Newbie mask question.

[tomwood]

Hey guys,

Im new to this forum and id like a little advice regarding welding masks, in particular my auto darkening speedglass, shade 3-11. I managed to fire up my new tig for the first time last night (wse200p) anf the arc was way too bright, even as low as 50A. The mask works for mig but as it quitr old i fear it may be damaged/ faulty. Would you suggest buying a new mask, or fitting a new lense/ batteries to mine? Obviously safety first, i immediatly stopped welding after establishing an arc.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[rich r]

Is it darkening properly? At shade 11, you should be able to look at a 60W lightbulb and see the filament, but nothing else. Shade 3 is about as dark as a pair of sunglasses.

 

[GrahamGKD]

Does it have a sensitivity control, if so have you tried setting it to be more sensitive?

 

[Purnong]

My auto speedglas say's not suitable for tig welding
When I first got my tig welder I was using the Speedglas for welding ally and no problem whatsoever but when I tried steel it was way too bright
I'm not sure what is going on there but that was my experience

 

[tomwood]

Tbh im not sure whether there is sensitivity adjustment, ill check this evening. The mask powers up as when i turn it on the shading visibly changes.

Is it possible to change the lenses? My mask at work has manual shading adjustment im beginning to think one like that may be better suited.

 

[astro_al]

My speedglas is fine for mig and tig.

Were you inadvertently covering the sensor with a hand or torch or something?

Shade 11 should be pretty dark, sounds like its only a 200A tig, so nothing crazy to cope with.

Al.

 

[rich r]

You say it works for mig - can you double check that it still does? Could be as simple as dirty sensors.

 

[tomwood]

You say it works for mig - can you double check that it still does? Could be as simple as dirty sensors.

Yes i will check again but i was mig welding only the other day. Where are the sensors? Excuse my ignorance but is the tig arc considerably brighter that that of a mig (both sub 200A)?

 

[rich r]

Have a look at the front of the helmet, there will be usually 2, 3 or 4 small round sensors behind the glass. It might not be the problem - but there's no harm in taking the glass out and giving everything a clean and polish.

As to the brightness of a tig arc, it depends on your current setting. But amp for amp, tig is much brighter than mig and a little brighter than arc for the same current. But the welding processes involved are so different that you can't really compare it like that.

The usual guidelines for what shade of eye protection you should have are something like:

Shade 10:
Arc 40-80A
Mig 80-100A
Mig fluxcored 125-175A
Tig 20-40A

Shade 11:
Arc 80-175A
Mig 100-175A
Mig fluxcored 175-225A
Tig 40-100A

 

[tomwood]

Have a look at the front of the helmet, there will be usually 2, 3 or 4 small round sensors behind the glass. It might not be the problem - but there's no harm in taking the glass out and giving everything a clean and polish.

As to the brightness of a tig arc, it depends on your current setting. But amp for amp, tig is much brighter than mig and a little brighter than arc for the same current. But the welding processes involved are so different that you can't really compare it like that.

The usual guidelines for what shade of eye protection you should have are something like:

Shade 10:
Arc 40-80A
Mig 80-100A
Mig fluxcored 125-175A
Tig 20-40A

Shade 11:
Arc 80-175A
Mig 100-175A
Mig fluxcored 175-225A
Tig 40-100A

Thanks for that rich, ill update a little later with more info on the actual mask.

 

[tomwood]

Ok guys, just replaced the batteries but found it still too bright. However, if i switch the mask off and strike an ark it seems ok?? Really stupid question but after turning the mask on the lens should be more transparent right?

Looked on the 3m website and it mentions that it the mask fails, or is switched off the darkest shading (13 in this case) will be applied.

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

What model is it exactly ?

 

[hotrodder]

^^ This. If you don't know then post pics of it, view of the lens as you see it when wearing the thing and an outside view.

As said, not all models are suitable for TIG and of those that are not all will cope with low amperage work. Chart here showing ratings for the 9002 and 9100 and this one includes the 100 series. These are all relatively recent models, the origional 9000 series had rotary controls and those that were suitable for TIG use had the sensitivity included in the shade setting i.e. the shade dial was numbered in white for MIG/stick and had another set of shade nummbers in red for TIG. If yours hasn't got these it's probably one of the more basic models that doesn't have the sensitivity needed for TIG... again as said the TIG arc is typically brighter amp for amp but it's smaller and harder for sensors to 'read' as there's no sparks/movement etc going on. That's why (regardless of brand) some masks aren't suitable for TIG, some will only work properly at more than 20 or even 50A and others will cope with welding at 1amp. A mask that isn't rated properly will work some of the time but typically gets confused at low amperage or if the sensors don't have a really good 'view' i.e. adding filler wire is enough to confuse them and the mask switches to it's light/stand by state

Yes, auto masks get lighter (the 'stand by' shade) when you switch them on, the idea is that you can see what you're doing through the lens before striking an arc

 

[tomwood]

Sorry guys thought i posted the model earlier? Anyway its a 9000f. After reading the above post it appears that the mask is not suitable for tig work. It has neither sensitivity or shading controls, just on and off...******!

 

[Purnong]

I think that's the same as mine, Pretty sure there is a symbol on the helmet somewhere that says no tig
Will check it tonight when I get home from work, 6:30 in the morning here currently and cold and wet outside
Funny how it works fine on aluminium though, Must be because of the higher amps I'm using
Here's link to some Speedglas specs, On the second page in the table the first two lenses say Mig & Stick only so maybe check your numbers against those

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediawebserver?mwsId=SSSSSu7zK1fslxtUmx_9ox_Zev7qe17zHvTSevTSeSSSSSS--

 

[hotrodder]

The higher amps will help but i suspect the AC arc makes a difference too... the polarity switching results in a 'flicker' and a larger/broader/more diffuse arc cone

 

[Purnong]

As promised here is a pic of the label stating no tig

 

[tomwood]

Cheers guys, mine hasnt got a no tig sticker on it, but after checkin the above pdf it states suitable for; 'mig arc and some tig'. My problem wasnt flickering it was jus too bright to see properly.

Im gonna bring my solar powered manually adjustable mask home from work tonight, see if thats any better.

 

[tomwood]

The mask I brought home works perfectly, so I'll most likely buy myself a budget mask approved for TIG. Shame I cant use the Speedglas, but thats life I suppose.