harbor freight plasma torch

I have always wanted a plasma torch. Thinking of buying the harbor freight one. Anyone used it? Any good points or bad points???

http://www.harborfreight.com/230-vol...lay-95136.html

and buy the replacement plan

Can I ask why you want a plasma torch and for cutting what materials if you don't mind me asking? IMO I wouldn't purchase anything from HF that I wouldn't put in category of "Throw away tools". I ask why because I might be able to save you some time and trouble by just having you change your gases you are using and specify a different tip for your torch that would help you process certain materials faster then a plasma cutter. If that makes sense.

Faster then a plasma cutter? Does it do it cheaper too? everything I have ever cut with plasma was like cutting threw butter with a hot knife. Torch always seem to take to long.

When I get my plasma cutter my main cutting will be stainless and aluminum. It's my understanding a gas torch won't touch either of these materials?

Do go ahead and explain your method. I am open to any and all.

I agree PSP this is a learning and teaching forum, tell us more.

Only reason I want the plasma is savings. I go through a bottle of 02 every few months. Never run out of propane as I find the stuff for free. But its the smaller harbor freight torch and ran into a issue where it wouldn't cut cast iron boilers. I could get it hot enough to burn the black pipe, but took a while.

If I took the genny and the plasma torch on these missions instead of the oxy/propane rig, I think it would be quicker and cheaper.

Anyway I found a used matco 120v on craigs for $400. According to Matco it puts out the same as the 230 at HB. So thinking of going that route.

Oh another thing. As far as Im aware, plasma will cut aluminum, copper, and brass. You try that with a heat hammer, your just melting into a glob. Been there, done that. At least with the plasma torch it will CUT not melt.

Also, besides, I like new toys. Its something to play with. And I think it will be quicker ripping open ac compressors as well versus the torch.

Hmmm where to start people have so many questions on here. Well first off lets talk about cutting stainless. Since you are't actually cutting it you are melting it with a torch. The next time you go to your gas supplier ask if he has chemtane or chemaline or blue flame plus. This is just an additive they ad to propane that makes it burn much hotter. You might try that before running out and spending 650 dollars plus the electric bill every month. It doesn't cost that much more either I know it costs me like 50 dollars extra per 100 gallons of propane that I buy. So the cost per 100 lb might be in the range of 10 to 20 dollars and don't let your gas supplier BS you they are out to make money. If they say its way more expensive switch suppliers.

Secondly lets talk about tips are you using a regular three foot harris or some other off brand like smith or victor or flametech. I wouldn't use anything but a harris three foot torch if I was ever to use something that small to cut with. The tips you can buy for that torch are going to be regular nsf tips with aren't worth even using at all. Go to your supplier and tell him you want Scrap cutting tips. They should sell them or have a way to acquire them. They have a thicker copper shell and the brass insert has heavy fins that are spaced more apart to allow for a heavier gas flow. They sell these tips in size 4,6,8. So you get a heavier flow of gas at a slightly higher rate then a regular nsf tip. Plus with having a bigger barrel you can stick it in hot slag and your chance of coming up with a chunk missing out of the tip is allot less likely to happen.

Now lets talk about speed and durability. The problem I have with a plasma cutter is cutting thicker material you seem to always chew up those 25 dollar tips in no time at all. Lets say you were going to start off all new and get a new burning outfit. Would you really want a torch that has a 90 degree head on it. I know I wouldn't I would want it I would prefer 180 degree head. Put the material on the floor light the torch pick which way the wind is blowing and stand behind the torch and start pushing the bead and cutting the material. The scrap cutting tips last a lifetime longer then your regular nsf tips and are just as easy to clean. I think I can buy my tips for under 10 dollars to. You can't beat that price and they are made by an off brand not by harris. Which makes them cheaper.

Now lets switch up the game completely you want to cut through an 1 inch or more of stainless good luck finding a plasma cutter that will cut it and not have your electric company calling you to question the recent spike in your electricity bill. Try buying a torch designed to cut through stainless, nickel, crome, hasteloyx, cast, etc. They are called powder torches. They are a basic three foot harris with a special tip on the end of it that spits out iron oxide. The whole setup consists of a three foot torch, your powder box as I call it that holds 100 lbs of iron oxide. Your gases used are propane and oxygen and then a bottle of liquid nitrogen to push the iron oxide out. There is no way a plasma cutter can hold a flame to this sort of torching system. If you think that a plasma cutter cuts like butter you would crap yourself youre first time trying it. Now the cost is the only problem here. Its about 3000 for the setup plus you have to buy iron oxide which can run around 72 cents a pound all the way up to a little over a dollar depending on how much you use.

I hope this helps a little I just don't want to see anyone buy anything that they don't need to me cutting scrap is a piece of cake but I guess that's because I have been doing it for years and years. Any other questions though feel free to ask. I finally realized when I turned 30 that keeping all of this information bottled up inside of me due to the fear or my competition getting a leg up on me is just stupid. It took me a long time to realize this until one day when someone had to finally break me down and tell me that I have no competition. So I am pretty much just an open book just ask questions. They only thing I wont tell you is what kinda torch I am using and that's my only secret that I am keeping to myself.

The only problem I have always had the one time we did buy and use a plasma cutter was the fact I am terrified to death of electricity since you are using 440 or 220 one accidental slice in the line and you touch it boom its over buddy. I know i know some of you are thinking you feel safer with gases. Thats makes no sense but yeah i feel safer with gases. I can smell propane or natural gas better then I can smell anything else.

I also wanted to post a link to another site that I wrote a long post on that might help some of you. Copy and paste. Enjoy.

http://www.demolitionforum.com/means...d-burner-5275/

Don't know about any one else but the only cutting tools i have at the moment is a sawzall and grinder with cutoff.

Gas torches make me nervous, but that's probably because I never used one. What happens if a piece of red hot slag falls on a hose and burns through it? Sure, just keep the hose out of the way. But we all know sh*t happens. That is one of several fears.

I am on the flip side, electric doesn't bother me.

The plasma cutters I have been looking at claim a severance of 1 1/4". Reviews tell me that is possible and then some. Most of the stuff I would be cutting is 1/2" or less.

I do have a concern regarding consumables. What do you guys who run plasma cutters do to extend life? It's my understanding that touching it to the material will wear them out faster. Anything else?

Ozzy dont worry about burning a hole through your hose it happens. Lets just put it like this I have been burning scrap my whole life and the last time I had a seven foot flame coming out of my hose was 04 and that was burning heavy material where the slag went behind my back and over my line. Talk about jumping up and turning off the gas fast. Propane will only flow backwards if there is very little propane left in the bottle pretty much your propane has to be as empty as empty can get and if it was that empty you wouldn't be able to preheat your scrap at all. When was the last time you read a story about a scrappers cutting setup being blown up it rarely if ever happens. Its usually operator error if there is a problem.

Yes touching the material will burn up your tip faster electricity and copper and touching your tip to what you are cutting usually result in your tip being welded to the material you are cutting thats why they say hold it at least a half inch or more away from your material.

I also have a different setup then proably about 99.9 percent of the scrappers on here. I am running a straight jet torch which would put a three foot torch and plasma cutter to shame.

Remember you are either a burner or a learner which one are you? Also at what point does it stop becoming practice and you start to become a seasoned veteran?

If you ever make a trip east and have to pass through Saint Louis get ahold of me I will show you how its done and how to process every material you touch as fast as you can. Or better yet any questions you have at all just send me a private message remember no question in this industry is a dumb question even if you are afraid to ask it for fear of sounding stupid. I was young at one point and remember when I couldn't even cut up a truck bed. Man I miss those days. LOL.

Originally Posted by ozzy214

I have always wanted a plasma torch. Thinking of buying the harbor freight one. Anyone used it? Any good points or bad points???

http://www.harborfreight.com/230-vol...lay-95136.html

Buy it, you won't be disappointed. I have one, it's one of the best investments I've made.

I use a Hypertherm 30 for cutting up my compressors. Tried using a torch once to do that and the oil fire was pretty big. At least with the plasma I've never had an oil fire and the tip usually lasts about 30-40 hours.

I have only used a plasma a few times, though it worked better with me than the other guys.
Don't 'strike' it in mid air, avoid 'blowbacks' into the tip.

We had 8 tips (caps whatever they are called) I used the first 1 most of the day, they ruined it & the next 6 the next day.
I made the last one last all the next day untill the job was finished.