I Figured Out The Deal With My Auto Darkening Helmet

[lastcowboy32]

Last spring, I thought I was having a problem using my prescription polarized sunglasses under my auto-darkening helmet.

I out-thunk myself and chalked it up to the polarization of my glasses undoing the helmet's darkening.

Well...I did some welding again yesterday with no glasses on and had the same issue.

What's the deal? Duh! It's temperature! The helmet is LCD. It was cold last spring, and yesterday, I was welding un a cold barn. The crystals were taking forever (in welding terms) to darken...and then taking a very long time to lighten back up when the weld is done

I think I'm through with these darn auto-darkening helmets. My eyes can't afford to be flashed every time they have a battery issue or it's too cold... or too warm .. whatever.

Old timers learned how to start an arc with a piece of smoked glass... I'm going to learn it myself, for my eyes' dake.

 

[lastcowboy32]

PS... welding butt joints on scrap 2" galvanized pipe to make 20' long stanchion tie off bar was a learning experience...

Of course, the first joint stunk and the fifth one looked great. I started with 1/8 rod. Not enough amps from my inverter welder at 120AC input in the barn.

I didn't want to run the 220AC from the generator in the barn...noise and fumes would disturb cows.

Switched to 3/32, 6011 and did better.

Also noticed that I had to watch my electrode line. Ground clamp was at the end of the pipe...about 4' from the weld, since I was using 4' pieces.

If the electrode line laid next to the pipe between the weld and ground clamp... I got funky arcs and blowouts and such. Much better looped away from the pipe.

I know there's a way to wrap it... to cancel magnetic fields. 2" pipe isn't big enough to dissipate heat. It would have melted the insulation on the electrode cable... so I just routed the electrode cable far away.

 

[J.Wondergem]

You just don't want to breath in the fumes from the galvanized metal.

 

[rrlund]

I had to deal with that yesterday myself. There's a guy here who makes feeders out of used well pipe. They're a heck of a nice feeder. I've got three of them. The guy has MS though and by the time I wanted the third one,he wasn't able to weld it and had some kid do it. It only took about two months for the cows to fold it up when the welds broke. He had all the bead on one side. I rewelded it a myself. That was two years or so ago. I don't know if they used a press or just hammered the ends down,but every place that it's welded,the pipe is flattened down so there's a nice surface to weld to.

Night before last I dropped a bale on the edge of it and broke two corners loose again. By yesterday morning the cows had it broke up a whole lot worse. I got out the 3/32 rod but there was a 5/32 6011 in the handle so I tried it. It worked better than I thought it would. There were a few large gaps that I couldn't get together tight,so I laid a piece of broken rake tine on it and welded off both sides of that.

I had a feedlot gate that the cattle had knocked the center tube out of Christmas morning. I used 3/32 on that with the rake tine trick too. There was one gap that I had to use strap iron on because the gap was too wide. It's still in one piece this morning.

 

[old]

I've been doing welding since I was 16 years old. I tried those auto dark helmets and all they ever did for me was make me go to the hospital. Do your self a favor and buy the best lens you can the 24 caret gold lens. That is what I use and I love them. Yes they cost more but are the best you can have

 

[Steve@Advance]

I've never had much success using pipe for anything structural.

I bought a 16' trailer back in my 20's, The frame is angle, but the top rails were 1 1/2" pipe. It's been a constant battle trying to stop broken welds.

Still got it, it gets minimal use, but finally gave up fixing the cracks, just reinforced it in various ways, call it good enough...

 

[Indiana Ken]

Good information. Thanks for posting.

 

[ztrmowers]

I never did trust those things ,they do not like the cold. I still use the old fashion big lens unit with really dark shade. been eight years or so since I last welded my unit burned up and job in shop changed.

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 07:27:01 12/27/19)
You just don't want to breath in the fumes from the galvanized metal.

I have a lot of galvanized scrap around. The farm's previous owner had a fencing business... chain link and such. They used galvanized pipe and angle iron all over the place.

I grind off the coating at the weld joint and work in well ventilated areas.

Fumes are the price that I pay to use this scrap. At current metal prices, I've probably saved about 500 bucks over buying metal.

 

[Butch(OH)]

Two questions, how cold was it? and what
brand helmet?

My (expensive) Hobart has never failed in
any way hot cold or indifferent.

 

[rustyfarmall]

My shop is not heated, and I have done some welding out there in very cold temperatures. Only time the auto-darkening helmet failed was when the battery was dead. Replaced the battery and all was well. I wear glasses. Tri-focals. The auto-darkening helmet allows to me focus on the project, start welding and not lose focus. I CANNOT weld using a conventional helmet because I cannot maintain my focus on the work.

 

[lastcowboy32]

(quoted from post at 05:10:07 12/28/19) Two questions, how cold was it? and what
brand helmet?

My (expensive) Hobart has never failed in
any way hot cold or indifferent.

They I have two helmets. Both el-cheapo brands. They have internal solar-charged batteries. I keep them in well lit areas when not in use, to help charge.

In both cases, it was about 30 degrees F.

If I could be assured that an expensive helmet with replaceable batteries would work under all conditions, I would cough up the cash. Otherwise, these cheap solar ones are not a value, since eye damage costs more than the money I've saved.

The solar ones also give up viewing area for their collectors.

 

[rustyfarmall]

(quoted from post at 18:22:11 12/28/19)

(quoted from post at 05:10:07 12/28/19) Two questions, how cold was it? and what
brand helmet?

My (expensive) Hobart has never failed in
any way hot cold or indifferent.

They I have two helmets. Both el-cheapo brands. They have internal solar-charged batteries. I keep them in well lit areas when not in use, to help charge.

In both cases, it was about 30 degrees F.

If I could be assured that an expensive helmet with replaceable batteries would work under all conditions, I would cough up the cash. Otherwise, these cheap solar ones are not a value, since eye damage costs more than the money I've saved.

The solar ones also give up viewing area for their collectors.

Mine is SUPPOSED to be rechargeable with the solar thing, but to do so requires that the helmet be stored where the sun can shine on it. The only place I have where the sun can hit it is through the window directly over my work bench, and then the helmet is exposed to dust, dirt, sparks from the grinder, etc., etc. So I just put the helmet back in the box when I'm not using it.

 

[lastcowboy32]

These are crappy charging systems, if they require direct sunlight.

I have a solar calculator that I've owned for thirty years that still works from ambient room lighting.

I've set my helmets outside on sunny days in the sunmer and still had issues with sluggish performance with sensitivity at max and delay at min.

Never again with these cheap solar things...for me anyway.

 

[VicS]

I also had your problem. But got a good
auto darkening helmet with batteries.
Works perfect. Trouble I had was setting
helmet in window it would auto dark and
run batteries down. Not charge them.

 

[flembo]

Someone told me to drink milk after welding galvanized. I don't know if there is any truth to that but I don't weld galvanized to be safe. As far as the original topic my cheap Harbor freight helmet has never failed to darken but I have a habit of looking at a 100 watt light bulb or the sun first to be sure.