening fast reactive.
Why in gods name did I not buy a decent mask all those years ago. ??

Just buy one . you won't regret it
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pro-Solar-A...hash=item27f69f190c:m:mbx8ScdM8cyZQ-TxLv17yhw

 

[Paul Sutton]

Peanut, I bought a £30 auto-darkening helmet about 3 years ago and it is excellent also. Regarding lighting, I have noticed that my best work is done outside, but of course that is fine for me because I am working gasless.

I have mine set at approximately 10.7, Sensitivity = High and Delay Time = Short.

 

[peanut]

Peanut, I bought a £30 auto-darkening helmet about 3 years ago and it is excellent also. Regarding lighting, I have noticed that my best work is done outside, but of course that is fine for me because I am working gasless.

I have mine set at approximately 10.7, Sensitivity = High and Delay Time = Short.

I could kick myself for not investing in one sooner but I'm such a cheapskate the price has put me off.
One thing I invariably neglect when welding outside is supplementary lighting . It makes a huge difference in seeing what you are working on clearly.
My next purchase is going to be a halogen lamp and stand .

 

[Paul Sutton]

The photos I have put on this site are pretty poor due to crap lighting in my garage. Perhaps I too should get a halogen lamp! I am sure my wife would find one very useful?

 

[Exploding Coffin Emporium]

Outside is always nice if you can do it, but halogens go a long way when your indoor, when I'm welding floor pans it's a necessity often. A #10 is a good all around I've found for most helmets I've cycled through, give or take depending on situation and environment. Quick delay, and make sure you lens is focused on you work directly and that your not doing the peripheral scan because of the light being too sensitive to the lens, it's a natural physiological response when our rods and cones become overstimulated and often what can be mistaken for blindness is in fact not enough shade on the work focus zone itself. If you wear glasses, I do because your sister thinks it looks sexy and refined, it will effect your ability, especially if you wear bifocals, read up on that shit as adjustments need to be made.

 

[Paul Sutton]

Has anyone out there ever tried to use welding rods on a mig power supply i.e. loosen off the wire feed and somehow clamp a thin rod in place? I have read there is a difference in how the two work, constant current verses constant amperage, but what will happen?

 

[mrtwowheel]

I've Mig and Stick welded occasionally for over 20 years .
I've always used the cheap fixed strength masks and I've never been able to see anything I'm welding either.
My welds have been all over the place.

Thanks for that confession peanut, I feel much better now. When the weather breaks I will be practicing and experimenting with the hoods and lights that I have. My compressor tank has a rust hole, welding on that soon.

Scott

 

[peanut]

Thanks for that confession peanut, I feel much better now. When the weather breaks I will be practicing and experimenting with the hoods and lights that I have. My compressor tank has a rust hole, welding on that soon.

Scott

good luck scott.
I was putting off welding a new sill on my car but once I'd finally got the Mig set up correctly so that I had a good ground ,gas flow and wire speed the welding went fine just like sizzling bacon

 

[mrtwowheel]

good luck scott.
I was putting off welding a new sill on my car but once I'd finally got the Mig set up correctly so that I had a good ground and gas flow the welding went fine just like sizzling bacon

My first tax paying job was in an auto body shop. I made many quarter panels with sheet metal and a mig. That was totally different because the welder and equipment was never adjusted, always the same, just crack open the gas, flip the switch and start welding. Sealed and complete welds were not necessary, chopped fiberglass filler was used.

Scott

 

[roadstar06]

Ok I'm gonna try to help this, first questions,
What's your sensitivity set at? What's your delay set at? And what's your shade set at? Also what kind of lighting conditions are you welding in, i.e. Indoor or outdoor?

sensitivity is set to high,delay set to minimum-shade 13-9-green in color for shade. its solar powered, how long does it take to charge up? I'm using it in my poorly jit garage with overhead light.

 

[peanut]

My first tax paying job was in an auto body shop. I made many quarter panels with sheet metal and a mig. That was totally different because the welder and equipment was never adjusted, always the same, just crack open the gas, flip the switch and start welding. Sealed and complete welds were not necessary, chopped fiberglass filler was used.

Scott

I see a lot of filla used on classic car restorations on TV programs like fast n loose etc. I try to avoid it if I can because if you don't prepare properly it blows off real quick in a wet climate like the UK.
Bodywork is one area I am particularly useless at. i wish I had been shown how to do it at some point in my life. Finish is the one area that lets me down on all my vehicles.

 

[angus67]

The solar power aspect is to make the hood flash lite to dark. The super cheap hoods only have delay and darkness. No batts in those.
But the better hoods with all the bells and whistles need a battery for adjusting

 

[roadstar06]

The solar power aspect is to make the hood flash lite to dark. The super cheap hoods only have delay and darkness. No batts in those.
But the better hoods with all the bells and whistles need a battery for adjusting

I think your right because when I got it i tried it outside to see what it would do if i looked at the sun and it was flickering, it normally sits in my garage with lights off.