Welding hood

37chief · Oct 11, 2019

I started to use my auto darkening welding hood, and got flashed. It didn't go dark. Before I tear in to it. I thought I better find out just how they work from someone smarter than me about them. The last time I used it about 3 months ago it worked. Any thoughts? Stan

wore out · Oct 11, 2019

Batteries?

Janicholson · Oct 11, 2019

SOme are powered by a rechargable battery with a solar cell recharger that uses the welding radiation for a power source. They will go dead if set aside where it is dim/dark. Some are powered by the very welding light (passive) and sometimes fail to go dark. Some are only battery powered and have a battery low warning when they won't work (if you see it). Look up the mfg info for yours, we are blind to your situation. Jim

Goose · Oct 11, 2019

I have two, and if they set for awhile I set them out facing the sun for a few hours before I use one.

Steve@Advance · Oct 11, 2019

It's got batteries hidden somewhere in it.

Some have a coin type battery in the edge of the darkening assembly. It is accessed once the assembly is removed from the hood.

Others use AAA batteries, under a cover inside the hood.

Look up your model, should be an owners manual online.

Sometimes mine will give a flash if I have my hand in front of the photocell or in some odd position.

BarnyardEngineering · Oct 11, 2019

The solar cell is the sensor for the helmet to go dark. It's not for recharging. They all have batteries.

You can test the functionality of the helmet by exposing it to sunlight or even a bright shop light. Point the photocell at the sun, and the window should go dark.

OregonAaron · Oct 11, 2019

Before my current career, I was a welder/machinist for 19 years. I would say first off, batteries should be replaced. Next clean all the sensors on the hood, the solar cells and the other small sensors. Also, if you are welding on something in a odd position and a piece of metal blocks the sensors it could make the hood not see the arc... had that happen several times welding down inside something resting the front of my hood on the opening with the sensors view obscured. I have been out of the welding game for about 4 years now, so maybe the newer hoods are more advanced... my hood of choice was the Miller elite.

Wheat47 · Oct 11, 2019

I made the mistake of buying a hood that does not shut off, so if I'm
not using the hood for several days or longer, I have to remove the batteries.
Kinda a pain!!

Russ from MN · Oct 11, 2019

I have an expensive Speedglas that I was given at work 15-20 years ago, it's still working fine. Sometimes on a sunny day I will set it
outside to charge, assuming it has solar powered rechargeable batteries.

Janicholson · Oct 11, 2019

From Allheadgear.com An awesome solar and battery powered welding helmet that I have come across and worked with, is the Deep Sea Solar Powered Welding Helmet
Auto Darkening Professional Hood by the Dekopro Company. It has great optical clarity, and a huge battery life which allows you to complete any welding projects
you take on.

Solar and battery powered welding helmets have the advantages of both other helmet types that use separate power sources. When the solar power wears off,
batteries provide the necessary energy to the auto darkening welding helmet, in order to allow the welder work more.

They are also a nice investment. Because they use both power sources, the user doesn?t need to spend big amounts of money on batteries, as the solar power
extends the battery life and, depending on the helmet model, it recharges them too.

Jim

caterpillar guy · Oct 11, 2019

With all these anomalies It sounds like I will stay with my old never change and always dark hood.

JD in da UP · Oct 11, 2019

Thanks for bringing up the subject. This had been on the rainy day to do list for a couple weeks since I picked up an auto darkening hood at Lowe?s. I knew it had batteries and I had to pull out a layer of insulating plastic to let the batteries make contact and do their thing. The low battery light was flashing when I brought the whole hood, instructions and all into the house to learn this thing. When I pulled out the batteries that little light shined bright solid red. Setting the hood where lamp light got directly on the cell/lens turned off the flashing red light. Sunshine, not today. To me at least the solar cell was doing a little bit on the battery side.

old · Oct 11, 2019

I'm with you plus I only use the gold lens type lens due to being flashed back when I worked as a welder. Th place I worked got the auto dark helmets when they first came out but what I found was you can be standing by the guy next to you and he sticks an arc and your helmet dose not go dark so you get a side flash so that night you find out you have had your eyes burn

Mike(NEOhio) · Oct 11, 2019

Not necessarily true about testing it by looking at the sun. My Lincoln helmet has been unused since 2014 when I retired. I tried to use it during the solar eclipse couple of years ago and it didn't work. Tried leaving it in the sun for a couple of days with no change so I took it to a welding shop and asked him to try it, worked fine.

37chief · Oct 11, 2019

I couldn't find the batteries. I called the company. That hump on the inside top I was seeing, has two AAA batteries. That was the problem, bad batteries.Those batteries lasted me 3-4 years. If the next two batteries last that long I will be in my 80's and may not be doing much welding. Then one never knows. Stan

MarkB_MI · Oct 12, 2019

They have batteries. They also will go into a sleep mode to prevent the batteries from going dead if the helmet isn't used for an extended period.

It's a good idea to sit your helmet out in the sun for a few hours if it's been stored in the dark to bring the batteries up. You can check the helmet by pointing it at the sun, but if it has gone to sleep that may not activate it. My Lincoln helmet went to sleep and I had to expose it to an actual welding arc before it would activate again. After that, it would react to the sun.

There are videos showing how to replace the batteries in some helmets, but I wouldn't tear apart my autodark unit without first trying to recharge it in the sun.

Wearing polycarbonate safety glasses under your helmet is a good idea, whether or not you use an autodarkening helmet. They will stop the majority of the UV radiation that's responsible for eye damage.

wisbaker · Oct 12, 2019

I was issued a Lincoln Viking when I started welding at the big W about two years ago. It has a battery and the light was flashing after about 9 months, put a new battery in it and it's been fine since then. I got flashed a few weeks ago, seems there's a high/low setting switch on the inside and if you bump it while cleaning the inner lens it doesn't get quite as dark. Seems my Viking has three dials inside, sensitivity, darkness and delay. You play around with those until it works the way you want it. I sometimes turn my sensitivity down so the warning strobe on the forklift or gate doesn't cause the helmet to blink, but When I do that I take some action so I'm not looking directly at the arc when I strike it.

Welding hood

37chief

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wore out

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Janicholson

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Goose

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Steve@Advance

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BarnyardEngineering

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OregonAaron

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Wheat47

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Russ from MN

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Janicholson

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caterpillar guy

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JD in da UP

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old

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Mike(NEOhio)

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37chief

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MarkB_MI

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wisbaker

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