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Care of Auto-darkening welding helmets; Welding Helmet discussion
Topic Started: Dec 5 2017, 03:16 PM (852 Views)
BillHoo
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I got one of those Harbor Freight welding helmets back around 2013/14.

It has largely been stored in a box for a number of years. I figure the battery must certainly be depleted. So, I left it on a sunny window sill to "charge".

When I did a welding job in the late afternoon, it worked OK for maybe 30 minutes. Once the sun went down I noticed it would not auto darken any more and I was staring at the arc.

Aside from Youtube and how-to's on replacing the battery, does anyone have any tips about proper long-term storage?

Does it indeed charge from the little solar panel? Or is that a sensor that detects the flash of a welder?

Should I keep it near the sun when not in use? Or does that burn it out?

Curious.

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suzukitom
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Tom

I have a helmet in a box also that is needing a battery. I test if it works by looking at a fluorescent light bulb to see if it still darkens. It does but just for a monent.. so it may need a lithium?? watch battery change.

I think most helmet's fixed shade lens in the helmet should still provide basic protection for your eyes during welding, but it is good to fix the auto darkening feature.

Couldn't find the battery compartment and the package said no serviceable parts....


There is a link here to locating the hidden sealed watch type batteries location inside the helmet.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Reviving-an-AutoDarkening-Welding-Helmet/%3famp_page=true
Edited by suzukitom, Dec 5 2017, 03:45 PM.
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monzanut
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Drip under Pressure

Mine is powered off the solar cells, the battery is a built in 3V lithium as backup when not enough light for the solar cells. The battery was listed as having a 6 or 7 year lifespan and is not replaceable. My first helmet is almost 8 years old now and does the same thing if I don't have enough light for the solar to work. I end up using an LED task light near my work pointed at me to keep it working now, lol.
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monzanut
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Drip under Pressure

The upside of buying a more expensive helmet is replaceable batteries...my Lincoln uses a 2032 coin lithium I think, change it every two years with how much I use it.
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BillHoo
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Rather than go thru dremelling open the case and replacing the batteries or rigging up a few AA battery holders in there, I'll just buy a replacement aut-darkening lense.

https://www.amazon.com/Baisidai-Darkening-Welding-Helmet-Automation/dp/B01N5K4FI5/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1512509037&sr=8-9&keywords=auto+darkening+welding+lens

- Suitable for most kinds of welding mode.
- The user’s eyes and face a full protection against UV and IR radiation during the entire welding process,even in the clear state.
- Sensitivity adjustment : you can according your working conditions choose.
- Dark state Shade No : DIN9-DIN13 stepless adjustment

I have read that even if the auto-dark feature doesn't work, you are not harmed by the UV radiation. The filter in front of the auto-darkening unit does all the protection, the darkening just makes it more comfortable.

http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/threads/68603-autodarkening-welding-helmet-won-t-stay-dark-Theories/page2?s=6124c5dc2d0887604d265ccee98ea9d1

I think I'll replace the auto-dark unit and tinker with the old one at my lesiure.
Edited by BillHoo, Dec 5 2017, 04:42 PM.
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appliance jim
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[ *  * ]
Welding ark flash is very UV-heavy, and solar cells run mostly on UV, so I don't know why your autodarkener isn't autodarkening, unless the battery has degraded to the point where you have lost continuity. If there is a couple of wires leading up to the battery, pigtail them. If everything is soldered down tight, clean the terminals and stick an appropriately sized washer in the battery holder. At the worst, it is no more nonfunctional than it was.
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sphenicie


These are HF cheapo Chinese hoods. The fact that they last thru the warranty period is great.

I am an Ironworker, I use these DISPOSABLE hoods at work, just because they are cheapo Chinese hoods. I do not choose to spend $400 on a true 'speedglass' hood, just to drop it 150' to the ground.

They work fine, but remember YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR !
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aartod


I was a welder/machinist for 19 years before my current gig. I agree 100% with sphenicle, in the welding hood world you get what you pay for and the cheapies are throw away items. I really like my miller elite auto hood. If you want to go cheap, get a non-auto darkening (traditional) hood. For a good comfortable traditional hood I always liked the huntsman 951p.
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BillHoo
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monzanut
Dec 5 2017, 03:46 PM
Mine is powered off the solar cells, the battery is a built in 3V lithium as backup when not enough light for the solar cells. The battery was listed as having a 6 or 7 year lifespan and is not replaceable. My first helmet is almost 8 years old now and does the same thing if I don't have enough light for the solar to work. I end up using an LED task light near my work pointed at me to keep it working now, lol.
I'll try using my helmet with a bright light source nearby. I'm leaning toward your analysis that the 3V Lithium is more of a backup battery rather than a power source that is actually recharged.

I know there are lithium rechargables, but is the common button cell rechargeable?

I'll eventually go the way depicted in a youtube video where a guy replaces each lithium 3V with 2AA alkalines in two separate battery holders. As I understand it, it's 3v for the auto darkening feature and I thin 3v for the contrast control.
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monzanut
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Drip under Pressure

Once the battery dies, I tend to get flashed more often because what happens as you are welding is the flash from the weld is blocked by something so the solar cell doesn't pick up enough light to work. I can just move my head back into the arc flash and helmet goes dark again, lol. The shade was never quit what I wanted anyways on this helmet, so it's just a backup I have at home if I need to weld something quick. For me the shade is a bit dark so can't see the bead as good as I'd like. My good helmets stay at work and at my shop.
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Murf 59
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I don't use auto dark hoods. If anything happens to your batteries, your done welding till you can get it fixes. I still use my flip helmet. Have to keep a large piece of leather riveted to it to keep my face from burning up. They are about $65 and last for years.
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92blumetro
jack of all trades, master of two

I have a ''hobart'' auto dark at home- paid over $160 for it (on sale, reg was $320)have owned it 13+ years, never had to change a battery (double coin). used it every day for 2 years building frames at a mobile home plant.
the helmets they provided were bare minimum ''set to shade'' style, with all the moving and re-positioning to weld it got rather annoying to always ''flip yer lid'' to get the next stich down- also always the chance of flash, from yourself or the other 3 welders working around you.
tried a few cheap auto-darks, but you get what you pay for-poor optics, slow response time, weird colors.
at work I have a ''weldmark'' auto dark, uses 2-aaa batteries.$150 helmet. usually replace the batteries once or twice a year.
name brand helmets are easier to get parts for.
FLASH SUCKS!!!!
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evmetro


I have often wondered about how the solar hoods charge. I use a Jackson hood that cost about 250 every day at work, and it never loses a charge. It has never left me unprotected and looking at an arc. I often wonder if the daily welding arc keeps it topped off, or if the batteries are doing all the work. I did have a Harbor Freight hood a couple of years ago that left me exposed, but I quit using it. I have a $120 Astro unit here at the Metro shop that seems pretty reliable as well. Not the best unit out there by any means, but it never leaves me looking at an arc.
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PTA2PTB
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I'm totally awesome! I swear.

Oh sure, everyone always talks about Noah's Ark, but never once do they mention, Noah's... Arc Flash; which he got from using a cheap HF auto-darkening helmet with a weak battery while building it, causing him to have to wear potato slices over his eyes for nearly a week.

If only he'd listened to his wife, Naamah, who always told him, "Noah, you get what you pay for." Truer words have never been spoken; right up until the day she died, falling overboard and drowning, on the 29th day of the floods, while attempting to dump buckets of elephant & rhinoceros :shit over the sides. Her peasant dress became accidentally snagged on the bucket and she went overboard with it. Poor, Naamah. :'(
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evmetro


PTA2PTB
Dec 7 2017, 09:13 PM
Oh sure, everyone always talks about Noah's Ark, but never once do they mention, Noah's... Arc Flash; which he got from using a cheap HF auto-darkening helmet with a weak battery while building it, causing him to have to wear potato slices over his eyes for nearly a week.

If only he'd listened to his wife, Naamah, who always told him, "Noah, you get what you pay for." Truer words have never been spoken; right up until the day she died, falling overboard and drowning, on the 29th day of the floods, while attempting to dump buckets of elephant & rhinoceros :shit over the sides. Her peasant dress became accidentally snagged on the bucket and she went overboard with it. Poor, Naamah. :'(
I am glad to see that you were able to diplomatically address the problem with buying an HF welding hood. Those of us who weld every day know better than to buy an HF unit, but then we ARE on a Metro forum and all...
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