Question about my welding helmet

[scherp69]

I have a Miller Elite welding helmet, it's the inferno on this page: http://www.millerwelds.com/products/welding_protection/head_face/helmets/elite/ When I first got it, it worked great. I had to change the battery on it last year. When I'm using it, this morning for example, it's detects the weld like it's supposed to, and when I'm done welding and it turns off like it should, however I have a hard time focusing. I've never welded with anything other than this helmet so not sure what to compare to. Should it be that hard to focus my eyes after welding? I have the sensitivity setting set to a little more sensitive than where the arrow is and it's set to the darkest shade. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[OOCustoms]

do you have the delay setting to a position where the weld can cool before it goes clear? bright welds being seen to quickly can hurt your eyse and possibly cause a focusing issue. i have the same helmet and dont have any issues re focusing. least not that i can think of. try bringing it down a shade or two, mabye the drastic change is affecting your eyes.....hope this helps a little.

[scherp69]

do you have the delay setting to a position where the weld can cool before it goes clear? bright welds being seen to quickly can hurt your eyse and possibly cause a focusing issue. i have the same helmet and dont have any issues re focusing. least not that i can think of. try bringing it down a shade or two, mabye the drastic change is affecting your eyes.....hope this helps a little.

Thanks..I'll give that a shot

[GregWeld]

Mike --

I'm old (LOL) -- and wear bifocals... and find that I have to use a far LIGHTER range than suggested in the welding books... if it calls for shade 10 I might use 7...

The focusing thing would bother me... are you 40 yet? I had to get glasses at 40...

Don't breathe the fumes -- and DO NOT CLEAN with any CHLORINATED product! If you use cleaners -- brake cleaner etc -- if they're chlorinated - it can kill you! Serious business here!

[GregWeld]

Corrected my error -- I meant brake CLEANER not fluid... I used to use chlorinated brake cleaner -- but the fumes from this are deadly.

[JRouche]

Just a thought but maybe its set too dark and you are having to strain to see the puddle. The eyes will accommodate, meaning if they have to, the muscles will try to contour the eyeball when you have a hard time seeing. Then when you get back into a normal environment they will relax but it takes time for that to happen. And longer with age. And that goes to the Q about yer age. Yes, around 40 years of age it takes longer for our eyes to refocus. This is coming from my eye doc.

I wouldnt worry about UV light, the helmet should be blocking all of it, even when off, the lens does that. And you will be able to tell if its too bright (not enough shade), it will just look to bright and you will have ghosting, like when you look at a bright light.. I think its an old timers focusing issue. Even if yer not that old.

Welding is a close up visual thing. Kinda like reading a book at 6-8" Try reading a book at seven inches for 30 minutes and see if yer eyes dont focus well and actually feel tired afterwards. Thats the muscles trying to accommodate.

I weld with my face about 8" off the puddle, thats far closer than I can read these days. My eyes would be tired and I would be squinting like gang busters. JR

[The WidowMaker]

my dad had the same problem until i showed him how to remove the protective plastic lense covers.

ive never had a problem with mine. my eyes adjust right away.

[scherp69]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, but I think I found the problem. :mad: I went and got new batteries for the helmet and I ummmm think I ummmmm I had the batteries in upside down. I guess I'll find out if it's better next week. Thanks again for all your tips guys.

[GregWeld]

Mike --

Please check the bullets in your revolver... the pointy end faces away from you...
:rofl: :rofl:

Glad you might have found the issue.

[scherp69]

Mike --

Please check the bullets in your revolver... the pointy end faces away from you...
:rofl: :rofl:

Glad you might have found the issue.

:lolhit: Yeah yeah yeah. I know how the bullets go in. Leave me alone..lol. I'm just glad it was something easy, kind of stupid on my behalf, but an easy fix.

[JRouche]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, but I think I found the problem. :mad: I went and got new batteries for the helmet and I ummmm think I ummmmm I had the batteries in upside down. I guess I'll find out if it's better next week. Thanks again for all your tips guys.

Batteries? They have replaceable batteries? Yes, I guess yours does cause you said you replaced them. What do the batteries do? Mine has a lil solar panel on it, I thought the power came from that and charged up a lil lith cell or something. The nicer helmets must be serviceable with replaceable lith batteries.

But yours was still turning on and off. If its turning on then its getting power from the weld flash. I know they are variable in shade. So maybe, just maybe. You have the shade cranked all the way up because of the limited amount of current the shade is getting due to no battery and its running off the solar plate only.

But that would cause an overly bright picture, kinda like getting flashed without the UV.

Man. That would be great if it was just the batteries.

Man!! You must have had some pretty bright welding sessions with a limited shade. Not only that but who knows how much of a lag it created for the helmet to turn on without it being powered up till the spark was lit.

Where with batteries the shade is ready to turn on with the first hit of light. But yours had to wait till the solar cell produced energy to power up the controlling circuits and then turn on the shade. Nice lil blast of light. But the good thing is it was only bright light. No UV. The shade still has UV protection even when off. JR

[GregWeld]

I'd sleep better if he'd check his bullets and report back....:rofl:

[scherp69]

I'd sleep better if he'd check his bullets and report back....:rofl:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Greg...just went and checked them just for your. They're all in right...all 3 clips are good to go. Just need to make sure my tazer's pointed in the right direction now :lol:

[scherp69]

Batteries? They have replaceable batteries? Yes, I guess yours does cause you said you replaced them. What do the batteries do? Mine has a lil solar panel on it, I thought the power came from that and charged up a lil lith cell or something. The nicer helmets must be serviceable with replaceable lith batteries.

But yours was still turning on and off. If its turning on then its getting power from the weld flash. I know they are variable in shade. So maybe, just maybe. You have the shade cranked all the way up because of the limited amount of current the shade is getting due to no battery and its running off the solar plate only.

But that would cause an overly bright picture, kinda like getting flashed without the UV.

Man. That would be great if it was just the batteries.

Man!! You must have had some pretty bright welding sessions with a limited shade. Not only that but who knows how much of a lag it created for the helmet to turn on without it being powered up till the spark was lit.

Where with batteries the shade is ready to turn on with the first hit of light. But yours had to wait till the solar cell produced energy to power up the controlling circuits and then turn on the shade. Nice lil blast of light. But the good thing is it was only bright light. No UV. The shade still has UV protection even when off. JR

Thanks JR...I actually felt a lot better after reading your post and the fact that the UV was still going. Yeah it was a pretty bright light show. Haven't tried it again since putting the batteries in right again, but I'm sure the show won't be quite so bright this time.

[GregWeld]

Oh gawd -- now you added an additional worry for me... :rofl:

You'd know for sure if you were "exposed" to the welding light - trust me - I've had the dreaded welding flash more than a couple of times (self inflicted of course) and it is not a pleasant few days.

Think of going to the beach - open your lower eyelid like a guy putting a pinch of chew in his lip - but you're going to do a pinch of SAND... Closing your eyes doesn't help either... UGH!

[JRouche]

Think of going to the beach - open your lower eyelid like a guy putting a pinch of chew in his lip - but you're going to do a pinch of SAND... Closing your eyes doesn't help either... UGH!

Yup, first time I got flashed was when I was ten. Uncle was welding under my moms car with a stick welder. He said several times, dont look at the welding. I was ten and stupid (he shoulda made sure also). I watched on and off for a lil bit. Not even directly, just glimpsing at it. Felt fine, till that night. Eyes were sore, heavy and super tired. Like you said. It was like my eyes were coated in sand and I couldnt clear them. Better the next day but what a learning experience. Only takes once with that. JR

[Scott Hightower]

While it is important to see the puddle I actually shield my eyes from the arc by keeping the nozzle between the arc and my line of sight.

You can still see what is going on but you are not blinded by the intense arc.

Scott
Welders360.com (http://www.welders360.com/)

[GregWeld]

Hard to do that when you're TIG welding... but agree - MIG welding lots of the time you can be just behind the arc.

[scherp69]

Tried the helmet today......what a difference having the batteries in the proper way makes. Even my welds look better :lol:

[GregWeld]

"I see" said the blind man!


:rofl: :rofl: