Impurities in the metal?

[rsallen]

Has anyone else here run into this?
Your welding along and everything is going swimmingly, then you run into something in the metal that flashes so bright that you can't see past it even on the darkest helmet settings. It's so bright that by the time you feel your way through it you're seeing dots before your eyes.
I've run into it once before but once I got past it things were fine again. Today though I just finished welding a new flex section on to an exhaust manifold and I swear half the welding was like that so **** bright you can't see past it then back to normal for half an inch then back to flashing back bright and so on and so on till I finished.
Took fifteen or twenty minutes before I could see clearly again.

What am I running into? Any ideas?

 

[Shield Arc]

Only thing I've ever seen even remotely like that is welding on galvanized material. But nothing as bad as you're describing. :confused3:

 

[Walkin Horse]

Are you using an auto dark helmet. You could be blocking the sensor. Sometimes it happens when I tig and the cup blocks the light.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have welded a lot of different metals with a lot of different processes and I cant ever recall seeing anything like that or even hearing of it happening to anyone. No metals that I have ever seen flash that bright even burning magnesium should not be so bright that a #12 setting is still blinding and magnesium is what they use in aerial flares and they light up like daylight. I don't see any reason to have pure magnesium in piece of metal.

 

[rsallen]

Happened once back some years ago while repairing some bracing on a plow frame, but only in one spot. I took a grinder to the area to make sure it was clean. It didn't matter that one spot remained a pain.
Today though was the worst. If I ever run into another like it I'm going to scrap it and tell the customer they need a new manifold.
I've welded a bit of stainless before and never have or expected to run anything like today.

 

[Baby Grand]

Walkin Horse may be onto something - maybe it's the helmet and not the weld?
You said it got really bright, but nothing about what was going on at the puddle.
How did the weld look once you got through the bright spot - different from the adjacent welds?

 

[rsallen]

When I'd hit a bad patch I'd stop and turn the shading up, wouldn't help much. Once I got through of course the shading was so dark I couldn't see anything but a small glowing dot and have to dial it back.
I thought about the helmet at the time and tested with striking a match in front, seemed to work normal.
The next job I do I'll use the same helmet see if it happens again. Or perhaps next chance I get to play I'll fire up and touch off some sparks.
Dying battery maybe?

If the weld looked any different from the rest it was perhaps not as smooth. Kind of sandy, but looked okay if perhaps a little too hot.
That is last night when I couldn't really see, this morning don't know what I'll nightmare see out there though. lol

 

[pilotman]

Are you using an auto dark helmet. You could be blocking the sensor. Sometimes it happens when I tig and the cup blocks the light.

I agree, happened to me many times tig welding until I figured out what was happening. Older auto dark helmets had only one sensor and was easily blocked newer helmets have multiple sensors.

 

[Egon]

Whatever you do take care of your eyes!

 

[ericher69]

When I'd hit a bad patch I'd stop and turn the shading up, wouldn't help much. Once I got through of course the shading was so dark I couldn't see anything but a small glowing dot and have to dial it back. I thought about the helmet at the time and tested with striking a match in front, seemed to work normal. The next job I do I'll use the same helmet see if it happens again. Or perhaps next chance I get to play I'll fire up and touch off some sparks. Dying battery maybe? If the weld looked any different from the rest it was perhaps not as smooth. Kind of sandy, but looked okay if perhaps a little too hot. That is last night when I couldn't really see, this morning don't know what I'll nightmare see out there though. lol

What auto dark helmet are you using?

This happened to me a month ago with my digital elite mig welding; the low battery light was on using x-mode. In welding mode was fine.

Battery change cured the issue.

For the price of batteries change them

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