"mongke" wrote in message
...
Hello all

Today I got flashed some three times while practicing. Bad timing when
pulling down the helmet. Just a fraction of second each and no lasting
discomfort. Are there long term effects to be feared? BTW, I use contact
lenses.


You're *probably* fine. If not, You'll wake up tomorrow morning feeling
exactly like someone threw a handful of sand in your eyes. It's
uncomfortable in a way few things can be, and an experience you won't soon
forget. I only ever got flashed that bad once (three times too many!), and
that was about fifteen years ago, and...brrrr that hurt! Here's a link to
the medical description:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/b...ash_burns?Open

I panicked; no one had ever told me about it, and I had no idea if I'd done
permanent damage to my eyes. I had my wife drive me to the emergency room,
and they gave me some drops to deaden the pain, and I was better the next
day. I've been more careful since then. But I've gotten brief flashes at
times, and not ended up with a case of 'welders flash' like that; as I said,
you may be fine. Learn to flip your helmet down with a nod of your head.
The less motion of your body, the less chance of the tip of the rod getting
away from you.

I've been practicing with 6011. I find this rod harder to start than
6013. I have noticed that the arc seems to starts better and is more
stable when the coating is toasted (as a result of stickups). Of course
when the coating gets charred the rod loves to get stuck and when arcing
produces hege globs of molten metal! Comments?


I've found that 6011 rod can be hard to start. If you strike it light, it's
liable not to arc at all, and if you strike it harder it sticks. Somewhere
right in the middle is the perfect arc, but it's a narrow window, and takes
practice to find consistently. I don't stick-weld a lot any more, so when I
pick it up I have to practice a bit to get the feel back. The first rod I
run works a lot like you're describing--and I've done a lot of stick-welding
at various times in my life. One thing about 6011 rod is that once it
strikes it will maintain an arc quite a ways away from the metal. If the
rod is being stubborn, you can strike it hard and quick with a circular
motion that doesn't give it a chance to stick, but starts an arc that will
maintain as you bring the rod up and around. You're not really welding at
that point, but the light from the arc will allow you to see to bring the
electrode back down onto the steel and begin the bead. It's not the subtle
approach, but it will start a sticky rod. As you develop your skill, you'll
find you need tactics like that less and less. Keep at it; it's just a
matter of practice.

Cheers and keep your rod dry,
Walt