I have one auto darkening hood that's doing almost exactly the same thing. I dug out the old fixed lens hood and installed a new lens, and suddenly my welds got better by an amazing amount. A new automatic hood is on the shopping list- - - - -I got my nickel's worth out of the bargain priced Harbor Freight hood a long time ago, and I'm betting my life on a lot of the chassis welds I'm doing these days. Another thing I did was install a pair of magnifying lenses in the hood that sort of duplicate the correction of the lower section of my bifocals, and weld without my glasses on!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!