Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm learning to TIG weld on my own with the help of Jody's videos and my everlast 205 welder. I am having a little trouble seeing the weld area well enough when the arc is lit. My setting on my autodarkening Northern Tool helmet is around 11 or maybe a little less.
I've had problems in the past seeing the weld area when MIG welding. I've even shone a halogen lamp on the workpiece so I could see what I was doing during the weld. I've got good eyesight. It's like the contrast between the arc and the surrounding area is too great. Not sure if I should set the darkness on the helmet higher or lower. I'm going to experiment some. Have any of you experienced this problem? How did you solve it?
thanks,
Joe

Theres a reason for that big price difference in welding helmets. The cheap ones are just laminated glass, the good ones are optical glass. Try a Jackson on sometime and you'll see the difference right away. I don't know who makes the best. I have a Jackson Auto that will go to 13 and I like it. 11 is the bottom limit from what I've been told. I don't know for sure, my eyes don't itch like they did with the cheap HD Lincoln I had and it was rated at 11.

Hey Joe,
Well I had he same problem for a few years using a harbor freight hood , I didnt think ( or Know) there would be that much of a difference but when I bought my Miller Diversion I decided to go ahead and splurge on a miller Elite series hood,,,There is absolutly positivly NO COMPARISON to a harbor freight hood. Yes a harbor freight hood does stop the flashing and darkens quick and all but the big differences in a quality hood and a inexpencive hood is drastic. I found that with the elite hood I could see the weld pool , and where I was going with the weld. I need a cheater for mine but for now I just wear my glasses under the hood , but next time I order parts I need to remember to get a +1 cheater for mine. But to sum it up for me the better quality hood helped my welding capabilities dramaticly because with the hood I bought it has about 2 times the viewing area as well as being able so see the weld pool and the whole area of what you are welding.
It is well worth the money to spend for a good hood especially when you are learning to weld to get a good helmet.
Oh and I am not pushing a Miller hood either its just what I have , there are a lot of good quality hoods out there. If you get a chance to try one you will not believe the difference
Gary

I think there are charts that can direct you to what brightness setting is appropriate based on the welding current. (Here's the first google hit I found on the topic: http://www.metalwebnews.com/howto/guide/guide.pdf ) This info will also probably be in the owner's manual (if you still happen to have that) of your welding helmet.

But regardless of the charts, I can say that what brightness to use depends on how much current you are welding with. You might find simply, as there is a correlation between what tungsten size to use for different welding current, there is a similar correlation to what shade to use. So maybe we could simply and draw a correlation between what lens shade to use for what tungsten size. .040 tungsten = shade 9, 1/16" tungsten = shade 10, 3/32" tungsten = shade 11, 1/8" tungsten = shade 12, let's say (actually, I'm going to try following that religiously for a while and see how well it works, but I *think* its pretty close. )

But for sure, if you can't see the puddle well enough, try lightening the shade a notch or even two. And if it is too bright so you see a spot where the arc was (like if you just looked in a bright light...), darken it a notch or even two.

Usually if you are off by just one shade, I find that I can still manage good results, and probably not even notice. But if I am off by two shades or more, I find it is kind of a show stopper for me, and a shade setting adjustment is necessary to continue.

When I was welding pop cans together with an .040" tungsten and maybe one or two dozen welding amps, I couldn't see the puddle with shade 11. Lightening to shade 9 allowed clear vision and allowed me to weld. But for most other things (done with a 1/16" or 3/32" electrode) I find I usually have my shade set at 11.

Plasma cutting, I can't see what's going on through the auto-darkening lens, even lightening up all the way with a shade 9. But donning lighter shade #5 oxy acetylene goggles, I can see what's going on, and only then can I manage holding the cutting tip the proper distance off the work. It's amazing how important good vision is to getting good results.

thanks, jakeru and Gary. all those things make sense. I especially appreciate the info about plasma cutting as I was having that problem this morning with shade # 9 and later on was thinking of trying my shade 5 oxy cutting mask.
I'll have to save up some bones for a new helmet. I just bought the Northern Tool wide viewing angle for $120.
joe

Ive also had a problem seeing the puddle for the last few years while welding indoors. Ive been using a Jackson EQ (one of the original ones), and couldnt even tell you how old it is. (guessing at least 20 years old) I thought it was my eyesight causing the problem. I just bought a Miller Elite and man what a differance!