Arc brightness

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I was working on some stuff yesterday and a noticed that once in a while, my stick arc brightness would jump into hyper drive.  I mean, this arc light got about 10x brighter.  I had to stop and re-strike.  I have 3 theories as to what would have caused this and wanted to run it by you.1) The metal was pretty rusty, and even though I tried to clean it the best I could, perhaps it was hitting something down under the surface that was reacting with the heat?2)  Bad sticks?  It was 3" schedule 40 pipe.  I was using 6011, 3/32" at about 90 amps.  The sticks were only a few days old. And, it happened over the course of using about 10 sticks.3)  The senors in my AD helmet are going out.  -or- just thought of this.  my hand could have been blocking one of the sensors.  I could put black tape over one sensor at a time to see if they both react the same.  I know that while you are working, if you cover up one sensor the AD drops about half of what it was.Could it have been one of these, or is there something else I am not thinking of.  It got really annoying.  When I lifted the helmet I could still see the arc in my eyes.  I just need to know if it is my helmet so I can get a new one if needed.
Reply:sounds like you blocked the sensor. i got tired of that and retired my ad helmet. piss on it.
Reply:When I don’t use my auto-dark helmet for long periods, I must set the helmet in full sunlight for about half an hour to recharge the built-in batteries. You may need to do the same.
Reply:I don't use an AD hood, but from the "still seeing the arc in your eyes" later.  I'd bet on the hood.It doesn't sound good.Only time I've seen differences in the arc, and really subtle ones, is when running Excalibur.  Sometimes the flux coating spits and wheezes as it burns.  That mostly went away once I started using a rod oven."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:I'm guessing a sensor.  I've personally never had an arc get 10 times brighter all of a sudden and then go back to welding.I'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:I'm guessing the sensor too.  Tell you what, I will set in in the sun for a while and see if it still happens.  Sounds like a good time to get a new helmet.  I would think that the light from the arc would keep it charged up anyway.  Could be a faulty sensor.  Or like WeldBead said, I could have momentarily blocked the sensor.  Either way, it will give me an excuse for a new one!
Reply:I agree with everyone above.The only way the arc brightness could change is if you had something like Magnesium present and it caught on fire, or your power into the rod changed drastically, in which case you'd see the results in the spatter, undercutting, burn thorough, etc. I don't think either one of these could cause a 10x increase even if it did occur. The only explanation is that the lens isn't blocking the rays adequately. Maybe one sensor is bad, or the voltage is low in the battery, or it's control circuit is acting up. BTW, Some rechargable batteries (NIcads) have a 'memory' and need to be recharged fully and then discharged fully every so often, to maintain their capacity to hold a full charge. Any chance your lens uses these?
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldiron2I agree with everyone above.The only way the arc brightness could change is if you had something like Magnesium present and it caught on fire, or your power into the rod changed drastically, in which case you'd see the results in the spatter, undercutting, burn thorough, etc. I don't think either one of these could cause a 10x increase even if it did occur. The only explanation is that the lens isn't blocking the rays adequately. Maybe one sensor is bad, or the voltage is low in the battery, or it's control circuit is acting up. BTW, Some rechargable batteries (NIcads) have a 'memory' and need to be recharged fully and then discharged fully every so often, to maintain their capacity to hold a full charge. Any chance your lens uses these?
Reply:If it has a solar panel, then it uses either a rechargable battery, or possibly a high capacity capacitor (which I doubt). Do you still have a manual for it, or can you find any instructions online for it?I think that setting it out in the sun for an hour or two, as suggested earlier, would be a good first step in trying to find or fix out what is wrong.
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldiron2If it has a solar panel, then it uses either a rechargable battery, or possibly a high capacity capacitor (which I doubt). Do you still have a manual for it, or can you find any instructions online for it?I think that setting it out in the sun for an hour or two, as suggested earlier, would be a good first step in trying to find or fix out what is wrong.
Reply:Originally Posted by Oldiron2I agree with everyone above.The only way the arc brightness could change is if you had something like Magnesium present and it caught on fire, or your power into the rod changed drastically, in which case you'd see the results in the spatter, undercutting, burn thorough, etc. I don't think either one of these could cause a 10x increase even if it did occur. The only explanation is that the lens isn't blocking the rays adequately. Maybe one sensor is bad, or the voltage is low in the battery, or it's control circuit is acting up. BTW, Some rechargable batteries (NIcads) have a 'memory' and need to be recharged fully and then discharged fully every so often, to maintain their capacity to hold a full charge. Any chance your lens uses these?
Reply:This is why I don't bother with AD helmets.  Just go grab your old standard helmet and carry on I'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.