I began stick welding on a project and noticed the arc seemed
mighty bright then suddenly realized my non-battery powered
auto-darkening helmet was not working.
I took it outside and in the sunlight, waved my hand over the
lense a coupla times and it started working again.
Any ideas?

 

Try and store it in a brighter place. I believe it does have small batteries that are recharged by the small solar panels while your welding.

 

What brand is it? I have one made by OPTREL and it did the same thing, after a few beads I was thinking "why is it so bright".
I always store it in a dark bag to keep it from getting scratched.
I took it back to the dealer where I got it and first he said the batteries are dead.
I said it is solar powered and then he said "you are supposed to leave it so it can see light"
Then I said show me where it says that in the instructions, because I don't think so.
About then the manager came in that I know and I explained to him what had happened and he said it is under warranty and he will send it in for a replacement, but since it has to go to the company in Switzerland he just gave me a new auto-darkening module.

BTW if you ever get flash burns in your eyes from arc welding, which never hurt until 4:00 AM and you cant get your eyes open and you need relief until you can get to the hospital.
Most welding sypply stores have the eye drops in a squeeze bottle for about $5.00, if you don't have these the emergency standby is {cut a raw potatoe in thin slices and put the thin wet pieces on your eyes} it works... (do not try potatoe chips) it is because of the potassium in the potatoe that makes the hurt bearable. The welding guy told me this and the ER doctor confirmed it.
Just a bit of info to stick in your mind.

 

While they are nice, when they work ... I don't trust them.
I only have one set of eyes and I would rather reach up and flip the shade down MYSELF ... that way I know it was done. Them things scare me ....

PISTOL

 

WHAT? No sense of adventure? I tried my buddies in welding class and I loved it. Never heard of them not working, but now that I have........

 

so do you put the potato directaly on your eyes or on your eye lids?

Coop

 

Lids.

 

I know four pro welders that each own their own shop, they all use auto dark hoods (Speedglass) I know I love mine

 

Our weld shop uses autodarkening, we keep an extra module for each hood if they quit working.
Another thing that causes problems is getting smoke build up on the solar panels.

 

I was a little skepticle when I first used one and its hard to use an old one again! But if it ever fails to darken for me it wont bother my eyes. For some reason my eyes arent bothered by welding.

 

Well, now you know one who doesn't too! I HAD one, but I found that it doesn't take much to block the sensors that trigger the darkening mechanism. YOU might have a direct line of sight to the arc, but the sensor(s) don't neccessarily have the SAME line of sight. Also, as you move along the weld seam, things often block the sensors view and the shade returns to the light position. I just don't wanna take that kind of chances with my eyes!

Deezle98 said, "For some reason my eyes arent bothered by welding."

Heh, I used to say that too. I could get 'flashed' and maybe see a spot for awhile, but I never had the 'sand in the eyes' feeling. However, now that I've gotten OLD I have lots of 'floaters' in my vision that the eye doctor said was caused, in part, by the scar tissue those flashes earlier in my life had caused. I'm a little more careful and DEFINITELY more aware of what I subject my eyes to now!

There's MY nickle's worth of advice for the day. (I know, it's usually '2 cents', but I'm a pro... I can charge more!)

chaikwa.

 

You won't get flashed even if your auto lens stays in the light mode. They provide full protection in light mode.

JTMcC.

 

i weld with one and i like it. i just get a little impatent and raise the whole hood to see what im doin after i stop. takes to long to lighten up

 

Uh huh, and the space shuttle has the highest level of technology that's available, and I don't wanna try THAT either!

chaikwa.

 

Mine worked great a couple years ago when it was new...put it back in the box after the project and have only used a regular shade for small jobs since then. Just went out to the garage and took it out of the box....no work! It works if I give it a little rap on the side when I hold it up to the sun, but it won't darken on its own if I just hold it up to the sun. It auto lightens just fine, though! The manual says the lithium 3v "backup" cells are good for 6 years and don't need replacement. I guess you have to buy a new filter when it goes TU