Don Foreman wrote:

On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 00:52:28 -0600, Jon Elson
wrote:




One of the tricks is to use the torch as a light shield. You want to be
able to see as much of the weld puddle as you can, but you DON'T want to
see the electrode.



That sounds like a good trick. I don't think I don't do that
when I'm welding, but I'm gonna try it. Do you have any trouble
maintaining your electrode distance from the work when you can't see
the electrode?


At least with my auto-dark helmet, I CAN'T see the electrode tip. If I
expose
much of the electrode, the light is blinding, and that is ALL I can see.
So, I
can see the electrode, sort of, but I can't see the workpiece in
relation to it.
I CAN judge the electrode spacing because I CAN view the arc, itself. The
arc puts out mostly UV, I guess, and the color of the Argon discharge, and
so it isn't too bright viewed through the glass. You need to be up close to
see just the arc, but not much electrode, but with a bit of practice,
you can do
it pretty easily. Once I've blocked out the huge white light from the
electrode,
then I have a terrific view of the work and the melt. Especially with
aluminum,
you never get it hot enough to glow, so the change in surface finish is
all you
get to know the difference between solid and melted. I still bump the
electrode
into the work fairly often. With aluminum, that is a big mess. With
steel, it
doesn't seem to stick well, and I often can just continue welding. The
contamination
burns off the electrode in a few seconds and everything is usually OK.

I've thought about mounting a little metal "visor flap" to the torch to
get more
adjustment on the electrode shielding, but haven't needed to do that, yet.

Jon