Welding basics

Am fairly new to welding, however I have managed to replace a few rusty patches and the right side inner sill. It is certainly not pretty but is strong. When I am able to get my head into a suitable ( comfortable ) position I can usually achieve a decent weld run. At present my main problem is being able to see exactly what I I am doing.
I have one of those self darkening masks but being able to illuminate the workpiece is a problem. I have tried one of those headlamps attached to the mask, as well as a high power light but these interfere with the self darkening mask. What I feel would be an option would be a portable high intensity spot lamp which would focus on a small work area... Would really appreciate any suggestions. George
 
I understand your problem George. The UV given off from the light affects the mask so you can't see just when you need to.

You could try using an inspection lamp with a filament bulb and a shield to direct the light instead.
 
Often on led bulbs they specify the colour temperature. A light which is red/yellow biased in its output might do better than a standard light?
 
I have a mask with a very simple 'window' recommended by a friend many years ago before the self-dimming ones were available. It is as dark as a normal screen for the upper 3/4s, but the bottom 1/4 is less dark & like sunglasses.

The idea is that you look through the bottom (aided by a workplace light) to get the position right, then look straight through whilst welding. No need to do any adjustments except tilt your head slightly. It's very easy to use. :D

Edit: This site looks to have them under 'split-shade' lenses: http://www.fhbrundle.com/wcaa-21.htm
 
Thanks for the response..... Yesterday I bought another lamp from the tool shop at the Metro Centre.( A great place to buy G clamps and strange shape Mole grips etc.) Anyway this is a battery powered LED thing with a strong crocodile clamp and flexible stalk and rotating small spotlamps, will give this a try today. If this is no good, I like the sound of those split type lenses. regards George
 
Have to say I'm a bit puzzled by the talk of UV triggering the mask. Mine works outside in bright sunlight in a lot more UV than any LED is likely to emit. It only darkens if I face it directly into the sun. I do have some very bright LED torches so will do a test this evening to see how it reacts to them.
 
Mine has a dial but it's for darkness not sensitivity. (On a bright sunny day, your irises are closed down so you don't need the mask to darken as much.)
 
Tried that spotlight which I bought the other day. It is better, but only slightly so still have a problem.
With the auto darkening mask the adjustment is either too dark or at its lowest level too bright .However if I am able to get my head into the correct position , at the right angle and the correct distance from the item to be welded it does improve things. Everything is fine on the bench, its the upside down with no room to move your head and the mask bumping everything with no light that's the problem. Am sure that's no different to everyone else. .... georgecook
 
Make sure you wear ear plugs! The fizzing sound as a blob of molten steel rolls down your ear while your head is stuck under the car is not something you'll forget in a hurry.
 
Hmm, I just tested out my auto darkening mask with 3 different LED lamps, including an 800 lumen bat-roaster (Jetbeam DDR26) and it didn't react to any of them. Even flashing them across the sensor had no effect. This is a pretty elderly mask that I bought shortly after they first became affordable. It works perfectly while welding, always reacting properly. So I'm all the more puzzled about the problems described above - or have newer masks become hyper sensitive?
 
If I have mine on high sensitivity it behaves as described.... On higher levels it doesn't. George is it possible that yours is faulty?
 
Willy Eckerslyke said:
have newer masks become hyper sensitive?

I suspect so, but most have sensitivity adjustment as well as darkness. LEDs might not be as bright as the Sun, but the intensity at close range can be very high because they are focused in one direction.

An old type filament bulb might work better.
 
You may have a point regarding my mask. On its lowest level which is also marked for grinding the flash makes it just too bright to see anything when welding. At the other end of the scale, obviously I can see the flash but nothing else. I assumed that if I could illuminate the site better, then that would be the answer. Does the above mean that the mask is working as it should?. The mask does get banged and bumped a lot though...georgecook
 
Have we misunderstood your initial question? I thought you needed extra light for lining things up prior to striking the arc. I.e. a bright visible light that doesn't effect the mask.
Now it sounds as if you're struggling to see what's happening while actually welding and the mask has darkened. Adding more light won't help you with this as the arc will always be far brighter than even the brightest light. Firstly you need to adjust the darkness setting with the priority of protecting your eyes - absolutely avoid the 'grinding' setting which will not save you from arc-eye. But you can probably turn it down a bit so that it darkens but not to near black.
The rest is largely technique. Stitch weld a little at a time, allowing the mask to switch to clear so that you can check your progress.
Use a hand rest so that your torch hand doesn't wave around - I can't emphasise this enough, my welding improved dramatically once I sussed out this simple tip. Use a block of wood, axle stand or anything convenient to rest your fore-arm such that your wrist is free to move.
 
Be carefull with these automatic masks. These are currently for sale from approx. GBP 40,- but could be not good quality. I had one which i believe reacted to slowly and got problems with my eyes. Now i use a non automatic one again and eyeproblems dissappeared.

Peter
 
Have played around a little more with the mask settings and am reasonably confident that it is working as it should . I now feel sure that Willi is close to the mark when suggesting various methods to improve my welding technique when working in uncomfortable and awkward positions. I believe I need to spend more time ensuring my position ( head arm hands neck) is comfortable and that the lighting is suitable. No doubt I need to be more patient and carry out more dry runs ....georgecook
 
georgecook said:
Have played around a little more with the mask settings and am reasonably confident that it is working as it should . I now feel sure that Willi is close to the mark when suggesting various methods to improve my welding technique when working in uncomfortable and awkward positions. I believe I need to spend more time ensuring my position ( head arm hands neck) is comfortable and that the lighting is suitable. No doubt I need to be more patient and carry out more dry runs ....georgecook

Plenty of practise off the car, having the welder correctly set up, getting as comfortable as you can and being able to see the area you are working on are the key aspects for me. At my age I need a pair of strong reading glasses so I can get close enough to the weld to see what's going on. You can also get little lamps that you can attach to the welding torch to help illuminate the work area. Have a look at this thread on the mig welding forum

torch light

Dave
 
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