Welding Tips and Tricks

Hey all.

I've been welding some thin wall mild steel tube. 1.5mm wall thickness, 45-50 amps, 1.6mm zirconiated electrode.

Weld behaves itself, making neat little coins. Good control of arc length and puddle, arc is white/blue through my shield, everything normal, when suddenly there's a bright green flash - so bright it wipes out my eyesight. Stop welding. Re-start, all normal until another bright green flash stops play. This then keeps happening, sometimes just now and then, sometimes more often.

Only thing I can think of is that while I had angle-ground and acetone wiped the face of the tube, the inside checks out a little dirty because I just can't get in there.

Is it, as I suspect, contamination that is causing these bright green flashes?


Kym

Kym,
Zirconiated tungsten is not usually used while welding DCEN and might be splintering off and causing problems. It will spit pieces into the arc.

Another thing to check is if your welding at low amperage with an auto darkening helmet it might be going light on you. Check the sensitivity setting and move it higher in a bright area until it darkens and then back it off just a little. I might have that ass backwards, you might have to lower it, it's 03:30 in the morning here so forgive me if I have it wrong.

Len

Agreed. Check helmet settings.
+1 loose the zirco electrodes. Get some 2% lanthanated.

Thanks guys.

Oh, and my apologies, the electrode I was using was actually 2% Lanthanated.

Had my white tips and blue tips mixed up.

Will check the helmet adjustment though - good tip.


Kym

As the others said. Increase sensitivity but you might also gain some by increasing delay time. That will keep lens dark longer so it might not flash.

I get this often on low amp stainless welding and above have helped.

AndersK wrote:As the others said. Increase sensitivity but you might also gain some by increasing delay time. That will keep lens dark longer so it might not flash.

I get this often on low amp stainless welding and above have helped.

+1 increase delay(I sort of match delay to= post flow-sort of-)

Just took a look at my helmet.

Oops...it doesn't even have those adjustments! It has 'on' and 'darkness".

Time for a new helmet!



Kym

Kym,
I had a similar issue with my now replaced 4 year old WIA auto helmet.
I replaced it with one of these.
http://www.totaltools.com.au/cigweld-st ... dpCLmVuvxA
The 4 sensors make a difference when working around stuff, very nice head band, good viewing area and I think 1/20,000 sec reaction time.
Now there are better, faster reacting and more expensive helmets out there, but it seems pretty good for the pricepoint and I havent been flashed with it as yet.
Cheers

ex framie wrote:Kym,
I had a similar issue with my now replaced 4 year old WIA auto helmet.
I replaced it with one of these.
http://www.totaltools.com.au/cigweld-st ... dpCLmVuvxA
The 4 sensors make a difference when working around stuff, very nice head band, good viewing area and I think 1/20,000 sec reaction time.
Now there are better, faster reacting and more expensive helmets out there, but it seems pretty good for the pricepoint and I havent been flashed with it as yet.
Cheers

Great tip, thanks Pete.

I have a Total Tools store nearby...and Fathers Day coming up...


Kym