FWIW, I have a Miller Digital Elite autodark shield that has something called "X Mode" which supposedly senses the arc. It's pretty foolproof, and the few times I've been flashed for whatever reason, it didn't hurt because even when the lens is turned off, it still shields most of the harmful light from the arc.

On the other hand, I very rarely use an autodark shield anymore because I can see much better through a fixed shade. All I use autodarks for anymore is tacking and climbing under vehicles, etc.

 

I had my neighbors Harbor Freight hood do that to me too. Welding is very bright I learned and it didn't take me long to look at that. Come to find out one of the internal batteries died. There are 2 internal batteries and the other battery was nearly full charged. The Harbor Freight helmets do not recharge themselves. I'm not sure why the other battery was not affected.

There are videos on how to open up the screen and wire in an external battery holder if you think your batteries are bad. It is kinda hard to split the screen so take your time. I fixed my neighbors and I also fixed mine with 2 battery holders. Now we can just change the batteries out. I think I used (2) AA 2 battery holders wired in series to get 3v because the internal batteries are 3v watch batteries if I remember correctly.

The newer versions of the Harbor Freight helmets are not as sensitive as the older models. The newer version I could not get it to darken when I looked at the sun but the older versions will. Maybe other helmet manufacturers are using the same circuits or something.

You can tell the new and old versions of the Harbor Freight helmets by the knob on the side.

New Version:

Old Version:

 

I have fluorescent LED lighting in my garage. No problem at all with my Speedglas hood.

 

Same here.
Mike

 

Any way you could be blocking the sensor as you weld?. I had occasional issues with an hf helmet years ago.

 

My lincoln was bad out of the box...they warranted it and good to go. The only time I get flashed is in a position that blocks the arc light to the sensors. Maybe change how you hold yourself as a test?

 

I'm welding the same way I've been welding at this fixture for a couple years now. maybe glare off the mild steel? haven't had a problem until recently. I do have a computer monitor on the same fixture, because when I'm bored I watch YouTube videos. But it isn't on when I'm welding. It's just frustrating the heck out of me. I can't weld at all with any of the auto-darks.

 

That 3350 is a great hood. Can you adjust the sensitivity so it goes dark without striking an arc? That’s how I set mine, increase the sensitivity until it goes dark and then turn it down just a little bit.


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I’ll try this for sure. I’m just at a loss why this is happening when I’ve had no problems before.




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Sounds like you're either blocking the sensors or setting the sensitivity incorrectly.

 

Not sure of the problem. But i use a cheap Radnor #10 solar lens and a pipeliner hood. Hot, cold, sun or stars 10 amp or 1700amp arc air no issues.

 

Thank you for all of the responses. I’m going to try the sensitivity - although I’ve set these settings before, maybe it’s just age.

Thanks again.


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I've never used a HF hood but I have to tweak/adjust my settings every day, and often multiple times a day. This is especially true if your environment is not "steady" - changing places in the shop with different lighting, going inside/outside, working under something then over it, going into the shade, etc etc etc.

Good luck and let us know if you find a definitive solution.

 

My environment hasn't changed at all. Been welding in this shop for several years now. Like I said originally, the only thing I've added was I changed out the old style fluorescents for LED.

As far as the sensitivity - not sure, but maybe I messed with it. It is currently set at the minimum setting, the smallest part of the dial. So should I turn it to the complete opposite side? When I say the smallest part of the dial, I mean the part that tapers to the skinniest line. Sorry, I don't have my hood with me and I'm getting ready to take my son to school.

Thanks again.

Gunny

 

I never TIG with an auto darkening helmet. I used to but was in the same situation you are and I had a good brand helmet. Just get a fixed shade one for TIG they are cheap.

 

If you want to rule out the possibility of the LED lighting as the source of the problem. Turn off the lights and do some scrap welding to see if the problem persists.

 

If your hood is flashing you on DC but not AC, then kick in your high speed pulse and minimize background amps, you will excite the sensors enough to stop the flashing. Sometimes the DC arc is just not bright enough to trip the sensor.

 

I don't see as well as i used to. I've always needed thick glasses. 20 years ago I got concerned that I wasn't seeing well enough to drive if looking other than center of my glasses. The doctor explained that plastic lenses have different optical properties from glass. Going to glass lenses would be TOO heavy. I should try contacts. Contacts have greatly improved my life. I see as well on the edge of vision as the center.

Since that time, the old age thing has crept in. I need cheaters.

Fixed shade helmet is tough! I'm totally blind until I strike an arc.

I've been using auto dark 25 years. I've upgraded many times. My newest is the most expensive Miller offered a couple years ago. It has the same problem, I need new batteries, and they have to be Miller, or Panasonic. Other batteries have a concave back. Miller batteries are bought from Panasonic, have a flat back. Miller helmets won't work with the hollow backed batteries.

Symptoms are slow reaction, or no reaction.

 

I am an idiot! It was the sensitivity setting. I always thought it went to the smallest setting. All three hoods are good to go. I guess I thought I adjusted those settings.

At least all was not lost - just a little vision.

Gunny


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One of the most difficult things to learn for me is,,, when something factory made, complex or when I break it is that ist is usually me. Its something I don understand. Maintenance people are notorious for some of this thinking, guys a little smarter than the other bears but simply floated up a level and now they are engineers. They start with the rewire cause,,, it just cant work like this and its hard not to say,,, you dumb azz,,, the thing been working fine for 40 years till yesterday and no one snuck in here in the middle of the night and rewired it so it wont work.
Good for you to finlly get to the problem and bring it back here so the engineers can relax, thing wasnt built wrong or faulty after all.
Its usually something I did. I am possibly getting a helper back and when others have worked on it ahead of us I got to catch this and assume its not been correctly assembled. In some cases I actually take it apart and have my helper put it back together. We were trouble shooting and I actually check on something complicated he put back together the other day,,, he was right but when we started he put togethjer and came back after a coffee or a beer in his case and said,,, whoops, put it together wrong,,, fixed it and sure as sheet it was right.
We check on each other and have some different skill sets but when I got bunch of stuff electrons go whizzing thru or bunch of parts look like they came out of a blender I can get a little help.

 

A simple solution is to rethink and brainstorm different solutions. I will suggest using a good quality helmet. Use any of the miller welding helmets. Protection glasses can also help. There are plenty of them available in the markets. You can also order online.

 

I might shop cheap for some things. I believe a welding helmet is critically important. No way I'll risk ruining my eyes. Use a good fixed shade, or buy a good functional auto dark.

 

I have the Lincoln 3350, and experience flashing 6 times after welding DC+ SMAW 100+/- AMPs with an LED backlight. Other times it flashes continually non-stop following the same welding settings.

GTAW welding TIG indoor shop setting, watching others weld 80 to 120 Amps from distance of 5 feet away the helmet won't even darken. I adjusted sensitivity to highest level. This is expensive helmet with dual sensors, and I expected more top quality functioning.

 

what made you think lincoln helmets are top qaulity. i see nothing top qaulity about them. sorry you found out the hard way

 

correction. it has 4 sensors. it also has solar, which may be issue, as it rarely see's outdoors. maybe battery is dying?

 

It's been awhile since I pulled my 3550 out of the bag, but I used mine down to ~20 amps just fine. Is the clear cover plate in good condition?

It's entirely possible you have a hood that shipped with a defect (I assume it was bought new). I'd see what Lincoln support says and if you can get them to do something about it under warranty.

From 5ft away @ 80-120amps I wouldn't necessarily expect the helmet to perform like it should either to be honest. That amperage and distance isn't going to produce a ton of harmful UV radiation.

Also I believe the photovoltaic cells on the front are powered by the light from the welding arc, the sun would likely work as well but you'd have to weld looking up at the sky.

The poor guys on swing/graveyard would be pretty boned as well if that was how the helmets worked.

 

The rack I made for storing my welding helmets is right under a window. Might try something like that if you think lack of sunlight is the issue...

 

Seems someone listed a decent hood, maybe the Linc for 100 or so. I find if I clean mine it looks so much better but had a Hobart and then HF maybe but both work perfect for a long time and holding a cheater which I need new in itself is. Seems a quality hood may be clearer but the econo seem to work great as far as the auto.
I can see fixed for heavy work especially with wire, for maint and small fab the auto dark hood saved my eyes and a career. I flip a hood 10000's of times especially first 15 years that am absolutely tired of it and accuracy is so much better when there isnt a flip and stab thing going on and while a guy can be precision with fix it just adds a layer of complexity and is tiring all its own if you got to do it enough.

 

I like to see the comeback with the solution or else its just miore inaccurate assumptions about equipment that doesnt seem to match my actual experience. I am very general, while I am a career welder or welder by trade as they say I utilize more in the nature of maint dept. Every day is a different problem but if a guy come and says,,, all these this and that, often with strong opinion and no real direct experience it is contrary to the actual math.
In reality the Sears ratchet is the worse tool ever made considering the faulty7 units and warranty and rewaranty. The wrenches ugly but tuff and no better than ano other generic crap since about 80 or so,,, despite many USA babbles about that being old its not really so. The tubing wrenches junk,,, this is similar to others actually used various ones and an early set of HF deep impacts were really bad. Pliers are some of the last to catch up but this is my general experience and contradicts a lot of clishe that every China wrench is faulty and sure to injure their delicate skin. 3/8 1$ wrench been hit repeatedly with a 20oz nail hammer proves differently and we had hit and cheated them till the end. No direct human power alone going to bust or strip it.
Same for the hoods,,, I havnt used a long list, I can see clarity being something but,,,,, never had an econo crap ahead of its time, used 1 daily 10 years.

 

But the issue that was solved was from Gunny's post in 2020... Sketch came in with the same problem 12 hrs ago... I assume he's already read about the first issue.