Welding Tips and Tricks

New to tig welding, use autodark helmet with back flash guard.
Arc light can only get to me thru lens (set on darkest setting). I sit about 2 ft from welding surface.
After welding I have dull pain in my sinuses (especially behind my nose & around my eyes. My eyes have a very mild sundburn feeling. It take a couple of days away from welding for it to go away.
I'm welding 1/8 inch alum, brushed clean with dedicated wire brush.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
James
Brothers Hotrods

Are you still flipping the helmet up? What kind of tungsten are you using? If pure, sometimes the glowing ball of pure, right after you let off the juice, is momentarily bright enough to somewhat flash your eyes. Do that a few hundred times in a day and your eyes will feel it.

It could just be eye strain as well.

Thanks TamJeff,

I don't lift the helmet until the gun is off. using 2% Thor. (green)
eye strain i understand. the sinus ache has me puzzled though.

J>

I had that when I was in school for about a week. I chalked it up to eye strain.

If you've not welded before there's an outside chance you have an allergy to something in the fumes from the welding - most of us have become almost imune over time to all sorts of stuff that's bad for the health - maybe try a mask or Speedglass ( and probably others ) make a fan powered filter set up that is belt worn & supplies cool filtered air via a flexible pipe to the mask - could be worth a try - expensive but good although it does'nt remove recycled curry issues !

Also it could be a combination of eye strain caused by trying to focus for long periods of time at a distance that you don't normally - worth getting an eye test - also eyestrain from extreme concerntration is possible - alot of people when trying this new & some that are experienced still tense up alot - especially on an important job.

One last one is ally produces far more intense light than other materials so be aware of reflected light - again old hands rarely get "arc eye" but even reflected arc from glass or white surfaces can get you.
Good luck with your future projects.

With the backflash guard, I'm with noddybrian's idea that the fumes are affecting you.

Even if your autodark were responding slow enough to cause minor flashburn to your eyes (or were leaking light around the gasket), I've never experienced sinus pain with it, and I've had incapacitating flashburn (long story).

Do you tend to hover directly above what your welding, where you're in the convective path for the heat from the weld? This will draw fumes around and under your hood.

I'd suggest trying a cheapo box fan, on low, about 15-20 feet away, preferably behind you and to one side, to create a slight draft (keyword is "slight"), to gently push fumes away from your hood, and see if that resolves the issue. If so, you just need to be aware of your ventilation in the future. If not, I'd look for light leaks in the system, though I'm still convinced the sinus discomfort suggests "fumes".

Steve S