Flashing with Gas Lens

MattA986 · Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:43 am

Hi Everyone,

I'm a beginner hobbits welder. I'm using a Primeweld TIG225X welder with a standard collet, collet body, and cup. I'm using a 3/32 2% lanthanated tungsten.

Yesterday I was just doing some practice welding on 16 gauge carbon steel at 70 amps. When I was using the standard collet, collet body, and #7 cup on my CK17 torch, everything was going just fine. I decided to switch to the stubby gas lens kit I got from the weldmonger store. About a second after striking the arc my welding helmet lens would flash off(clear) than back on(dark). It would do this every time. I then switch back to the standard cup and everything when back to normal with no flashing.

I'm using a Titan Tools auto darkening helmet.

Anybody have experience this and know what the cause is?

Thanks,

Matt

TraditionalToolworks · Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:46 pm

Something changed on your helmet by the sounds of it. Did you accidentally change the settings?

MattA986 · Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:51 pm

No, nothing changed. And when I switch back to the standard consumables I didn't change anything on the helmet. The only variable I can think of is the gas lens.

TraditionalToolworks · Mon Jul 20, 2020 1:58 pm

MattA986 wrote:No, nothing changed. And when I switch back to the standard consumables I didn't change anything on the helmet. The only variable I can think of is the gas lens.

Matt,

I misread that, I thought it was flashing you when you went back to standard consumables, looks like it was ok at that point.

Not sure why, but the arc could be different, you may NEED to change some of the settings in your helmet.

How are they set?

Oscar · Mon Jul 20, 2020 3:04 pm

Perhaps it has to do with the size of the gas lens cup vs the regular cup. It sounds like the larger diameter gas lens setup was blocking some of the arc light that the regular collet body setup wasn't, and it made your sensor(s) on your helmet react accordingly. Just a thought.

Spartan · Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:10 pm

70 amps is low for a lot of the cheaper hoods and some of them will respond poorly to lower amperage TIG welding because those helmets were really designed with Stick/MIG in mind. Try it again at 125+ amps or so and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, buy a better hood.

TraditionalToolworks · Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:11 pm

Oscar wrote:Perhaps it has to do with the size of the gas lens cup vs the regular cup. It sounds like the larger diameter gas lens setup was blocking some of the arc light that the regular collet body setup wasn't, and it made your sensor(s) on your helmet react accordingly. Just a thought.

Good point.

Matt, are you using the same size cup on both standard and gas lens consumables?

TraditionalToolworks · Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:14 pm

Spartan wrote:70 amps is low for a lot of the cheaper hoods and some of them will respond poorly to lower amperage TIG welding because those helmets were really designed with Stick/MIG in mind. Try it again at 125+ amps or so and see if that fixes the problem. If it does, buy a better hood.

I must have missed this while I was typing my last post, but this shouldn't be the case. He was at the same amps with both is my understanding, so it doesn't make sense that the helmet would work for standard consumables and not for gas lens at the same amps.

Matt, I'm fairly certain but not positive this has to do with sensitivity, sometimes if I have my sensitivity set too high (or too low depending on how you look at it) on my Miller, it will darken and not lighten after the arc stops.

Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:41 pm

the other thing is the delay, just need to lengthen it a bit.

Spartan · Mon Jul 20, 2020 5:55 pm

There certainly may be some odd association with the gas lens being larger in diameter, etc. However, even when considering that point, the crux of the problem is two-fold and points to the cheap hood being the problem: The sensors on that hood are most likely not designed for low amperage TIG welding (especially when considering the taper in/taper out at even lower amps), and it likely has only a max of two sensors. The best/only solution I see: Buy a better hood.

MattA986 · Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:47 pm

I used #7 cup for both.

The delay on my helmet was set to "short." I'll change that and see if it helps.

The helmet has 4 sensors.

If that doesn't work I'll get a higher quality helmet. Definitely not worth damaging my eyes to save a few bucks.

Thanks for the replies.

MattA986 · Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:35 pm

Changing the delay to "long" didn't work. Even when I upped the amps to 80.

Weird how using standard consumables I don't have any problems. Only when i put the gas lens in.

Mon Jul 20, 2020 7:48 pm

try using more stick out.

i'm thinking because gas lens cups are a bit wider (regardless of cup size) than standard cups, that it may be shielding a sensor from the arc.
longer stick out might get around that.

otherwise your going to need a new helmet.

MattA986 · Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:26 pm

tweake wrote:try using more stick out.

i'm thinking because gas lens cups are a bit wider (regardless of cup size) than standard cups, that it may be shielding a sensor from the arc.
longer stick out might get around that.

otherwise your going to need a new helmet.

I'm just going to get a different helmet. Maybe a Lincoln viking 3350.

It's not worth the trouble and the risk.

Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:42 pm

MattA986 wrote:
I'm just going to get a different helmet. Maybe a Lincoln viking 3350.

It's not worth the trouble and the risk.

i quite agree. good helmets are worth every penny.

LtBadd · Mon Jul 20, 2020 9:59 pm

MattA986 wrote: I'm just going to get a different helmet. Maybe a Lincoln viking 3350.

It's not worth the trouble and the risk.

Just so you know, even in the light state your eyes are protected from the UV, still if the hood is the problem then replace it

Spartan · Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:56 pm

MattA986 wrote: I'm just going to get a different helmet. Maybe a Lincoln viking 3350.

One of those decisions that you will never regret.

TraditionalToolworks · Tue Jul 21, 2020 12:01 am

tweake wrote:try using more stick out.

That is not a bad idea.

tweake wrote:otherwise your going to need a new helmet.

Strange that it works with standard consumables, so I'm a bit skeptical that it can't work with a gas lens. That would be really strange...other people would have run into this problem all the time you would think...pretty common situation to use a gas lens.

Nothing wrong with a better helmet Matt, but you might consider the Optrel Crystal 2.0 if you want the best. Nothing wrong with the Lincoln 3350 from what I hear, I have a Miller Digital Elite, which is probably not as good as a 3350 from what I've heard. I haven't used one.

LtBadd · Tue Jul 21, 2020 6:37 am

TraditionalToolworks wrote:I have a Miller Digital Elite, which is probably not as good as a 3350 from what I've heard. I haven't used one.

I had a 3350 and sold it because I prefer the X mode on Miller hoods, I have the DE as well with the clearlight lens. I also have the Optrel e684, nice hood but doesn't have a standard adapter for a cheater lens

JustTheDad · Tue Jul 21, 2020 10:55 am

LtBadd wrote: I had a 3350 and sold it because I prefer the X mode on Miller hoods, I have the DE as well with the clearlight lens. I also have the Optrel e684, nice hood but doesn't have a standard adapter for a cheater lens

I'm considering getting a second hood because the Optrel Weldcap doesn't have a delay function, so it's almost impossible to use with slow pulse settings. It becomes a strobe hood.

The 3350 we have is very nice, and I figured I'd get a second one, but was also looking at the Esab Savage A40 and the Miller Digital Elite/Infinity models.

What is it you prefer about the X-mode, and how much different is the clarity going from the 3350 to the Miller?

LtBadd · Tue Jul 21, 2020 11:53 am

JustTheDad wrote:
What is it you prefer about the X-mode, and how much different is the clarity going from the 3350 to the Miller?

In my opinion the view or clarity is very similar, I like the x mode because it doesn't rely on the senors to detect the arc, and I do a fair amount of lower amperage tig welding, also if for some reason none of the senors had a good line of sight to the weld then the lens my not immediately darken, with x mode it will.

I just like Millers x mode.

TraditionalToolworks · Tue Jul 21, 2020 12:26 pm

LtBadd wrote:I just like Millers x mode.

I too like Xmode, it works for all types of welding and grinding as well. I don't normally use my helmet for grinding, but do on occasion. I normally take it off and use safety glasses.

Funny, recently I replaced the batteries on my Miller Elite (I don't have clearview, it came out after I bought mine) and when I did that it changed the mode out of Xmode...I wasn't sure why I was getting a problem with the autodarkening but upon looking it was not in Xmode...put it back and all is well...

VA-Sawyer · Tue Jul 21, 2020 1:10 pm

Just how is X-mode detecting your grinder?

JustTheDad · Tue Jul 21, 2020 1:24 pm

Thank you both.
DE is $6 less than the 3350. DI is $30 more.
Any benefit for a beginner of the DI over the DE? I don't see anyone ever mention the Infinity, just the Elite.

(Sawyer, I'm guessing it's simply not detecting the grinder, so he doesn't need to use grind mode)

TraditionalToolworks · Tue Jul 21, 2020 2:05 pm

VA-Sawyer wrote:Just how is X-mode detecting your grinder?

Doesn't trigger on grinding. They have a grind mode also, but in Xmode it will work for all processes, as I understand it. I just leave it in X-mode. Here's a video I found online.

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