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scooter
11th March 2005, 12:57 PM
Just wanted to bump this topic.

I want to buy one of these for occasional home use, I really struggle with the normal type of helmet/mask and it puts me right off welding.

A couple of recent welding threads mentioned these auto types, I want to buy one under $100 if possible (bit of a stretch but has to fit the budget)

I recall Total Tools having them on special for around $150-160.

Bob Thomas (echidna) mentioned getting one from Supercheap for $99, I have enquired there and from what I could gather that was clearance stock when they took over Marlowes, & don't seem to be onshelf any longer.

Someone else suggested that the lens was available from CIG for cheap, BOC have taken over CIG & enquires at their Dandenong Vic store put a cost at over $200 & v little saving over buying the complete helmet.

Out of ideas.

Has anyone any other ideas? Seen them somewhere for the right price? Got one for sale for the right price?

Any & all help appreciated.


Cheers..............Sean, too many dollars, not enough sense (I wish :) )

Iain
11th March 2005, 04:11 PM
Hare and Forbes $129.00
www.hafco.com.au look under metal working welding helmets

Optimark
11th March 2005, 09:17 PM
I often go into the SupaGas Moorabbin store for oxy cylinder refills and one day last year whilst waiting, I noticed that they had some of those auto darkening helmets.

They also had some literature regarding the different types of darkness and how for different welding applications you get different standards of darkness. The fella behind the counter was extremely helpful and if I had a spare $100 or thereabouts I would have bought some glass to put into my helmet on the spot.

I distinctly remember it being relatively cheap, compared to what I remember seeing elsewhere. I think it was something like $130.00 and that was in September 2004.

They have their head office in Dandenong, I think, and they are open on Saturday mornings, could be worth a phone call?

Mick.

rodm
11th March 2005, 11:11 PM
try Ebay

journeyman Mick
11th March 2005, 11:15 PM
Sean,
if you can't afford one, try this:
Put helmet on and bring the visor down so it stays halfway between snapping shut or flipping back open.
Position the work, torch, hands etc
Nod your head sharply and the visor will come down
Weld

It's what most boilermakers/fabricators do.

Mick

scooter
12th March 2005, 12:40 AM
A few useful suggestions there, thanks fellas, will follow up.

Any more welcomed, just er, tack them on.


Cheers..............Sean, chook ****e welder

Sprog
12th March 2005, 02:14 AM
There is one in the Glenfords catalogue for $95

http://www.glenfords.com.au/catalogue/catalogueP16.htm

scooter
14th March 2005, 11:02 PM
Thanks Sprog, broke the magic $100 barrier, unfortunately they don't have a store in Vic :( .....yet...

Anyone else ??


Cheers..........Sean, blinded by the light

vsquizz
15th March 2005, 12:38 AM
Sean,
Nod your head sharply and the visor will come down
Weld

It's what most boilermakers/fabricators do.

Mick
And scream in pain when the head strap pinches your lughole on the way down...then learn how to adjust your helmet properly...You'll only do it once;)

Its the way I've done it for yonks.

Auto darkening is for pussies:D Back in the days when ships were made of timber and men where made of steel we had to use a piece of beer bottle for a lens....OH..:o ..Ok..I'll go away now..

Cheers

rodm
15th March 2005, 01:41 AM
Squizzy
You didn't by chance consume a couple or three welding lenses tonight? :D

vsquizz
15th March 2005, 09:05 AM
Squizzy
You didn't by chance consume a couple or three welding lenses tonight? :D
No way!!...I was supporting Alcoa..:D

Cheers (hic)

Sprog
15th March 2005, 01:37 PM
Thanks Sprog, broke the magic $100 barrier, unfortunately they don't have a store in Vic :( .....yet...
Cheers..........Sean, blinded by the light

Can't you phone them or use the web site contacs to check out the cost of postage ?

rod1949
15th March 2005, 03:50 PM
Can't help you with getting one. But I can tell you they are the ants pants to use.

Doc_Dave
16th March 2005, 01:28 PM
Hi Scooter, If you are still looking, I got an auto welding helmet at Trade Tools Direct for $99 last year. Battery operated, adjustable shade settings and works well. Have used it extensively for MIG work. Crummy batteries that leaked but cleaned out ok.
Don't know if Trade Tools exist in your neck of the woods but the Sunday paper in Brisbane had the same helmet that I bought for $89! Hope it helps,
Dave H

scooter
30th March 2005, 02:03 AM
Thanks one & all for the input.

Sorry about the tardy reply, but the computer sh@t itself & has been at the nice man's for a holiday & some R & R ($100 worth of R & R :( ).

Will follow up with the retailers mentioned, would prefer to check out the unit before purchasing but will see how I go.

Thanks again............cheers..............Sean, enlightened :)

glock40sw
30th March 2005, 10:19 AM
G'day.

Beware of cheap Auto-darkening helmets !!!!!!

I bought a $99 helmet from the local engineering supply place.
Nice silver unit with shade 9 to 13.

Couldn't see clearly thru it.
Got flashed every time the arc was struck.
woke up the next morning with sand in the eyes.

I borrowed a mates CIG auto helmet.
It was like having the fog lift.
Clear, bright and no sand in the eyes.
It costs $230.
I am going to get one today.
the other one is going back.

Moral of the story... buy cheap....get cheap.

Hooroo.
regards, Trevor
Grafton

GeoffS
30th March 2005, 11:08 PM
I'll echo the last post - be wary of cheap ones. They might be alright for occasional use - that is once or twice a day!! Not likely - but quite a few have been slow in their response so that the operator gets a little flash every time. Yours eyes are worth more than a few dollars.
Cheers

Dennis Hill
27th April 2005, 06:48 PM
I have to agree, forget the el-cheapo's. I paid a bit over $150 for mine,(Toolex) it activates quickly, has adjustable shade and adjustable sensitivity if you are welding with low amps (the book says it will work with arcs of as little as 5 amps). The lens is a nice green shade when inactive and you can see through it OK under normal lighting. I love it.
Dennis.

Stuart
28th April 2005, 04:46 PM
'scuse my ignorance, but I am curious. Back when I was doing a welding engineering course, these helmets were very expensive (not much change from a grand), and so I never looked into them (sic). My question is this: Given the speed of light, how in the world do any of these helmets darken quickly enough for the operator not to get a flash in the eyes? Or do you deliberately blink just as the arc is struck to avoid the momentary burst?

Dennis Hill
28th April 2005, 07:58 PM
Aaah, well, this is where it gets interesting. The light produced by the arc causes the photovoltaic cells to produce electricity. This electricity is used to activate a liquid crystal display panel which goes partially opaque, thus blocking the light from hurting your eyes.
The reaction time for all this activity depends on the quality of the electronics. Cheap electronics = slow reaction times, more expensive electronics = faster reaction times. The expensive bit is still the LCD panel.The PV cells are fairly cheap but the larger they are the better things seem to work.
Ain't technology wonnerfull?
Dennis.

Stuart
28th April 2005, 10:12 PM
Ok, but the arc flash, being light is travelling at, well, the speed of light, and hitting your eyeballs at the same time as the photoelectric panel. There is time then between the panel being struck by photons, the released electrons travelling along to the LCD panel, which then takes an amount of time for the crystals to align and darken. All the time the arc light is in the eyes. I'm quite happy that they work, that good ones operate quickly, that they are the bees knees when you are welding etc, but is it so fast that the brain doesn't have time to register the flash? Or do you notice the flash, but it is too brief to cause discomfort, and the next morning's 'sand in the eyes'? Or have I just answered my own questions??

Wood Butcher
28th April 2005, 11:01 PM
'scuse my ignorance, but I am curious. Back when I was doing a welding engineering course, these helmets were very expensive (not much change from a grand), and so I never looked into them (sic). My question is this: Given the speed of light, how in the world do any of these helmets darken quickly enough for the operator not to get a flash in the eyes? Or do you deliberately blink just as the arc is struck to avoid the momentary burst?I have used one of the helmets once for three days of metal fab work. (built new shed for work.) After long periods of continous use my eyes did get sore the the milleecond of flash that I got everytime. Personally I agree with journeyman Mick's suggestion of flipping your helmet. Its the only way to garantee no flash.

FWIW, my tafe teacher told me that you should wear a pair of UV protected safety glasses under your welding helmet. It stop the UV light from the welding flash from hitting your eyes if you don't get your helmet down in time. Apparently the UV part of the light does the worst damage.

vsquizz
28th April 2005, 11:02 PM
I ran a few welds on the Syd-Melb gas pipeline, like a coupla k's of weld, and I never saw one auto darkening helmet amongst the gun welders. This is a good hint.

Cheers

Dennis Hill
29th April 2005, 08:49 PM
Well, Stewart, I think that there must be an explanation for all of this.
I actually took notice of what was happening while I was welding today and what I think happens is that when you strike an arc there is an initial spark which is sort-of yellow in colour and this then becomes the blue coloured arc which does all the fusion of the metals. What seemed to happen was that I could see the spark as an ever so brief yellow flicker, then the lens darkened and then I could see the arc form and stabilise. With a hand as unsteady as mine that stable arc can be pretty brief at times but sometimes I get lucky!
Once again, my feeling is that the sensitivity of the solar panels to the amount of light produced by the initial spark, coupled with the fast switching speed of the LCD panel are the secret to success.
I think.
But I could be wrong.
Dennis.

Stuart
29th April 2005, 10:32 PM
Cheers Dennis- nice explanation. Given that UV is the real damaging light emitted from welding, and that the initial strike starts yellow, warming to blue and therefore UV, then that must be how the helmet gets away with it. It must react bloody quickly to the initiation of the arc, but it does so before too much UV is emitted.

Interesting to hear what Squizzy had to say too.

boban
29th April 2005, 11:50 PM
I ran a few welds on the Syd-Melb gas pipeline, like a coupla k's of weld, and I never saw one auto darkening helmet amongst the gun welders. This is a good hint.

Cheers
Yeh, but what about the average welders?

vsquizz
29th April 2005, 11:55 PM
Stuart, different types of welding yeild different light loads. My favourite lens is a No 13 gold film but doing some mild steel mig today I couldn't see diddly squat. (I'll get a No 12 tomorrow - or it could just be the years catching up:o )) I use the No 13 for flux cored low hydrogen mig, plasma cutting and tig root runs where I learned (Like Glock/Trevor) that some auto lenses cannot handle the instantaneous arc burst.

What I'm saying is that while I don't see heavy duty weldors using them I'm sure a quality unit doing some arc/stick or gas shielded mild steel welding for the home handyman should be OK. I'd look for some AS, Euro or Yank compliance spec on the helmet.

I do actually own an auto helmet (somewhere) but I like seeing.....
Cheers

Dennis Hill
30th April 2005, 08:43 PM
Being only an average welder and only ever having used GP rods with a normal stick welder I would have to agree with Squizzy about the instant arc thing. A cheaper helmet may be too slow to react.
Odly enough though I was introduced to auto helmets by a bloke that was, at that time, a welder and fabricator as well as the owner of a welding and engineering supply business. What Ray didn't know about welding wasn't much. He used MIG for just about evrything and said that the helmet he was using was "the bees knees". The only problem was that the helmet was worth about $400 at that time. Out of my price range.
The auto helmet has saved me from quite a few flashes since I bought it though, and from that point I am really happy with it.
Pitty Ray sold the business, the new bloke knows SFA about welding.
Dennis.

ozwinner
30th April 2005, 08:56 PM
I ran a few welds on the Syd-Melb gas pipeline, like a coupla k's of weld, and I never saw one auto darkening helmet amongst the gun welders. This is a good hint.

Cheers
Never got my pressure pipe ticket, only got as far as the pressure plate.
Couldnt stand any more night school. :(

Al :D

vsquizz
30th April 2005, 09:03 PM
Never got my pressure pipe ticket, only got as far as the pressure plate.
Couldnt stand any more night school. :(

Al :D
Its a mugs game anyway. Glad I'm out of it full time.
You can teach monkeys to weld you know Al:rolleyes: :D

ozwinner
30th April 2005, 09:10 PM
Its a mugs game anyway. Glad I'm out of it full time.
You can teach monkeys to weld you know Al:rolleyes: :Dooock ooock. http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/dvv/cwmddd.gif

I did it for 10 years+ straight, what a pain in the bum, but it paid the bills.

Al :D

Im actual going to firing up the arc tomorrow, I am building some display shelves for the shop.

vsquizz
30th April 2005, 09:12 PM
ooock ooock. http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/contrib/dvv/cwmddd.gif

I did it for 10 years+ straight, what a pain in the bum, but it paid the bills.

Al :D
Yep, sure does, just don't tell Zed:)

Cheers

Scan_Fan
3rd November 2005, 08:38 AM
Try the online discount store http://www.dealsdirect.com.au. They have auto-darkening welding helmets for $69.95 plus $9.95 postage to anywhere in Australia.

savage
3rd November 2005, 07:08 PM
G'Day All,

I used these helmets for 12 months, and thought they where good, untill I mentioned them to the bloke I was working for (who by the way was wearing a standard type helmet). He said they are OK, just OK, for long run welds and not designed for short runs or spotting, as mentioned above the continious phasing of the lens is not enough for this type of work and eventually your eyes will get sore, his advise, learn to use the standard helmet when you get the hang of it you can see what you are doing. A tip he gave me was to strike an arc close to the job and your eyes adjust for a few seconds, use that time to move to the job and strike your arc and proceed to weld. Not only does this give your eyes full protection it warms the rod and your weld starts easier, I am not a certified welder and largely self taught but I can do decent welds even with my little handy arc CIG welder. Remember, practice, practice and more practice.
savage(Eric):)

Grahame Collins
4th November 2005, 07:08 AM
Your electronic helmet under $100 will turn out to be expensive.As it is made to a price ,not a standard, it will fail sooner rather that later.Usually at warranty gauarantee time plus 1 day in my experience.
Cheap goods can only be made with cheap production techniques from cheap components. There are a few decent brands around, but think $300 and more for them otherwise give the notion away,and learn how to use a flipdown.

cheers Grahame

2shane
5th November 2006, 03:55 PM
See the auto darkening lenses are built like thus.

They are composed of a usually tinted layer of plastic or glass, that provides UV and Infrared protection..

The lense when not activated, then allows a higher degree of "filtered" light through than what a conventional stained glass lense allows.

However when an arc is struck, the semi-opaque (flat) crystals (like microscopic mica flakes) in the Liquid Crystal Screen, then change orientation, kind of like a slat window, to then pass the high brightness light of the arc through a dimming medium...(the crystals)

This all occours within about ).0001 of a second.

What happens when tho, is that sometimes bcause of the position of the torch , ones hand or work piece, is that it may block enough light from reaching the solar cells, and the crystals either don't orientate to filter the light or they reorientat to being "off" and mostly translucent.

One does not get flashed, rather one gets "lighted" too much, to actually see the arc "welding".

I am not one for saying "cheap filters" are ####, nor supporting these arguments or opinions.

Since no one here has performed light meter tests for optical penetration at both luminosity and at specific frequencies, and the activation times, and can present the evidence, I rest my case.

Further to this, since the arbitrary value of electric lenses is also open to some debate, given that the field is populated by three ends of the spectrum. First we have fair quality, at a fair price, then we have the junk part at a high price and a high quality part at the bargain price.

So unless one knows the proven standard of a particular part, and it's manufactuating price, and to then follow the mark ups through the distribution networks, then it may prove to be a fact that a bargain electric helmet, may in fact be pretty good and the quite higly priced one may be it's eqivalent or less; or a quite highly priced one may be of an excellent overall quality, and the cheap one may be junk.

Facts over ride opinions anyday, however, the willingness or ability to prove ones case is usually absent or unable to be done.

I am also a bit of a contender for the challenge of confronting the enrenched status quo.

Sure the old real welders do use the crap glass lenses, cause they are brainwashed with the "this is the way we have always done it" mindset.

Sure I bet most of them can weld and superbly so.

However just because of the accepted practice of using pox glass lenses is entrenched in the Australian welding industry, does not mean it's the case for the rest of the world, nor does it mean that this will continue to remain the case.

Glass lenses are CHEAP, which is their #1 advantage; but as the prices and competative sales of the electric lenses are driving the costs down, the really nice lenses (read EXPENSIVE) such as ESAB and the such like, come out of their loft domains, as the manufacturers of China undercut their sales, through the delivery of an excellent product at very low prices, then the european prices will have to drop - or be priced out of the market.

But when one lists the advantages and disadvantages of each type of welding lense, then the electric lenses come out way in front.

Such as electrics allow a full and clear view of the job at all times, they also allow full use of both hands when welding...

The disadvantages of glass lenses are the restriction of vision, the inability to use both hands and the damage to neck nerves from flicking ones head, when you can't close the cover with a hand.

I also tend to hate people who voice unqualified opinions in formums, who have nothing but opinions - try reading the instrutions that come with the electric lenses.. before you even dare to comment upon the subject.

"Life is like being in an unfamiliar place and having to ask directions.. There are lots of people who either don't know, or think they know, and then there are few who actually do know."

Shane T. Hanson

ozwinner
5th November 2006, 05:25 PM
I also tend to hate people who voice unqualified opinions in formums, who have nothing but opinions -

Shane T. Hanson


Settle down, eveyone is allowed an opinion, even if it is one you disagree with.

Al :)

clanger
5th November 2006, 06:06 PM
hi there. auto welding helmets are great i think . ive got a miller big window elite , it is the best thing ever but it has a big price tag . i bought a 100 dollar job for my little brother to use mainly to stop him using mine and i think its ok ive used it on occasions , for occasional use the 100 dollar ones are ok , i bought miller because of the large viewing area and i use it alot .

DavidG
5th November 2006, 08:51 PM
I bought an el-cheapo off EBay and it seems to work fine.

I have a hand held, a flip down and now the auto but I prefer the auto.

I am NOT an expert, just a casual at welding and I find that with the manual ones I repeatedly get out of step and get flashed.

I found that with the auto one I did not flash myself (Ok stop that;) ) and my eyes did not get sore.

For me the auto one is better.

MajorPanic
5th November 2006, 09:38 PM
I also tend to hate people who voice unqualified opinions in formums, who have nothing but opinions - try reading the instrutions that come with the electric lenses.. before you even dare to comment upon the subject.
So, I take it you are qualified to talk on this subject? Therefore it would be highly improbable you would be qualified to speak or voice an opinion on ANY OTHER SUBJECT. Ergo..... thank you for your post on THIS subject & we will not be hearing from you on any other subject as it would be highly unlikely you are qualified to voice an opinion.

Thank God, as ozwinner said, everyone is allowed an opinion.

If the world worked as you espouse no one would know anything outside of what they are qualified to talk about.

We are living now in what the experts are terming "The Information Age" this is characterised as the sharing of information, ideas & opinions. If you find it hard to deal with there is always alternate lifestyles you could/should explore.

If it wasn't for this forum you wouldn't get the chance to voice such a crap opinion, then again you SEEM qualified.

Then again it's your opinion & I can chose to accept or ignore it.

Grunt
5th November 2006, 10:05 PM
I just bought a auto jobby for $60 from Nightingales on Spencer Street in the City.
It seems to work.

If I was going to do more than just occasional welding I'd get a good one.

Sturdee
5th November 2006, 10:29 PM
I also tend to hate people who voice unqualified opinions in formums, who have nothing but opinions - try reading the instrutions that come with the electric lenses.. before you even dare to comment upon the subject.


As a matter of fact I'm inclined to agree with you :eek: , I too tend to dislike people who have nothing but opinions.:D

And as you have uttered only your opinions without any supporting facts to back up your opinions or details of your assumed expertise I tend to ignore your post as irrelevant.


Peter.

bitingmidge
5th November 2006, 10:39 PM
I just bought a auto jobby for $60 from Nightingales on Spencer Street in the City.
It seems to work.
But Grunt, it may prove to be a fact that a bargain electric helmet, may in fact be pretty good and the quite higly priced one may be it's eqivalent or less; or a quite highly priced one may be of an excellent overall quality, and the cheap one may be junk.

P
:rolleyes:

DavidG
6th November 2006, 10:41 AM
One thing to keep in mind is that the actual control module (lcd panel and electronics) are only made in a few places in the world.
Most of the cheap ones use a Chinese variety and are all pretty similar.

They comprise
An outer protector which stops the hot bits of metal
UV and IR filters
A LCD panel

Mine has :
Ultraviolet filter to 0.0001% (99.9999%)
Infrared filter to 0.01% (99.99%)

Activated shades, adjustable Din4/ 9 thru 13

They work by sensing the 50hz in the arc.
They operate so quick you do not see any flash.

It is possible to get into a position where something blocks the light from the arc getting to the two sensors, and the module deactivates.
This is not a real problem due to the filters still in place and you just need to move a fraction for the module to reactivate.

These are the unqualified opinions of a novice and should be taken with a grain of salt:rolleyes:

Al B
6th November 2006, 03:21 PM
Just wondering how much it would cost to replace a smashed LCD screen?
I am tipping that this may be the reason why old welders prefer the old welding masks. :rolleyes:

I am still using the same welding mask that’s over 25 yrs it was my dads before I started using it and it is still working fine.

Eddie Jones
6th November 2006, 06:02 PM
.....Auto darkening is for pussies. Back in the days when ships were made of timber and men where made of steel we had to use a piece of beer bottle for a lens....

Luxury...........

Best we could manage was filter the light through a rolled-up newspaper. Used to get the odd welding flash, but we were tuff in those days.....And you try to tell that to the young people of today.....They won't believe you!

outback
6th November 2006, 06:13 PM
Newspaper......Luxury.

When I was boy we couldn't even afford to close our eyes, we used to lick slag off weld so we'd have something warm in stomach........couldn't afford welding rods so used two sticks to make sparks to weld.

Grahame Collins
6th November 2006, 07:53 PM
No you probably did not expect it , way down here at the end of the posts.
It looks like the wall is down in China and all them rabbits got out and came here to talk welding helmets!

Back to something sensible then,

Try this lead for a brand called Tecman

here on Ebay today 6th Nov 06

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-SOLAR-CELL-Auto-Darkening-Welding-Helmet-TECMEN_W0QQitemZ4447147844QQcategoryZ20798QQcmdZViewItem.
or
They were on special at our local Mitre 10 for Fathers day at $79.
This helmet standards comply with meet Australian, Kiwi and Yank safety standards.

No batteries, and it does work on stick, mig and Tig, cause I tried it

I have had one for several months with no complaints.

Yeah! Yeah! While I haven't been supportive in the past,Awell meaning rellie bought one for me and honestly,I can't complain.
I have kept a bit quiet on until now ,but crikey after seeing some of the ######## written here I gotta chime in.

For starters men, you cannot,repeat cannot get a flash by using a particular helmet. Its medical proven fact that 3mm of clear safety glass barrier PREVENTS harmful UV radiation from entering the eyes.There is visible radiation- the bright light - and UV which is the nasty one. If a pair ofsafety glasses will stop the UV common sense should tell us that the helmet should too,if there is no direct hole in it.

Steps down off soapbox and leaves
grumpy
Grahame

"Makin Sawdust"
6th November 2006, 11:09 PM
I also have the Tecman like Grahame and, although I haven't used it a lot yet, I am very pleased with it, makes things a lot easier for the occassional welder like me! cheers, Les.

Grunt
7th November 2006, 08:45 AM
I used mine for the for an hour or so on Sunday. The first time I had done any welding for more than a few minutes.

Yesterday my eyes were a little tender. :(

So please ignore my previous recommendation for the cheapie mask.

I think I'll get the Tecmac.

clanger
7th November 2006, 09:23 PM
hey grahame , thats the welding helmet i bought my little brother to stop him using my miller one , and i think its pretty good to weld with you got a good deal our local charged us 129 for it .

Chris Parks
7th November 2006, 10:54 PM
To follow up and reinforce what Graham has written. In the early days of film making when they were using lights which were carbon arcs, all the actors were suffering from eye discomfort, what we would call a flash. This was caused by the unprotected eye being subjected to UV from the lights. It was found that when a glass cover of a certain thickness (I have forgotten how thick) was put over the lights the problem ceased. All shields have a clear inner lens and apart from use as a grinding protection lens I bet it is thick enough to prevent UV burn in case of arc strike without the dark visor being in position. Anyone who wears glasses is just about immune from arc strike (flash) unless it is peripheral. I have never had a strike and when I was welding semi professionaly I wore glasses at all times. Using a conventional lens is just practise and habit and most don't get enough welding time to develop that. Also bear in mind that as we get older the shade of lens needs to change. I can't use a 13 now like I could 25 years ago. Also most home welding is done at lower amps than industrial welding so if someone recommends a very dark shade you most probably will find it is too dark and is half the reason a lot of people find welding difficult as they cannot see the arc. Professionals use more current because it is quicker and they have the skills to use it and not burn holes in things.

vsquizz
7th November 2006, 11:14 PM
I used mine for the for an hour or so on Sunday. The first time I had done any welding for more than a few minutes.

Yesterday my eyes were a little tender. :(

So please ignore my previous recommendation for the cheapie mask.

I think I'll get the Tecmac.

My experience exactly...but I'd be unqualified to comment as I only welded for a living...keep trying Grunt..I'm sure these helmets will get there before you go blind...Oh no...what have I said about Grunt going blind:rolleyes: ..I mean I'm sure your eyes will not be permanently damaged by these helmets in a handyman situation...not that you couldn't go blind from....other.....stuff:D :cool: ..err...I think I'll go now..:o

Grahame Collins
7th November 2006, 11:46 PM
It seems there are two models of the Techman Auto darkening faceshield.The dearer model has an adjustable lense density ( read gets darker)
Doncha hate it when you race in and get the first model ,when you would have paid a bit more for the better one.

A little bit more has dawned on me ,with Grunts comment about the dark shades.
One thought is some of our toilets get cleaned more often than some of the welding lens systems. I am guilty of this at home,too. I check the students lenses quite regularly and am amazed that they can see anythingat all through the accumulated crap.

If using a gas cover mig, replace the cover lense every once and a while as the lenses get a build up on it which it not easy to remove.

A second thought that why eyes sting may be from the heavy metals( its not a rock group) floating around. Gal,zinc,and stainless are nasties for this this. The fumes can make eyes sore if you dont ventilate properly.Also hydrogen controlled electrodes are just chokka with maganese, google it up about carcanigens if you want some choice reading.

Hope this helps
Grahame

vsquizz
8th November 2006, 01:33 AM
If using a gas cover mig, replace the cover lense every once and a while as the lenses get a build up on it which it not easy to remove.

A second thought that why eyes sting may be from the heavy metals( its not a rock group) floating around. Gal,zinc,and stainless are nasties for this this. The fumes can make eyes sore if you dont ventilate properly.Also hydrogen controlled electrodes are just chokka with maganese, google it up about carcanigens if you want some choice reading.

Hope this helps
Grahame

Grahame, one thing that strikes me (pun intended) is that some people's eyes are way more sensitive than others to "arc flash". I remember this distinctly from my apprenticeship days in the welding shop.

Also, many helmets are found without the protective outer cover lens, which is usually plastic these days...as are most lenses for that matter. But anyway, when we got into restricted access, pressure pipe etc we generally used the 4" square gold lenses...especially for tig root runs.

Anyway, one of the problems with the gold film was it scratched easily, a good reason to keep the lens clean and outer protector in place. However, you could get a fine scratch in the gold which meant you where getting unfiltered flash through but you weren't able to see it when you were welding....good dose of "sand in the eyes" was the result. This was also another reason why glass was preferrable to the new generation of lenses...a scratch didn't affect the safety of your eyes. Also the glass lens shattered with much more satisfaction when you through your helmet out the boiler drum after you screwed up a X-ray quality weld:rolleyes:

Fossil
11th November 2006, 08:15 AM
I am not a trade welder, but have been stick welding since I was a kid, and have gone from laying lots of bird poo, to being very competent with a stick. I have never used a mig tig or anything else, except gas.... so that is my experience, and my advice should be treated in that context.

I think you are better off getting a $20.00 CIG helmet. They are fairly robust, you can have two or three of them laying around, so one is always at hand.
You won't get so off when one of the local kids uses it for a Darth Vader hat, or when you drop a channel or UB on it, and after a while, you will get very competent with it.

I think the Darth Vader analogy is very accurate, now that I see it written down. With a normal helmet, you develop a sense of where the end of the stick is, and striking arcs becomes a natural thing.


Just my OPINION, and personal experiance.

May The force Be With You. :D

Grunt
14th November 2006, 05:25 PM
I just got my Tecman from ebay. Cost $85 inc shipping and insurance. Works a treat. Much, much darker than the cheapy I bought. Looks sexy too.

Chris

2shane
17th December 2006, 03:24 PM
See my main thrust in these departments, is to obtain where ever possible, absolutely accurate information that can be reproduced and meets certain listable standards.

Welding visors are no exception.

As a comparative basis - say between Welding, Religion and how people react, we run into a number of variations, prejudices and reactive elements.

If we say gather a reasonable supply of medical data on all the aspects of eye damage that occours from welding arc we have a good starting point.

This is covering the components of the light frequency range, and intensity, duration and the actual damage, be it immediate and slowly cumulative - we then know what is causing it, and how it occours.

Then we compare it to the standards for welding visors that have been developed to stop eye damage from arc welding.

Then we obtain either the test results of the visors, from the manufacturers or independant laboratories, whether the visors actually meet, or exceed the specifications, to stop short term and long term cumulative visual damage.

So opinions in some respects, can be really good, in other respects they can be utterly worthless.

But fact based evidence, is what needs to be relied upon first and foremost.

Sure some people can say "Brand X" outboard engine is great and other people may say their a piece of junk.

The opinion at face value may be worthy of consideration and or it may not.

For instance, was the outboard motor services and maintained as per the manufacturers specifications at an autorised dealership?

Maybe the person who said the motors were great, always flushed the motors in cold fresh water after a run in the ocean. Maybe they always had it serviced, with a really great mechanic, using all the right tools and settings, seals and lubricants.

Maybe the boat was always stored in a dry, clean shed, and the fuel was always filtered, clean and fresh.

Maybe the person who said the motors were junk, never serviced it, never took it to the authorised dealship, any work on it, while the word "back yarder" is frequently used as a term of derision, some times it's justified to use it as a term of derision on an individual basis, but was any work on the motor properly done, to the right settings with the right tools?

Was the motor never flushed in fresh water, left in the rain, had the same spark plugs and oil in it for the whole of it's short life (untill it ran out of oil) , and the fuel used in it, was dirty and stale.

This is the problem with opinions, it's all the hidden and unproven facts, omissions and history of the supplier of the opinions what they declare as being worth listening too.

I know there are people who may or may not be qualified, that I can take their word on a subject as fact either technically or from experience.

I also know there are people both qualified and unqualified who if their opinion or advice were followed, the people or advice are both untrustworthy and liable to cause injury, death or loss.

Hence I know that having fact based information about the whole process, combined with the qualified opinions of those people, who's opinions based upon their own expereince, is the very best way to go.

See so it's like this:

Do I want to pay $1000 for a really really great, large view expensive European or Emeriken electric welding helmet?

Noooo, but I'd sure like some of the Helmets.

Do I want a really crappy glass lensed cheap welding helmet for $10 from the bargain bin?

Nooooo I'd rather never ever use one ever again if I could help it, but I'd use it if I had no alternative.

Honesty now.. I think I am so great the all the manufacturers should be falling over each other to supply me with FREE samples of all their "top of the range models", so I can test and keep and evaluate them all at my own leisure.

Will they? Nooooooooo (unfortunately)

So what are my options then?

Do my research into the medical side of eye damage caused by arc welding - in hard copy. Read 6 to 12 reports and cross reference all the data.

See exactly what the welding visor standards are, for a number of countries, and then corss reference all the data.

Based upon the PERCEIVED quality, and price range, get the visor specifications, and the compliance with the different safety specifications, from the manufacturers of the helmets that I either like, want or that meet my budget.

If they won't cough this up, then don't even consider buying their product.

Then depending upon my social circles in trade or interests, start to ask for the opinions of the users of the electric welding helmets, or just go via the combined specs...

As a fully informed consumer, I then make my own decision as to what brand to buy and use.

And there is little or no ambiguity or guess work involved.




Here are some really good links to HOW electric LCD Visors work.



http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae532.cfm

http://www.howstuffworks.com/lcd.htm

http://www.miyachiunitek.com/html/Industry_Links-1.asp

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/calculator_displays.html

http://www.cauniversity.org/node/331 (has good pix)

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6557174.html

2shane
17th December 2006, 04:16 PM
You can now actually buy arc welding rods for a variety of materials, including timber, concrete etc.

Look up Ferrex, Woodex, and Cementex.

Wood Butcher
17th December 2006, 04:33 PM
Do tell how you can use an electric arc welder to weld wood.

ozwinner
17th December 2006, 04:39 PM
Rowan I think he is pulling your chain.

Al :p

Wood Butcher
17th December 2006, 04:42 PM
Trust me he's not pulling any chain of mine:eek: :D

scooter
17th December 2006, 07:29 PM
But he could weld it for you if it breaks... :p

Grahame Collins
17th December 2006, 07:59 PM
In essence ,I feel that Shane is voicing his concern about cheap welding Auto darkening welding helmets. Certainly there are probably some crook ones out there.I have yet to see a specific concern about a particular helmet. The body of his argument is concerned with cheap manufacture. Bear in mind though many items we buy from China are cheap because of wages ,but also because of improved technology and scale of manufacture.

With the concern over the UV penetrating the LCD, realise this- the clear lens filter cover alone will stop UV-it is not the UV one sees as the intense light.Do your research folks and find out UV is not in the visible spectrum of light. If you wear safety glasses, as a carefull welder should,the problem is solved ,if there ever was one.

One has only to look back to a time when Japanese manufacture was considered shoddy. The same for the Taiwanese and the Koreans. They have improved markedly over time and so have and will the Chinese manufacturers, like it or not.
I would like to illustrate my argument in this way:
What follows is a comparison between two auto darkening welding helmet units .

The first a top Brand hopefully and the secondly ,what some would consider cheap. I merely say it is better value for money. My perception is based upon using the item as well as the data from the vendors.

The Miller FS10 is listed as an entry A/ Darkening light duty welding helmet suitable up to 150 amp range
The darkening time is listed at 1/3600 th of a second.
It is not recommended as suitable for Tig.

The Tecmen is a light duty A/D welding helmet that has a switching time of 1/10,000 of a second from light to dark.It covers the range from Din 3 to Din 11.

When clear you can see through the lense, similiar to the strength of say, a no 3 filter lense -say oxy lens strength.
When operating ,the filter has the same light transmission as a No 11 dark welding filter lense. Though I can,t find recommendation for or against, I have used it down to 40 amps AC, 33 amps DC using inverter tigs.

Both Auto darkening helmets are compliant with ANSI Z87.1 which is the only certified ( US ) standard relative to auto darkening helmets I can locate.

I believe both are are suitable for the range of general welding amperages, I suspect that our forum readers engage in.

I have researched the Tecmen brand and found that the company dates back to 1984 making welding helmets. If they are guilty of making sub standard products, it seems a very long time for them to be getting away with it.

If I thought that this unit was unsafe I would bin it immediately and let the forum know about about any potential danger. If any has found something specific that indicates that features of a specific helmet,may be harmful let them speak up, and for the good of all of us .

I have no particular axe to grind here and I don,t have any connection with selling them.

Grahame

princhester
1st January 2007, 12:35 PM
Further to what Graham said, remember this experiment: in the UK, some clever bastard experimented with the effect of price on sales of cat food. They chose cat food because, unless it's so foul tasting that the cat won't eat it or so lacking in nutrition the cat gets sick or dies, we don't actually have any way of knowing which brand is better than any other.

What this clever bastard found was that if you put the price up by a certain margin people bought more of exactly the same brand of catfood, with the same label etc. Presumably, in the absence of any actual objective data, people resort to assuming that the more expensive stuff must be the good stuff.

This is not a lesson lost on people in the marketing profession. I always try to bear this in mind when shopping.

George Metz
2nd January 2007, 06:52 PM
G’day fellow Threadmiesters, I would like to add to this thread by announcing that I have recently purchased an auto darkening welding helmet from eGay for $69 delivered and it is AWESOME, it fits well, it’s nice and light, it has plenty of ventilation, it darkens in 1/20,000 of a second which I find is quick enough for the stick welder, I have used 9 welding rods in a row on a steel plate to see how my eyes may react and all was fine, no itchiness, redness or headaches, just motivation to do more welding was the only side affect. The brand was OPTIMAL.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j187/Metzi_01/18ee_10.jpg

Grahame Collins
2nd January 2007, 11:08 PM
George,
I am interested if the helmet has a reference to a Code or a Standard either on the helmet itself or the packing.
This I think is central to the issue of price and quality.

Also is the harness and associated fittings durable.Some of the supposedly good brands I have worn in the past have been a bit sharpish on my rapidly balding head.

If we can convince potential helmet buyers to at least check for some sort of code like this :

This product is fully complied to ANSIZ87.1 standard of the United States and the quality requirement of European Union, which is specified in 89/686/CE Appendix II of EN175:1994.

We are then halfway there in adressing the safety concerns of these helmets.


I hope your acquisition work's wonders in welding for you!

Grahame

-AL-
3rd January 2007, 01:02 AM
Great read here thanks all,There is some reference to Euro Standard ISO9001 Link to Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/New-Optimal-Auto-Darkening-Welding-Helmet-suit-TIG-MIG_W0QQitemZ260071311779QQihZ016QQcategoryZ46413QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

George Metz
3rd January 2007, 11:55 AM
Hi Graham, Hi All,
I did find this in the User Manual that came with it. Info as follows


TECHNICAL AND QUALITY COMPLIANCE This product is fully compliant to ANSIZ87.1 standard of the United States and the quality requirement of European Union, which is specified in 89/686/CE Appendix II of EN175:1994.

As for any sharpish bits for receding gents, none that I can feel, it is very comfortable and there is what appears to be some soft vinyl wrapped around the forehead strap.
The harness itself looks to be quite good, I wouldn't say bullet proof but if you where to look after it, it looks like it would last a very long lime with out any problems.
I hope I have been of some help in this issue.

princhester
5th January 2007, 05:04 PM
It's worth having a look at Tecmen's website: www.tecmen.cn (http://www.tecmen.cn). It's quite informative. Two of their helmets seem to be on the Oz market:

- their el-cheapo fitted with their 100F filter, which is fixed shade, no sensitivity adjustment

- their slightly better model fitted which is adjustable shade and a bigger viewing area. This seems usually to be sold with the Tecmen 300S filter, which is adjustable sensitivity, although that is not always easy to tell from online pictures and descriptions. It may also be sold with the Tecmen 300 filter, which is betweent the 100F and 300F in size, and does not have sensitivity adjustment (but is variable shade)

The best price I've seen on the better model is $129 from Total Tools although that seems to be a sale price. Mostly it seems to be $150 or so.

The best price I can find on the basic model is $70 ($80 delivered) from www.dealsdirect.com.au.

lagerland
13th January 2007, 12:37 AM
I got myself a Speedglas 9002V. $500. What are your eyes worth?

Of course I can do the head flip, it makes it easier if you take out one of the roll pins in the hinge and put in a short piece of nail etc.

I hope to teach my children that Chinese = crap.

Politicians have decreased tariffs to kiss the #### of asian manufacturers because they are scared they will be left out of the globalisation race. Who suffers- you. With welding helmets, it starts with your eyes.

Why do you see more Kingswoods on the road than Hyundai Excels?

peter_sm
13th January 2007, 07:06 PM
A lot of it is relevant to amount of time using the item. I have a cheap $120 auto helmet at home that I wouldn't use more than a couple hours a week on average.

At work I use a Speedglas that I can use for up to 8 hours at a time. Comfort is important.

bobsreturn2003
30th January 2007, 06:20 PM
hi got one on ebay from geofftools ,auction was $67.00 posted . no batteries ,all solar . took me a couple of goes to win one ,first one i had bought to weld shed. magic for positional welding as you can see what you are doing this was battery one i had it for a year. misted over and couldnt see . so pulled it apart to clean it ,and dropped the lens . oh dear . there goes 100 bucks , will be more carefull with this one . good wishes bob

lockwood116
3rd February 2007, 11:53 AM
I used one when i was working for a Big mining company in the pilbarra 10 or so years ago. They were pretty new then. I would get what I thought was a mild case of weld flash with prolonged short runs etc. Other than that they are great.

ANTHONY62
3rd February 2007, 01:38 PM
I'm on my 10th year of using these types of helmets and over that period had a couple that I borrowed fail on me. Some of the brands only had a single sensor in the centre, so when your vision is partly obscured by part of the structure being welded it would not activate.
I use a top of the line "SPEEDGLAS" currently, ( I've had that one for around 8 years) and have never had a problem, even with high amperage aluminium. I use flip-ups outside or when there is a risk of damage or theft.

Mirboo
23rd February 2007, 01:55 AM
I thought I'd just resurrect this thread to mention that if you check out the details of Miller Auto-Darkening Welding Helmets (http://www.welding.com.au/products-miller.asp?iProductID=46) you will find that the cheapest helmet, the FS10, has a lens darkening reaction time of only 1/3600 sec. More expensive models have a reaction time of 1/18000 sec. or 1/20000 sec.

The number of arc sensors in the helmets also differ. The cheaper helmets in the range only have 2 arc sensors while the more expensive models have 4.

The FS10, the cheapy, is not recommended for repetitive tack welding. Probably because the relatively slow lens darkening reaction time of this helmet would expose the tack welder to too many of the little flashes that are visible while the lens changes from light to dark. A welder using the the FS10 helmet to perform longer weld runs than tack welding entails would be exposed to less of these little flashes per unit length of weld metal laid down.

Fossil
7th April 2007, 09:07 AM
I responded to this post early in the peace, and recommended against an auto darkening helmet.

Well...... I was forced to borrow one on a job the other day, and was very impressed with it. I bought one on the same afternoon, and would recommend a decent auto helmet to newbie’s and pros alike. My helmet cost $145.00, and is of mid range quality, considering you can pay 5 times that if so inclined. The reaction time is 1/10000 sec' which I can say, is good enough so that I can weld all day, with no itchy eyes at bed time.



I still stand by my original post 100% , except I was wrong. :p

Fossil

journeyman Mick
7th April 2007, 11:09 AM
........................I still stand by my original post 100% , except I was wrong. :p

Fossil

Sorry mate, can you speak up I didn't catch that, did you say you were WRONG? :U Good on you!

Mick

Cliff Rogers
18th April 2007, 09:18 AM
:bump:


..I bought one on the same afternoon, and would recommend a decent auto helmet to newbie’s and pros alike. My helmet cost $145.00, and is of mid range quality, ...

G'day Fossil, can you tell us which one you got & were you got it?

Vernonv
18th April 2007, 10:12 AM
I have been welding (as a hobby) for 4 or 5 years now - mostly stick welding and more recently MIG.

I had always used a standard helmet and it worked fine - that was until my kids got me an auto-darkening helmet last Christmas, and I now realise just what I have been missing out on.

The ability to be able to see up until you strike an arc (or pull the trigger on the MIG) is wonderful, especially if you are doing fine, delicate work.

The helmet I got was a Tecmen brand and I have since found out they they got it for about $70 (though an on-line store). It's got a rated switching time of 1/10 000 sec and on occasions where I have used it for extended periods, I have not ended up with sore/itchy eye's.

I'd hate to go back to the standard helmet now.

Woodlee
18th April 2007, 11:55 PM
Thanks one & all for the input.

Sorry about the tardy reply, but the computer sh@t itself & has been at the nice man's for a holiday & some R & R ($100 worth of R & R :( ).

Will follow up with the retailers mentioned, would prefer to check out the unit before purchasing but will see how I go.

Thanks again............cheers..............Sean, enlightened :)


see my post here http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=48196

Just George
19th May 2007, 02:34 PM
I bought one from Repco for $71, they had $89 on it but I said Bunnings had them for $69 and as I didn't want to back track to save $2 (I would've spent that on fuel) I bought it there. And yes, I had seen them at Bunnings for that price, I wasn't pulling their legs.

Grahame Collins
19th May 2007, 10:52 PM
I was in the local Bunnings this morning and also saw them at $69.
That is the lowest price I have seen them at.

The adjustable model costs more obviously ,but as i already have 2 non adjustables ,I shall not be getting any more.
My non adjustable models work on stick,tig down to 30 amps and also mig.This might not work for everyone as my welder is an inverter with a different arc frequency to most machines.

I have even been able to squeeze and magnifying diopter in there behind the electronic lens.Its rather nice being able to see what you are welding on.

The adjustment band is much better quality than the old CIG hiderok models.The Tecmen has a little trick with a spring loaded button in the center of the finger wheel which you must press to freely turn it.

Grahame

Tankstand
20th May 2007, 12:53 PM
I also have a Tecmen,

I bought the variable shade model as I have lost my night vision! Too many years on night shift? :(

When welding with a normal shade all I can see is the arc, Don't know where I'm welding! :oo:

MrFixIt
20th May 2007, 08:22 PM
Hi

Bunnings have them for $65..

They look ok and are made to Aust/NZ standards.

I think I will get one next week, to go with my new cheapie (Ozito - shudder @ $299) mig welder :D

ratchet
21st May 2007, 04:43 PM
I am currently doing a welding course , learning heaps

cannot see a thing using a normal mask

better with a auto adjusting , but still hard to follow the line

I think I maybe a bit night blind , always suspected it

whilst in Bunnings , I saw some fluorescent "chalk " which came with additional lenses , you take out the clear lenses and replace with those supplied. The auto adjusting is still in place .

When you weld the line fluoresces and it , apparently , easier to follow

anyone with PERSONAL experience with this chalk ,can you please comment

I think it was called ezy weld

ps look like I will buy a TECMEN

Chris Parks
22nd May 2007, 12:06 AM
Seeing what you weld has a few problems associated with it, none of then really obvious to a beginner.

1. The amperage you weld out governs the light output.
2. As you get older your eyes absorb less light
3. You must watch the arc and weld metal and how it is flowing

The last seems obvious but it is a common problem. When learing how to weld there is a lot going on, you are nervous, there is a lot of noise and fumes, you really don't know what to look at and it is difficult to take it all in. The more you practise the easier it becomes to actually see what is going on. Technique also plays a part as the wrong angle can shroud the weld pool and so on. Just because joe blow who is 30 years younger than you uses a dark shade doesn't mean you need the same shade. Try using a lighter one and you will find it a lot easier, you won't get a flash and if necessary go up in shades until you find one that suits you. I cannot see how an auto darkening visor can suit everyone from young to old, it just is not possible.

ratchet
22nd May 2007, 04:52 PM
Thanks for the info ,

read a separate answer to my question in a new thread , more on supply than on use

will keep on practicing and hope it gets clearer , pun intended

scooter
22nd May 2007, 08:30 PM
I cannot see how an auto darkening visor can suit everyone from young to old, it just is not possible.


Yeah, I agree, that is why I got a variable shade one. Thought it would be good to be able to adjust the darkness.


Cheers..............Sean

Chris Parks
23rd May 2007, 01:21 AM
Yeah, I agree, that is why I got a variable shade one. Thought it would be good to be able to adjust the darkness.


Cheers..............Sean

I did not know you can buy them in a variable shade, does it have a large difference in shade? My helmet is about 25 years old and I now use a shade several times lighter than I started with.

scooter
23rd May 2007, 09:34 PM
Dunno :- haven't needed to weld anything since I bought it (on special). :D

Grunt
23rd May 2007, 09:36 PM
Dunno :- haven't needed to weld anything since I bought it (on special). :D

Admit it, you really bought it so you could play Darth Vader didn't you?

Just George
25th May 2007, 07:10 PM
Hi

I think I will get one next week, to go with my new cheapie (Ozito - shudder @ $299) mig welder :D




I have a new Mig welder but please out of curiousity let me know how the Ozito goes. I know the guys at a few of my local Bunnings stores quite well and they say Ozito isn't too bad. They raved about the Mig welder.

scooter
19th June 2007, 09:53 PM
Got around to buying an auto helmet about a month ago, & used it for the first time on the weekend.

It's an Unimig variable shade unit, cost $99 at Total Tools. Liked the idea of variable shade, wasn't sure if a fixed shade jobbie would be right for my eyesight.

Variable shade, variable sensitivity & response, solar powered (ie. no batteries to replace).

Pics below.

Very happy camper.


Cheers..................Sean

Iain
20th June 2007, 10:00 AM
Being solar powered how does it work in a shed with limited light, or does the flash activate the 'screen' (or whatever it's called).

Grunt
20th June 2007, 10:06 AM
It gets it's power from the welding flash.

DavidG
20th June 2007, 11:49 AM
Being solar powered how does it work in a shed with limited light, or does the flash activate the 'screen' (or whatever it's called).
They have a rechargable battery inside them. (I think)
Works ok inside and in the near dark.

MrFixIt
20th June 2007, 12:26 PM
Hi Scooter


Just wanted to bump this topic.

I want to buy one of these for occasional home use, I really struggle with the normal type of helmet/mask and it puts me right off welding.

A couple of recent welding threads mentioned these auto types, I want to buy one under $100 if possible (bit of a stretch but has to fit the budget)

I recall Total Tools having them on special for around $150-160.

[snip]

Out of ideas.

Has anyone any other ideas? Seen them somewhere for the right price? Got one for sale for the right price?

Any & all help appreciated.

Check this thread I started on the Tecmen welding helmet at Bunnings for $68. It complies to the Aust/NZ standards and works GREAT!

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showthread.php?t=50986

Grahame Collins
20th June 2007, 12:41 PM
Yes Guys

The UV and IR radiation emitted from the welding arc is similar to solar radiation.

Some times after extended periods of non use they can cease working. I have read on an American site that the method of recharging them is to leave them in the sun for a while.i can't attest to it as I have not had to try it.

Grahame

jmann
20th June 2007, 01:41 PM
Yes I've had the experience of the battery running flat and thus
just left it in the sun for awhile - it then seemed Ok. These days I
tend to hang it in the shed near the window (not in sunlight) and that seems enough to keep it going.