Plasma cutter tips and tricks

My first one, a jegs cut 40, was just delivered. Its sitting patiently in the box, waiting for me to learn to use it.

Ive used one once. Patricks hobart(?). For about 10 minutes. 

To say i know nothing is accurate. 

So, tips, tricks, methods, educational safety and operation videos from osha, all is welcome!

Go slow. Cardboard makes a decent pattern to follow. Make sure you can easily get consumables for the torch.

Oh, and get a pair of plasma shades. Fairly cheap, I find my welding helmet is way too dark to do much with. 

RevRico said:

Oh, and get a pair of plasma shades. Fairly cheap, I find my welding helmet is way too dark to do much with. 

This. I think a #5 shade is the sweet spot, my #3 shade forge goggles don't quite cut it.  

The biggest thing is don't drag the tip on work piece you need a little bit of an air gap.

I have the same machine, consumables are pretty easy to come by and are cheap.  I bought this set last summer. Linkerino

I saw something somewhere about drag tips. Something where you can lay it right on the workpiece without destroying your tip. Are those available for this machine?

Don't use while wearing flip flops!

I am not a smart man.

Dusterbd13-michael said:

I saw something somewhere about drag tips. Something where you can lay it right on the workpiece without destroying your tip. Are those available for this machine?

I'm really bad about keeping an air gap, but I don't go through a lot of tips with my versacut 60 either. Your best bet for finding them would be checking where you got the cutter itself, but also find out exactly which tips you use and check Amazon for them. 

Yea, shorts, flip flops, shoes with no socks are all bad ideas.  I've got the scars on my feet to prove it. 

barefootskater said:

Don't use while wearing flip flops!

I am not a smart man.

So a lot like that quick, barefoot flux core trailer fix for my brother over the summer, eh? You CANNOT get slag out from between the toes before it cools.....

In reply to RevRico :

Having not opened the box yet, how can i figure it out? Is there a part nymber, or is it a match the pictures kind of thing?

And, thanks for the tip on welding helmet. Would not have thought about it 

Might be a part number in the manual or on the site. Looking at Jegs website, harbor freight sells tips that might fit, at least they look pretty close. 

With my Eastwood I had to do a bit of picture comparing even looking the info up on their site, so you might need to do the same once is out of the box. 

I looked, my plasma shades are shade 5, they were like 20 on Amazon, maybe even less. 

A dryer for your air supply.

The welding shop, Amazon, eBay you can find training wheels for your torch tip.

You can also use a piece of angle iron as a cutting guide. 

Get a good filter mask (I use a Miller one with filter elements) - the fumes and junk coming off it are NOT good for your lungs.

Slag on top - too fast

Slag below - too slow

Clean, dry air.

When it all seems drunk, you likely need to replace the tip.

They are highly addictive.

In for relevant info. I have a cheapo "collosal tech cut 50f" plasma cutter i bought years ago with my TIG, i have literally never plugged it in amd some pointers arent going to hurt. 

In reply to SkinnyG :

Any tips for picking current or air speed? Is it like welding where different sizes and materials have different preferences?

I've had mine almost 2 years and haven't changed it from the middle of both control knobs because I haven't really had a need to, but if there are better ways to cut different metals with it, could be good to know. 

For reference, Eastwood versacut 60, claims it'll do 3/4"material at full blast, in the middle where it's at it goes almost too fast on 1/8" steel and aluminum, but struggles a bit on 1/4" steel and wants a second pass. 

TJL said:

In for relevant info. I have a cheapo "collosal tech cut 50f" plasma cutter i bought years ago with my TIG, i have literally never plugged it in amd some pointers arent going to hurt. 

I will be watching this thread. I have a $100 barn sale  15a120V Solar (brand) Cutter I picked up last summer. Given assurances it worked, it came with a few consumables, I have not even plugged it in yet. Thinking I'll find the answers here to questions here that I didn't know I should be asking.

Anybody play with gouging tips?   

I love my plasma machine but have never sprung for the consumables for gouging.   It seems like it would be a great way to cut tack welds or welds and stuff like that, but old habits...

The machines I have don't have adjustable air speed.  I set the pressure to recommended and leave it.

I've settled on having the current pretty much in the middle and no longer mess with it (unless it won't cut).

I have an older Hobart plasma at work.  I used to use it by hand, but it's now hooked up to a Baleigh 2x2 CNC table.

I picked up a new Magnum plasma from KMS Tools.  It's likely a re-labeled off shore jobbie, and it works great.  Volume knob in the middle and I leave it.

My own plasma is $162 eBay special that did not blow up.  It does not have a pilot arc (the others do), but it works fine for the limited use I give it.  Strangely, it makes my smoke detector in my shop go berzerk, even though you see nothing in the air at all.  I relocated the detector into a cupboard and closed the door, and it still goes berzerk with the plasma fumes. That I cannot see.

I have a Hobart Airforce something or another.  A 220v machine.  I’ve not found it disadvantageous to leave all the settings maxed out.  Seems ludicrous but it works fine like that.  It seems to cut thinner stuff with less slag left behind and of course the thicker stuff necessitates the higher settings anyway.

I never cut thicker than 1/4", so I've never gone higher.

Though once I think I cut 9/16" with the Hobart.  I probably maxed it.

If the volume knob is all the way off, the Hobart doesn't work at all.  Confuses my students when they do that.

The further away from the metal you are, the more current it seems to draw.

I bought a 'guide' for mine. Its a small fixture that clamps to the tip and holds it an adjustable distance off the workpiece. It also works well with a straightedge for long straight (or curved) cuts. 

Its not for everything but does a great job when processing sheets,etc

Does the local community college offer welding courses?

I took one at Durham Tech and the instructor spent his career TIG welding. An absolute wealth of knowledge about plasma cutters, welding, etc., and it cost me like $80.

In reply to Brett_Murphy :

I took their Mig course already. As soon as things settle down a little bit I'll be signing up for their TIG course. Didn't think about asking him about plasma cutters there.

Assuming it's a hand torch not a machine torch, it's probably going to have some sort of offset tip (IE drag tip).  It'll look like the Rook on your chess set.  This gives you the gap but also gives room for gases and metal to escape.

Fire that thing up!

PS, wear ear-plugs.  You got slag on your toes.  I got slag thru my eardrum.

You asked about drag tips.  This is what my hand-torch looks like.  You can see the slotted tip cover:

For comparison, here's the machine torch with a smooth tip cover:

Also, I spray down my sheet with "mig nozzle cleaner" and it makes the slag fall off easier.  I just use a cold chisel to chip it off.

Oh!  Good idea.