Auto dark welding mask repair

After starting out with a hand held mask and then moving to a head mounted manual mask I got an Ebay cheapy solar auto dark (on or off) to try to see if I got on with it and was quite impressed however the other evening it started to play up and having borrowed a spare from work thought I would open up the lens cartridge to see whats inside as the lens wasn't darkening properly and had a permenant diagonal dark line to find it did have a pair of batteries inside so a little reshaping of the frame and some solering removed the dead batteries and added some wires pair of penny batteries and all clear on the lens and back to working condition checked with the tv remote just need to test tommorow if no probs a trip to Maplin for some proper battery holders and a couple of switches and I'll be able to turn it off as I don't weld as much as I would like.

The batteries are always fooked in mine when I use it. If there is a lot of welding to do I get batteries, if not just struggle without.

I don't have a clue how people spark up without an auto mask, I find my hand wanders around too much between the "aim" and fire/visor down.

Top skills on fixing your mask, it's amazing how many things you can actually repair if you just take it apart and spend a little time playing.

I had nothing to loose and the spare mask from work needed batteries as they had died as it doesn't have an on/off switch so with a pack of poundland batteries staring at me - well I couldn't not have a go, so long as it works fine tommorow I'll spend a few more quid on it. It was a good job that the filter frame was not to well stuck together.

Strangely enough I have a solar powered one, never needs batteries changed.

Logi wrote:Strangely enough I have a solar powered one, never needs batteries changed.

In theory it shouldn't or they would be accesable without having to break in. I don't have a dry lit place to keep mine and being an ebay cheapy I doubt that the batteries were top notch to start with and the batteries are not a rechargable type just standard lithium watch type, the filters are sold as a replacement/consumable item as they do die off eventually.

I'm a tight git but I've had mild arc eye from doing what Matt does and I recommend not to do it anymore as even spot welding with your eyes shut can make you poorly.

Logi wrote:Strangely enough I have a solar powered one, never needs batteries changed.

Mines the same Logi and only £35 + vat. Solar powered as in the welding arc feeds it too apparently. Have had it 3 years now and they are only around
£40 now.

Mine wasnt much dearer than that either? How tight are you Rich?

Tho having used good ones there is a difference in quality, but as I really dont do a lot of welding its hard to justify a £200 one.

The original one I had was an expensive one but it got left outside one night and it rained---and that was that.
Needed one quickly and locally it was £120 for the cheapest then contacted company I deal with up North
and got it for £34+vat and free carriage too.
Arrived next day and been 3years trouble free welding. Really good value.

rich the mechanic wrote:I've had mild arc eye from doing what Matt does and I recommend not to do it anymore as even spot welding with your eyes shut can make you poorly.

When I was about 16 I welded an exhaust for a friend on his Peugeot 205 GTi

Without any mask or googles at all

Then spent a couple of hours scratching at my eyes till my pillow was soaking wet with tears and it felt like someone had poured buckets of fine shards of broken glass in my eyes while holding my eye lids open.

By about 3am / 4am I could not handle it anymore so I staggered blindly through to my parents bed room and woke my dad who took one look at me and took me to A&E knowing full well what I had done.

God damn did it feel amazing when they put anaesthetic in my eye balls, then they put dye in them, then I had eye patches put on 36 hours.

The bad bit was sitting blind in the busy A&E waiting area on a friday night while drunk people were fighting - not having a clue where anything is around me. I experienced blindness, and it was quite scary.

I will never ever ever do that again - it was bloody agony - a broken arm was a mere tickle in comparison.

It so odd how it builds up, first it feels like you have to rub your eye, then over the next few hours your scratching your own eyes out and your face is totally wet with tears along with your pillow and it hurts everytime you move your eye ball or eye lid.

Logi wrote:Mine wasnt much dearer than that either? How tight are you Rich?

Tho having used good ones there is a difference in quality, but as I really dont do a lot of welding its hard to justify a £200 one.

If I was any tighter I would need a much much more northerly accent. I was talking with the main welder at work and he's been using a solar mask most days for years and that they eventually get the dark lines across them and they stop reacting but they are kept on the wall in the welding bay Mine ended up in the dark which I think caused the premature battery failiure.