Are Plasma Cutters "Finicky"?

[toy]

I have one. It's primitive, but it does work. Not very precise for cutting.

That looks like you could make one of those out of the element in a hot water heater.Do you believe you can?

 

[k0ua]

I have one. It's primitive, but it does work. Not very precise for cutting.

Are there any downsides to it? Noise, Smoke, anything else.. I have seen plans on the internet to make one. They used to be around for sale, but seem to have gone away. Why did people stop using them? Gas is expensive, electricity is pretty cheap.

James K0UA

 

[masseycantwork]

I was thinking of doing the same thing and spoke to a friend who has a big one. He said the consumables are expensive, something about nozzle, and it worked better on thin material than thick. He indicated a gas torch was better for heavy junk. So I never got one. I think they need really dry air also.
Lets see what everyone else says.

if you have one you will never know how you went without one, the consumables are a little expensive but cheap compared yo oxy acetaline

 

[Runner]

"Are there any downsides to it? Noise, Smoke, anything else.. I have seen plans on the internet to make one. They used to be around for sale, but seem to have gone away. Why did people stop using them?"

Well, it's kind of like touching two bare wires together, it just makes a big spark and heats up the metal into a liquified glob and it melts away. Kind of a Frankenstein looking thing. Like I said, not very precise, but it will separate two pieces of metal if you're brave enough to stand there holding it.

I think it would be better used for heating metal to bend or heating nuts to loosen them. As described in a previous post, I guess you just touch the carbons to the metal then turn on the welder to start the heating process.

It definitely won't take the place of an acetylene torch or a plasma cutter.

 

[rankrank1]

I have one. It's primitive, but it does work. Not very precise for cutting.

That is because it is NOT made to cut and was NEVER intended to be used to cut. It was intended to heat things only, braze with, silver solder solder with, improvise flame fill weld, etc.

 

[rankrank1]

Are there any downsides to it? Noise, Smoke, anything else.. I have seen plans on the internet to make one. They used to be around for sale, but seem to have gone away. Why did people stop using them? Gas is expensive, electricity is pretty cheap.

James K0UA

Only downside is having to wear your welding helmet when in use and of course be within your welding leads range since that will be your power source. It makes some noise but not much more than a regular arc weld. It definitely is cheap to use compared to gas for heating metal with (Twin carbon arc will not cut metal).

As to why people stopped using them: Well the "Twin carbon arc" is still widely used in remote and 3rd world regions where it is impossible to get gas for heating metal. In the USA oxy/acet torches became affordable and the gas used to be cheap to buy so the oxy/acet torch became the common tool especially since oxy/acet could cut metal, and weld too. The "twin carbon arc" torch takes some skill to use. While I am a hack, I have no trouble maintaining a large usable flame that is similar to oxy/acetlyene with a rosebud tip but that is the extent of my skill with it. Someone like ShieldArc could probably maintain a very fine flame with it and lay down beatiful tig like welds with it, but I doubt that I could ever master it to that level even if I practiced as I lack the skill.

In a production environment where time is money, then oxy/acetylene is still the tool of choice for heating metal. For the backyard hobbyist who needs a low cost way to occasionally heat metal, then the twin carbon arc torch is definitely a low cost way to heat metal assuming you have an arc welder.

 

[rankrank1]

...Well, it's kind of like touching two bare wires together, it just makes a big spark and heats up the metal into a liquified glob and it melts away. Kind of a Frankenstein looking thing. Like I said, not very precise, but it will separate two pieces of metal if you're brave enough to stand there holding it.

I think it would be better used for heating metal to bend or heating nuts to loosen them. As described in a previous post, I guess you just touch the carbons to the metal then turn on the welder to start the heating process.

It definitely won't take the place of an acetylene torch or a plasma cutter.

Gee, I wonder if you took an oxy/acetylene torch with a rosebud heating tip that is not designed to cut and held it one spot long enough on thin enough metal then maybe it would eventually seperate two pieces of metal into a liquified glob too (Do we agree that a rosebud tip on oxy acetelyne is NOT designed to cut metal either).

It is definitely better used to heat metal because that is what it was designed to do - only heat things with for brazing, silver soldering, straightening metal, flame fill welding, etc. It is actually an added bonus in being able to heat metal with it without creating a flame at all if desired, but normal operation will utilize a flame.

No it will not replace an Acetylene torch for cutting metal or a plasma cutter for cutting metal because it was not designed to cut metal. It WILL however replace an acetylene torch for heating metal. Since my original reply was to a person who already has a plasma cutter then he absolutely has the cutting metal portion covered with the plasma cutter. He was looking at a way to heat metal things for bending and to release frozen nuts and bolts with heat. For this, a Twin carbon arc torch will work and do it cheaply. I paid $10 for a box of 50 rods and so far have only consumed 4 rods and have used it more than I expected to use it so far.

 

[yomax4]

I remember selling a lot of these even before you had to use Arc Air Carbons to run them. They were available from several companies including Lincoln
( who did not make them ) As the 02/Acet Torch became more affordable. They went away. You could do a nice job of heating a good sized area and Brazing too. A little odd:thumbsup: at 1st but cheap and functional..

 

[rankrank1]

Here is a Youtube link showing the Twin Carbon Arc Torch to heat metal with a Lincoln Torch head.

Videor mentions that the flame is not as controlable as oxy/acet which is both true and untrue. For a hack welders (like me) it is still easy to produce flames like oxy/acet with a rosebud tip which are very useful. Skilled welders (like Shieldarc) can also produce fine tuned flames by experimenting with different rod diameters, rod approachment angles, welder amps, practice, etc to produce fine controled flames suitable for improvised tig welding. Regardless, Twin carbon arc has potential to burn up to 1000 degress hotter than oxy/acet if desired.

Biggest benefit of this system is that it is CHEAP to use assuming you have an arc welder capable of running it. Torch can be made for free (commerical units are better though) and rods are $10 for a box. Granted it will NOT cut metal, but still very useful for heating metal, brazing, silver soldering, improvised tig welding etc. for those on a budget like me.

YouTube - Demonstration of The Carbon Arc Torch

 

[ModMech]

On the foreign part of your comment a minimal amount of foreign parts beats a 100% foreign part machine any day [ speaking as one that tries to buy American].

Lots of people try, as you do, but the REALITY is that it is impossible. A partial list of items you CANNOT have if you "Insist on the Made in the USA" label:

Vehicle (including a golf cart), Camera, Cell phone, TV, DVD player, MP3, Personal Computer, Printer, Tractor, washer/dryer, refridgerator, stove, many clothes - ALL are made with "significantly foreign" parts, if not all foreign parts.

The reverse is also generally true, you cannot easily find any major purchase item that has NO parts from the USA.