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Attenurb wrote:No change, still got occasional flashes so bright it overwhelmed even the darkest setting [12] on my autohelmet. I got afterimage like gas welding w/out goggles.
Sounds a lot like your lens/helmet is randomly switching off and going 'bright' on you. I would not expect an argon/gas problem.

I'd first do a sanity check on that:

- Battery/ies of the lens OK?
- Light sensor(s) not getting covered by your work or angles?
- Light sensors not dirty?

How old is the helmet? May be that the lens electronics are simply going bad if it's older.

Bye, Arno.
Attenurb
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    Tue May 13, 2014 1:31 pm
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Arno,

Thank you for replying.

My helmet is about 5 years old and I suppose it could be causing some problems, but the key symptom of my situation is that it is not a full view flash of yellow, but only an intense point of very bright yellow flash right at the arc, and the arc is weaker - in that the metal and filler rod do not melt very much at all during this occurrence. The bright yellow flash is sometimes pulsing maybe 2-3 pulses per second, and sometimes a steady very bright spot for a full second. At times, this intense flash stops and normal melting of parent and filler rod occurs and I get a good weld, sometimes followed by the return of the very bright flash of yellow again.

I am going to try to switch to a different torch, new collet, collet body, new tungsten ground on a fresh new dedicated belt, fresh just opened 70S rod [plus new, acetone 316L rod for the stainless welds], ground and acetone mild steel and stainless steel test pieces. I will go back to the original Huntsman [shade 10] non-auto helmet I used for the first 18 years of welding. With most of the variables eliminated something should stand out here. I will get back when this is accomplished.
Attenurb
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Arno,

I think you nailed it on the helmet is the culprit.

I really was wanting to believe Airgas Hawaii was passing some bad gas, but I got a call from Jeff Johnson at Miller in responce to my inquiry on their website some time ago. He called me and went through it for me and pinpointed it being the helmet. I will get out there in the shop and use my old Huntsman Non-Auto helmet. If it doesn't work I will let you guys know.

Thank you for your feedback.

Aloha,
David
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