Cutting - am I using the wrong tool?

I was trying to repair trailer and needed to cut off a 5/8" solid rod, bent in a V that holds chains going to a pivot, off of a piece of 3/8 square tube. The rod is laying flat on the surface of the square tube with the weld at 45 degrees. I have the Powerpro 205 and thought I would give the plasma cutter a try. Since I wasn't cutting completely through anything other than the weld, it seemed I got a lot of blowback and slag/arc on the tip.
Should I have turned up the air pressure? Used a torch instead?

Thanks

If you were cutting 5/8 flat bar you would have no problems, round bar is a PITA with plasma, best use a sawzall with a hack saw blade on that.

I was trying to cut the welds holding the round bar to the square tube, trying to to cut into the square tube below. I'm guessing its because cutting throught the weld you were into where the two surfaces (round bar, square stock) met and there wasn't enough room to blow the material out?

Well I have done this before. What I do is set the pressure to about 68-70PSI (air flowing). Then set my amps somewhere in between 25-30 amps. Then I strike my plasma flame and do my cursive "E's" like I was MIG welding it. It normally takes two passes like this. Sometimes it takes a third severance pass. If it still refuses to come off I just beat it to death cause I'm mad at it and it needs to come off anyway, this helps with any anger management issues I have :P hahahaha!



Hope this helps,
ILP

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Originally Posted by I_Love_Plasma

Well I have done this before. What I do is set the pressure to about 68-70PSI (air flowing). Then set my amps somewhere in between 25-30 amps. Then I strike my plasma flame and do my cursive "E's" like I was MIG welding it. It normally takes two passes like this. Sometimes it takes a third severance pass. If it still refuses to come off I just beat it to death cause I'm mad at it and it needs to come off anyway, this helps with any anger management issues I have :P hahahaha!



Hope this helps,
ILP

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I may have had the amps up too high and probably only had the air at 60 at the regulator (not flowing). I didn't have a big enough hammer to work through my anger management issues :D . Of course we won't talk about the trailer getting back at me by flipping over while I was under it welding :O

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Originally Posted by bricot

I may have had the amps up too high and probably only had the air at 60 at the regulator (not flowing). I didn't have a big enough hammer to work through my anger management issues :D . Of course we won't talk about the trailer getting back at me by flipping over while I was under it welding :O

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Okay, yeah try bumping up your pressure while flowing at least to 65ish with 27 or 28 amps. It's like a REALLY big industrial de-soldering unit ;)

Ouch on the trailer!! That could have been a major injury.. Anger management hahaha, You are supposed to blurt out "can't touch this" as you grab the air-hammer and declare "hammer-time"!! LOL

ILP :D

I'll try that. Its a 16' wide broccoli trailer, had to disconnect from the tractor so it wasn't hanging out in the road. Been working on it for 2 days like that, added the last new crossmember and must have been just enough weight to tip the teeter totter. Of course i was underneath, helmet down, wedged in to try and steady myself, heard a 'watch out' and felt a growing pressure on my leg. Starting to roll my ankle and i realized I needed to get out of there before it snapped my ankle, dove under the axle as it flipped up. VERY LUCKY!! Had quite the divot in the Quad of one leg, and a strained ankle, trailer was backed up to the shop but fortunately rolled forward as it tipped far enough to not take out the wall of the shop. Tractor was out of the shop and had the grapple bucket on it so i could reach way up and grab the tongue and bring it back down. Lucky, lucky, lucky. Had the bed lifted up to get more room to weld, but made sure it hadn't started to go back into the dump pivot position...wouldn't have thought the straight up position would have changed the physics of it, but apparently did. Lesson learned ... immobilize things like that before you put yourself at risk!

My goodness. That's closer than comfort! Thank God you had a bi-stander! Another thing always carry a cell phone and memorize those three digits 9-1-1 ;)

Or you can be like me memorize the County Sheriff's Dispatch number to get the number for an emergency,
I Love Plasma

No doubt!!

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Originally Posted by I_Love_Plasma

My goodness. That's closer than comfort! Thank God you had a bi-stander! Another thing always carry a cell phone and memorize those three digits 9-1-1 ;)

Or you can be like me memorize the County Sheriff's Dispatch number to get the number for an emergency,
I Love Plasma

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Ya, got that one memorized, I'm also an EMT....glad I didn't have to call everyone I know to come out...never live that down.

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Originally Posted by bricot

Ya, got that one memorized, I'm also an EMT....glad I didn't have to call everyone I know to come out...never live that down.

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Sorry about leading your thread on a totally different path then you intended. But my local gun dealer is also an EMT/Paramedic. He said once to me, "Well it was good seeing you again." I said, "yeah good seeing you too Larry! I just never want to meet up with you in the back of A-64! Because I am going to be in pretty bad shape if I'm not driving myself in. I have an automatic tranny in my truck and all i need to get there is one arm, one eye, and one leg"

Please, I don't ride in medical helicopters!,
ILP