Texas BS Thread

I'd be interested in a small trip up there

 

It would be great to be able to participate, however I'm not sure the wife would be supportive. I'd also like to get my lift done before that.

 

So leave her at home. Problem solved.

 

It will probably be late fall or next spring before we head back out there. The summers are brutal hot and loaded with snakes. I do not mind snakes but getting bit by a rattlesnake when the local hospital is hours away does not seem like a good idea. When the other trip starts to come together I will post/ schedule it on that other forum - I will try to remember to link it over here for y'all.

As for the wife...

This is a good point. Buy her a weekend at a spa or something to take her mind off of it. Thankfully my wife is looking forward to going back.

 

finally got my plansma hooked up and tested out this weekend.
Recap/specs:
-Cut50 plasma cutter. can get it on ebay for under $300
-runs on 120 or 240 volts. just supply the proper plug. I have it hooked up to 240.
-takes a lot of air (as most plasma cutters do). I have it hooked up to a single piston, belt driven, upright 60 gallon compressor.
-does not have pilot arc
-you can drag cut with the supplied torch. no need for a stand-off cup, and the tip will not ground out.

consensus:
I see what the hype is about now. a buddy of mine is performing a research study in med school, and needed a piece of 1/4'' plate with a hole cut in it. I won't even try to describe what the project is, since half of the words in the description a re over 20 letters long.....

anyhow, I cut the plate down to size with a grinder, since the plasma wasn't set up yet. but to cut the hole in the center, a grinder was too large, so I got the plasma hooked up and ready for a test. I figured an ebay machine for under a grand would just make a mess of 1/4'' plate. to my surprise, it made a beautiful cut. with proper air pressure, amperage, and cut speed, the cut in 1/4'' plate is less than 1/16'' wide. i'll put the calipers on it and get a picture next time I'm in the garage.

with a proper guide (not hard to make), cutting laser straight lines, and perfect circles/curves should be no problem. especially since I will rarely be cutting anything over 3/16''.

 

Awesome review, sounds like its exactly what I need. Just need to get more air compressor now, sounds like 10 gallons wont cut it...no pun intended.

 

Sam Houston Park

 

Hehe

If I fill the 60 gallon tank, I can cut 2.5-3 feet before it kicks back on. So at that rate, you'll max out at 6" of cut before yours kicks back on. And the compressor itself may not be able to keep up, meaning you risk having to stop and wait for it to re-charge every 6 inches. No fun at all

 

Dang, yeah that would be no fun at all. Guess I know what I'll be saving towards now. Thanks for the input Colin.

 

Sure thing, Chris. best of luck getting everything set up

 

here's the compressor I'm using btw. looked around, and it seemed to be the best bang for the buck. it's a little loud for a piston compressor (quieter than a no-oil diaphragm compressor), but it hauls ass when you need air. I recommended it to Joe, one of the Mobtown Offroad owners. he puts it through it's paces far more than I do, and has been liking it.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...belt-drive-air-compressor-60-gal?cm_vc=-10005

if you wait for a good sale, and maybe some coupons, you can get it for $400-$450

 

Thanks Colin, not a bad price at all, and we have a TSC right near the house so that makes it even easier.

 

I'd be interested in hearing about a Big Bend trip when the time comes around. That sounds like a ton of fun.

Hmm, I don't think the compressor I have will support that. I think it's around 30 gallons. My plasma cutter dreams are quickly fading

 

Use it almost daily for hours on end. Added a air/oil/water separator and a regulator on it so I can adjust the max pressure feeding my plasma cutter. It is a little loud, but not so loud that I need hearing protection. One thing that helped was I put a hard durometer rubber mat under it to dampen vibration. I placed it within 2 feet of my sub panel and wired it direct and just use the switch that is on the compressor itself to turn it on/off. I've been super happy with it, I bought it at Tractor Supply as well. I paid full price mainly because I couldn't wait around for a sale. Needed the scfm at the high psi to run my plasma cutter. I would buy another if I needed to/had to.

 

Damn good price. We paid $1500 for a Hypertherm Powermax 45, but for bigger plans down the road. This machine can be easily converted to be used on a CNC cut table, all you do is change the lead and torch head. We plan to make a 4'x8' CNC table this year. One the fence about down draft vs water for smoke. Can build a table, with the software for around $8000. Not too shabby since we'll be in the table total for less than $12000 with the plasma unit and compressor. But you're right, a hand plasma dialed in will cut extremely clean. I've made a bunch of templates already and use mine daily.

 

1/16'' cut width on the dot, for 1/4'' plate.




these calipers go down to 1/128'' increments, so 1/16 is not a rounded number.

 

Damn Gina

 

All of us in the oil business, Iran and Saudi need to fight this out. It needs to happen.

 

I've been in Oil & Gas for a little over a year. So over it.

 

Been doing this for decades. It's a wave. Still, this one has an answer.