How the heck can I see the puddle?

[California]

I have a decent helmet, recommended and seconded by welders on TBN a while back, and with many good Amazon reviews: Antra-AH6-260-0000

I can't find an adjustment that lets me see the seam I need to follow, or a clear view of the puddle to see bead creation as I move along. Too bright is just glare and I still can't see the seam. The HF helmet that this replaced wasn't as hard to use! (That one lacked a setting low enough for a 110v welder so I replaced it with this a while back). Advice? Get something else? While my Antra is 'Amazon's Choice', I see a Yeswelder is now their best seller.

My experience isn't as good as the comments on TBN or Amazon. What should I change, to see what I'm welding with this Antra helmet?

 

[flyerdan]

Having a good backlight is critical. If you can see the work piece with the lens darkened without an arc you should be fine. Natural sunlight quartering from behind (you don't want a light source directly behind you as it will reflect off the inside of the lens), and of course clean covers. They film up quickly from the smoke and, like a car windshield, scatter light when dirty and makes it difficult to see.

 

[California]

Having a good backlight is critical. If you can see the work piece with the lens darkened without an arc you should be fine. Natural sunlight quartering from behind (you don't want a light source directly behind you as it will reflect off the inside of the lens), and of course clean covers. They film up quickly from the smoke and, like a car windshield, scatter light when dirty and makes it difficult to see.

Thanks! I weld (flux core) and grind outdoors in front of my shop/barn stall, to keep down fire hazard. Where the tractor is parked in this photo. I started taking fire hazard seriously after a small shrub at the end of the workbench caught fire from grinder sparks.

I''m looking toward glare out there as I weld. Your suggestion of a strong backlight sounds like just what I need! I have a 500 watt compact shoplight on a tripod. I'll try that.

As for cleaning the lenses, I took the removable portions out and cleaned them yesterday with little improvement. Everything looks clean now.

That's when I decided the next step was ask for ideas here. Thanks for the advice. I hadn't thought of a backlight. (That work area is usually shaded but with the same glare beyond it).

.

 

[Gary Fowler]

You can try outlining the joint seam with soapstone one each side to help identify the edges of the joint. You shouldnt need the lens darker than a shade 10 nor lighter than a shade 9 for MIG, TIG or FC welding. If you are looking into the sun then with your hood up, your pupils are going to be very constricted which is going to make it harder to see when you strike an arc. Per flyerdan instructions try facing away from any bright lights and see if that helps.
As for seeing the puddle clearly, you have to stop looking directly at the arc and concentrate on watching both the arc and the puddle .

 

[Fedup]

I'm wondering if you've noticed any improvements by following any of the above suggestions?

I too have much the same problem. Old age and diminished eyesight have made welding much more difficult than ever before. Frustrating for sure, and usually with disappointing results. I have what I believe to be a pretty good helmet now, but that doesn't solve all my problems.

I have concluded that welding outdoors is a definite plus. If I can keep sight of the surrounding area while welding I can come much closer to keeping the weld on track. It's still not foolproof, but much better than working indoors. I haven't tried the soapstone trick yet but plan to soon.

I have a Lincoln 110V wire feed and an old Hobart gas powered stick welder. I set the shade on 9 for the mig and about 11 for the stick machine. Working in daylight that seems to work about the best for me. Luckily I don't have to weld anything critical, mostly just personal use stuff. If I keep at it I can get things to a point where I feel confident the welds and structure will support the weight and provide the strength required. Aesthetics have been a low priority for a good while, but some of my welds are "butt ugly" now.

 

[California]

I'm wondering if you've noticed any improvements by following any of the above suggestions?

Yes! Each of those comments was implemented, and was effective. Thanks to all!

These sample beads were run outdoors with the sun overhead. Helmet set to 9 gives marginal vision, I can see the edge of this scrap and my soapstone lines so I can weld in a straight line. (Except that wobble where a bug bit my ear.) With helmet at 8.5+ I can see the puddle.

This is Flux Core .035 on 1/4" scrap. HF MIG-180 with its capacitor mod engaged. A~F scale set to B (near minimum) because higher makes splatter. (The capacitor adds about two steps, this output would be step D with it turned off).

The beads at the left are wire speed / current @ 6 (of 10). As I moved to the right I tried 4, then 3, then back to 5 for the rightmost bead. I like 6 best.

I'm getting a little better at this. Comments?

 

[Dirt Guy]

A couple of years ago,I purchased a Miller Digital Elite helmet. Clear light , Wide view lens, Miller claims that it is the widest view of all helmets.It made a big improvement to the way my welds look. You might check it out, sure like mine.

 

[Yomax4]

I have a decent helmet, recommended and seconded by welders on TBN a while back, and with many good Amazon reviews: Antra-AH6-260-0000

I can't find an adjustment that lets me see the seam I need to follow, or a clear view of the puddle to see bead creation as I move along. Too bright is just glare and I still can't see the seam. The HF helmet that this replaced wasn't as hard to use! (That one lacked a setting low enough for a 110v welder so I replaced it with this a while back). Advice? Get something else? While my Antra is 'Amazon's Choice', I see a Yeswelder is now their best seller.

My experience isn't as good as the comments on TBN or Amazon. What should I change, to see what I'm welding with this Antra helmet?

That hood really doesn't do anything special for you. The new tech hoods actually look nearly clear while welding. ($140 ) Also try a Cheater Lens at about 2.0. I'd be leery of most Amazon reviews.

 

[California]

I had a 1.5 magnifier in the helmet. Too close, too much Flux Core smoke, not good for my lungs and the helmet's outer lens cover needed cleaning too often. I have a 1.25 in there now. That's just right. Working distance is about the same as I am from this laptop screen. (And the same focal length as my bifocals lower half).

I learned something today: setting the helmet Sensitivity from max down to medium made it less sensitive to triggering from random sunlight, reflections, etc while still engaging properly as an arc begins.

Later in the day when my work area was shaded I set up the 500 watt light/tripod. This isn't nearly as good as sunlight. I didn't try welding but its hard to distinguish the edge of my scrap sample after the helmet - set to 8.5 - engages.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I'm wondering if you've noticed any improvements by following any of the above suggestions?

I too have much the same problem. Old age and diminished eyesight have made welding much more difficult than ever before. Frustrating for sure, and usually with disappointing results. I have what I believe to be a pretty good helmet now, but that doesn't solve all my problems.

I have concluded that welding outdoors is a definite plus. If I can keep sight of the surrounding area while welding I can come much closer to keeping the weld on track. It's still not foolproof, but much better than working indoors. I haven't tried the soapstone trick yet but plan to soon.

I have a Lincoln 110V wire feed and an old Hobart gas powered stick welder. I set the shade on 9 for the mig and about 11 for the stick machine. Working in daylight that seems to work about the best for me. Luckily I don't have to weld anything critical, mostly just personal use stuff. If I keep at it I can get things to a point where I feel confident the welds and structure will support the weight and provide the strength required. Aesthetics have been a low priority for a good while, but some of my welds are "butt ugly" now.

Lighten up on the stick shade to not more than a 10. Actually if you are welding outside, a #9 will work for both processes. I use a shade 10 if I am welding inside and a 9 for outside which may seem backward since it is darker inside. However when outside your pupils are constricted from the bright light so when you drop your hood, your eyes need the lighter lens in order to see. When inside, your pupils are dilated so they receive more light therefore a darker lens is required to keep you from being blinded by the arc. It is the same principle as when you go into a dark room after being outside, you cant see at all for a few minutes till your eyes get adjusted to the darker environment, conversely, if you go outside after being inside, you have to squint or use sunshades to feel comfortable.

 

[Old Irish]

no matter how good a hood is if you are getting light into the hood from behind you that reflects off of the inside lens you will not be able to see as well or at all in some cases. to remedy this I make a cape from an old welding jacket and attach it to the hood with rivets. a pancake hood is ideal for those conditions if you don't mind the investment in a second hood. I am a welding tool
( tools in general really ) junkie so I don't even know how many hoods I have but it must be a few cause when I was leaving harbor freight with the vulcan hood I ran into a friend and when he saw what I had bought he asked me " how many hoods do you need?" I told him just one more, LOL.

 

[California]

if you are getting light into the hood from behind you that reflects off of the inside lens you will not be able to see as well ... make a cape from an old welding jacket and attach it to the hood with rivets.


......told him just one more, LOL.

Great idea! I just learned something.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I used to do something similar just using an old rag when welding inside a stainless steel vessel just to keep the reflected UV rays from giving me flash burn. I didnt rivet it in, just hung it over my head in the back. Without it, flash burn would occur in 5 minutes of welding. Sometimes when welding on large pressure vessels, there could be 4 welders welding each quarter of the vessel so there was lots of arcs going on all around you to contribute to your own arc. The rag trick worked for even low reflectivity materials when you had someone else welding behind you.

 

[Old Irish]

Great idea! I just learned something.

Hope it helps you as much as it has helped me. even in my shop if I use a hood without this rig I turn all of the lights out except for one right over the welding table.

 

[Lennyzx11]

I had to mig some duct work together ( kinda like inside of a pipe) last night and was catching hell from the shop light above and behind me no matter which way I adjusted everything.

I took a towel and draped it over my helmet and head/neck and it made a difference I would never have believed.

I’m using a 3m Speedglas 9100x with 1.5 Lens and setting on 9.

Since I’m not fond of a Cotten towel catching on fire on the back of my head unawares, I’m going to look for a leather/ fire resistant cover to attach to the helmet.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I had to mig some duct work together ( kinda like inside of a pipe) last night and was catching hell from the shop light above and behind me no matter which way I adjusted everything.

I took a towel and draped it over my helmet and head/neck and it made a difference I would never have believed.

I’m using a 3m Speedglas 9100x with 1.5 Lens and setting on 9.

Since I’m not fond of a Cotten towel catching on fire on the back of my head unawares, I’m going to look for a leather/ fire resistant cover to attach to the helmet.

A piece of denim (leg of blue jeans) will work fine. 99% of sparks go down and the hood blocks the rest from coming behind you. In years of using a cloth for backscatter protection, I never had one catch on fire. The other great thing about using denim is that it breathes some so it is much cooler than a piece of leather would be.

 

[flyerdan]

Instead of denim, I'm going to make a backshade out of an old Tillman apron. I have a couple that have been ground out in the middle (being left handed is not kind on clothes while grinding) that have enough good material for a neck cover that can be velcroed on or off as needed.
I cut the extra length off the bottom and sew it over the middle as it gets chewed up from grinding and leaning over the table to get more mileage out of one, way better than patching up coveralls all the time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Instead of denim, I'm going to make a backshade out of an old Tillman apron. I have a couple that have been ground out in the middle (being left handed is not kind on clothes while grinding) that have enough good material for a neck cover that can be velcroed on or off as needed.
I cut the extra length off the bottom and sew it over the middle as it gets chewed up from grinding and leaning over the table to get more mileage out of one, way better than patching up coveralls all the time.

That should work well.

 

[Old Irish]

Instead of denim, I'm going to make a backshade out of an old Tillman apron. I have a couple that have been ground out in the middle (being left handed is not kind on clothes while grinding) that have enough good material for a neck cover that can be velcroed on or off as needed.
I cut the extra length off the bottom and sew it over the middle as it gets chewed up from grinding and leaning over the table to get more mileage out of one, way better than patching up coveralls all the time.

that should be the ticket, I use the green tillman jackets and it works fine for me.

 

[smalltowntex]

Practice, Practice, Practice