Now I have a proper gas bottle I am able to turn up the argon. On the dial of the regulator it is 5lpm. Compared to the setting I used on the mini bottle I get a smaller weld pool for the same amps. I can hear the difference while welding. I am going to get a vertical tube flowmeter thing this weekend just to check. It is not the cost of the gas I am worried about, it is the consistency of the flow, I am fighting enough things with this without worrying about that.

I got a really bad flash tonight in one eye, I caught the torch start before I had flipped my visor down. I have had good flashes before and got away with it, this was much more though. It was about 3 hours ago now, I can see fine but my eye doesn't quite feel right. If it does come on is there any treatment or do I just wait for it to get better? My missus is away tonight on a course so I am on my own.

Back to the welding, I seem to have a phenomina I am calling reverse undercut. What is that all about then? I can see it happens to the bit that is getting the most melted but I dont know why. On the first two pictures the nipple at the end of the run goes through both sides. I know that is significant but I dont know why, am I going to slowly for my current setting?

I am slowly making progress, I am venturing around the corners now although there are no pictures of a good one to show you. I can also tell when the tungsten has balled because the arc wanders all over the place.

EDIT - the pictures are in the following sequence:

Outside of butt weld 1
Inside of butt weld 1

Outside of butt weld 2
Inside of butt weld 2 (the really bad bit to the right of the picture)


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David

[Edited on 27/11/07 by Mansfield]

re. the arc eye... you have my sympathy! I've had that once or twice, and it's no joke.

All I was told to do was to keep it shut (eye-patch) and rest it - mine cleared in a day or so.

Very unpleasant though, and best avoided - have you got an auto-helmet? That was the best solution for a welding amateur like me.

I have a cheap auto but it is not as clear the the fixed one.

I was just setting myself, getting comfy - head in real close, torch angle etc.

Hope I get away with it, dont fancy having that with no one else in the house.

Probably not what you want to hear but I have only had it once and learnt a very good lesson.
Welding it the afternoon and caught a flash. Afternoon and evening were fine but that night in bed I woke up with the worst pain in my eye that I have ever experienced (well the second actually but that is counting a nasty incident with 50% caustic soda solution that involved an ambulance trip to a specialist eye hospital).
They just flushed the eye and told me to rest it

best thing for arc eye is little milk mixed with warm water in a eyebath.

oh and sunglasses

You'll feel it when you go to bed, like someone's filled your eyes with sand. Next time wear some safety glasses, even clear ones under your helmet will stop the UV enough to prevent the arc eye.

I hope you haven't had it!

I woke up, at around 2-3am ish after welding, in SO much pain! It hurt so much that I actually forgot that I'd been welding that day!

Lasted for about 6 hours, and I just repeatedly splashed cold water in/on it - it's all I could do...

All the best, and fingers crossed!

Steve

Arc eye is horrible and such a silly thing. Iv not had it bad yet. I caught a flash a couple of weeks ago when i was right close the the weld. My eyes were really itchy all afternoon and eve, thought i was in for a dose.

Even if you go to a and e they just wash it and patch your eye.

Them welds look good by the way. Nice and neat and lok like theyv penatrated well.

My old man used to get it regular, I seem to remember him coming home with puppy dog eyes.

Be careful I think you can become sensitised to it.

Well, I had a good nights sleep and although it is a bit uncomfortable, it is nothing like the feelings you describe. Feels more like eye strain than anything else.

There is a very thin fixed plastic lens on the helmet which may have acted like safety glasses as Pete suggested.

Thanks for all your replies, it was reassuring that even if I had it all I had to do was wait and it would pass.

David

P.S. what is that reverse undercut thing I am seeing on the welds?

[Edited on 28/11/07 by Mansfield]

Looks like to much power not enough rod

you'll know if its arc eye.

It usually hits next day or in the night, though I have had it take 24 hours to hurt before.

It feels like one thing, sand in your eye, you will swear you've got something in it but there's nothing there.

Wear long sleeves too, I had the worst ever sunburn I have ever had on my left arm, despite being pretty resistant to this sort of thing. Never had it before depite welding in tee shirts fairly often.


250 amps on the mig at work, set up for spray transfer, welding some legs up for a hydraulic pack we were removing from a huge injection press. less than 5 mins of welding blistered my skin the next day!!!!!

Thankfully it just feels like eye strain and it aches a little. I am sure it will be gone in the morning. It is bad enough trying to keep my eyes open all day at work without that!

I have had 'arc-arm' as well using the works mig on high power. No blisters for me but I kept waking up in the night to the smell of burned arm. Took a couple of days for the smell to go, quite worrying really, always long sleeves now.

[Edited on 28/11/07 by Mansfield]

been there, done that, and had the sunburn, when you're young you don't worry to much it's only in latter life you find out that lovely sunburn you got from arc welding in a T shirt causes skin cancer. good job it was at home and you didn't have to drive home. Sounds like now is the time to invest in an auto helmet..Best investment I've made lately £30 odd from amazon star on ebay from the states.......
hope you get a good nights sleep
tony

When i started work years and years ago the welders told me to use old cold wet tea bags on the eye and tie it on with a tea towel
It seems to work BUT YOU GET A BROWN EYE
Jacko

I have a cheap auto but it is not very clear. DIYWELDING sell what looks to be the next step up without getting too expensive. They are local to me and very helpful, dont like their dog much though.

nice pics in the archive mansfield, you can basicly learn to weld with that and the info the forum puts up.

one question though, Who's Gemma? nice!

Grtz Thomas

I've had a dose of arc eye and know exactly what you mean.

A professional welder told me that bathing the eyes with cold tea will do the trick.

I've never had it since so have never tried the remedy.

John