What do you call a plasma cutter with no compressed air?

[skotl]

...an arc welder...

Mate asked me to give him a hand cutting the rocksliders off the side of his truck so I popped round with the plasma cutter, compressor, hoses, etc.
Fired the compressor up on his 13A aocket and let it fill up as I didn't want the plasma and compressor vying for the same 13A. Eventually it filled up so I tried to get started - bright lights and molten metal piling up on sliders.
Foolishly, I turned the amps up thinking it was a problem with all the rust on the sliders and the plasma tip melted!
So I ignored Albert Einstein...

...replaced the tip and cup and tried again - same result.

That's when I realised there was no sound of air coming out of the gun. I hadn't connected the hose from the compressor to the cutter

In other news, as long as we didn't have the compressor on, the cutter went up to an indicated 40A on the 13A plug. The one time we forgot to turn the compressor off after it re-filled it blew the fuse when it kicked in while the cutter was on.

Success eventually - pity I never took any pictures of the plasma tips / arc rods before I binned them

 

[skotl]

Oh - and my mate (who's a mechanic to trade) now wants a decent sized compressor and a plasma cutter

 

[gaz1]

what makes it worse i told you that i forgot to turn on the air compressors feed pipe on tap and did exactly the same but mine was down to making a brew after getting it all set up

my tip when i did it pot took a chunk off it

 

[gaz1]

oh forgot to say the plasma works right up to 40 amps and the compressor refilling at same time though i know i shouldnt i do stop as its only on a 2.5 wire twin and earth

though my plasma reads over 50 it reaches 55 amps on the dial

 

[roofman]

Ime sure my R-tech wont light up without air pressure...in this case a good facility to have.

 

[WorkshopChris]

Ime sure my R-tech wont light up without air pressure...in this case a good facility to have.

Some cutter do some don't, never given it much thought until now but its just go on the to do one day list.
For a few pound on a Chinese pressure switch from eBay might be a good modification to make, just put a pressure switch in line with the trigger wires so it wont fire up without air.

 

[skotl]

Given the history of my cutter I'm just pleased it put up with the abuse I threw at it today

 

[lexi]

Was it another L200 truck Scott?

 

[skotl]

Was it another L200 truck Scott?

It was, aye the motor belonging to Our Glorious Leader (l200forum.com)

 

[lexi]

Nice, that is a good fishin' mota. However, I must keep away from fourby's........

 

[123hotchef]

hey thats als motor

 

[skotl]

hey thats als motor

Tada!

(which now no longer has rock sliders)

 

[123hotchef]

you can get gouging rods for arc welders too skot

 

[skotl]

you can get gouging rods for arc welders too skot

He could have ground them off but he wanted to play with the plasma.

And he's holding on to my big compressor for a couple of weeks to do the spray painting.

 

[123hotchef]

you cannie blame him they are fun i dont use mine nearly enough

 

[brightspark]

thought it was a joke coming on at 1st look was going to reply not much use

 

[gaz1]

ive used the plasma cutter more than i have the grinder so far, thats until i need to grind off the welding that ive done

 

[Wedg1e]

Ime sure my R-tech wont light up without air pressure...in this case a good facility to have.

Ditto my Oerlikon, it flashes 'Air' and won't strike until the inlet comes up to pressure.

 

[anjum]

Without air it's an arc generator.

 

[joe1]

So in an emergency, can I use my old Arc Welder and my compressors air gun as a cutter ??????