Butt welding - hard to see

[adamsmitqc]

Hi all, been trying out some butt welding the last couple of days with some 2mm plate.

the problem i have is that once i arc up i am really struggling to see the joint where the two pieces meet up, this is causing me to wander and miss the joint.

So my question is, is this a problem with my mask (SifLite auto darkening), is there a technique to overcome this problem (marking etc)???

Any tips or tricks will be much appreciated as always!

 

[rtbcomp]

Plenty of ambient light (use floodlights if necessary) and/or a white chalk line along where you want to weld.

 

[gordon stephenson]

I suppose you have tried different shade settings on your helmet, But another good tip mentioned many times before is to have more external light shining on your welding area. It really does work.

 

[adamsmitqc]

hmmm, light may be an issue, only one of the 2 strip lights is working at the minute, must get round to fixing that.

 

[GrahamGKD]

I had similar problems, also using the SIF Lite mask, so I bought a much more expensive mask only to find that it wasn’t the mask causing the problems after all. Try the tips others have mentioned but also make sure the mask window is clean inside and out.

 

[octo0072000]

Lights

you will see better with good old fashioned 100watt bulbs the fluorescents need to be what's called warm white also if you have any light behing you that gets reflected into the back of your mask try a old tee shirt taped on the top off the mask and over the back of your head Laurence of Arabia style

like this needs to be thicker material though

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ARABIAN-H...2?pt=Adult_Fancy_Dress_UK&hash=item2561966b88

 

[backpurge]

Make sure you are in a position where you can see what you are doing, try and position yourself so you are looking back along the joint towards the torch so you can actually see the end of the wire, the weldpool and the joint clearly and weld towards yourself

 

[adamsmitqc]

Octo... that got a laugh out of me that one, the wife would be asking questions if i ordered that!!! However, I understand where your coming from.

Gonna get the lights sorted tomorrow, i have a portable inspection light but its difficult to position it well.

Thanks for all the tips fellas

 

[inchpincher]

Not sure if you have a snap on man local but they're doing a winter special on bluepoint rechargeable magnetic inspection lamps, they're £40 a pop but I've had one for a year and its so useful for welding I'm about to get another two.

Can't find a picture on google so I photo'd the catalogue...

 

[octo0072000]

led lamp

anothe rmagnetic LED lamp run on AAA batteries in aldi either £5.99 or £7.99
in store now

 

[brightspark]

Not sure if you have a snap on man local but they're doing a winter special on bluepoint rechargeable magnetic inspection lamps, they're £40 a pop but I've had one for a year and its so useful for welding I'm about to get another two.

Can't find a picture on google so I photo'd the catalogue...

i bought one from autojumble 25 quid
look em up on ebay or google there the same price item no 290622178017 ebay 24 quid .real good torches

 

[troppo]

One shot that hasnt been mentioned yet, what are your eyes like? I started having problems with my tig work, i couldnt see the join i was trying to weld very well. One of the old-timers in the shop told me to get my eyes checked, one eye was focusing about an inch and a half closer than the other. A cheap pair of glasses and now i can see things as sharp as a tack. This only really makes itself evident when your focusing up close. Might be an over-reaction but always worth a try

 

[inchpincher]

i bought one from autojumble 25 quid
look em up on ebay or google there the same price item no 290622178017 ebay 24 quid .real good torches

Ya got my hopes up for a sec then, bit different them ones on eBay, for starters they take batteries where as the one I photo'd sits in a recharging dock and can only vouch for the magnetic base on the bottom of my same one pictured cause I also have an older snap on one which is crap

They just seem to have got all the facets right with this one, the brightness, strong magnet which can pivot and lock through 180 degrees, charging dock etc

 

[KemppiFrog]

Our local version of B&Q (owned by Kingfisher, so the same) has rechargable multi LED inspection lights at €19.50, something like 40 LEDs.
Second the eye-check. I found that in the low light situation, my irises widened and I couldn't focus at that length. Cheapy 1.5 reading glasses solved it.
KF

 

[Betelgeuse]

if you have a poundland they have a head torch with 7 (i think) led's in it that is quite bright.
worth a punt for a quid

 

[awemawson]

Beware of stray light coming in at the back of your helmet hazing the screen and any glasses you may wear. Hate to say it as I hate them, but a baseball cap worn backwards can help.

 

[mike 109444]

At the 99p shop pk of 3 for 99p!

 

[adamsmitqc]

managed to get some better light sorted and joy of joys... i can now see what i'm doing, some great tips here and thank god its not my eyes!!!

thanks for all the help fellas, i'll post some pics of some butt welds later today, let me here your opinions!

 

[adamsmitqc]

butt weld - how's the penetration?

This morning, with the aid of some light and actually being able to see what i'm doing i have managed to lay down my best butt weld so far, in so far as i managed to follow the joint rather than wander off into the middle of nowhere.

What do you think about the penetration? is it sufficiant or should i be aiming for more than this?

 

[Drains]

Adam, if you want easier, even penetration, leave a gap between the pieces to be joined and turn down your voltage. When welding thicker materials it's very difficult (potentially impossible) to get a full pen joint without leaving a gap, or "prep". Additionally on thicker material you would grind on an edge angle to both pieces (typically 60 degrees inclusive).

Use tacks to hold the joint apart. You will notice the fewer tacks you put in, the more the joint pulls itself closed as you weld. the more tacks you use, the less it will do this.

Leaving a gap also helps limit warping and movement of the steel as it cools.