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I need some type of drag "guard" for my plasma torch

swatkins

Titanium
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Location
Navasota / Whitehall Texas
I was given a Smith Equipment (Bought out by Miller) 45 amp plasma machine about 10 years ago. It's sat on a shelf ever since because I remember it was blowing through consumables at a super fast rate. I have a limited supply of consumables and just never thought they would last, so it sat...

I have some time now and was thinking I would see if it would run before I tossed it. After a little research I now believe that the consumables were wearing out because the tip was always being held in contact with the material while cutting and the tip is not designed for that. I have little chance of ever finding a contact drag tip for that torch.

I have read of people making some type of 1/8 inch stand off to prevent the tip from touching the material. I would love to make something like this, can anyone point me in the right direction?
 
Are these what you need? - SMITH MERKLE'('R')' Plasma Cutting Consumables - Grainger Industrial Supply

If yes, plug the numbers into zoro.com for a better buying experience. I recently bought some tips from here - SMITH / MERKLE
They weren't in stock but arrived in a reasonable length of time, and i could order singles instead of packs.

Mine didn't have the standoff either, and I didn't use it much because of it.

Do you have a manual? I seem to have lost mine?
 
Should be easy enough to change out to a new torch, if it's an older HF start, the pt-31 is appealing.

The electrodes are double ended, and the nozzle is a nice 3/8" (approx.) straight
column (easy to drag along a straight edge/template)

Check out ebay.
 
every tool I have used from them is top of the line, their pocket pro level is legendary - the tape holder is becoming my most used daily tool. So imagine this will be of equal quality/versatility:
Plasma Cutting Guide | Flange Wizard

Looks well built, thanks.

The guide I'm thinking about is used to keep the tip off of the material to reduce bloback and wearing the tip out too soon.
 
Should be easy enough to change out to a new torch, if it's an older HF start, the pt-31 is appealing.

The electrodes are double ended, and the nozzle is a nice 3/8" (approx.) straight
column (easy to drag along a straight edge/template)

Check out ebay.

I'm not sure if it's really HF or not... Thanks for the tip on the torches... The ones I was looking at were all in the 700.00 range and just would not make sense to take a chance on them... This PT is worth the risk it will not work :)
 
No manual, sorry. I looked all over the internet and nothing was found.

I though I had a lead on more info as I found the receipt for the last order of consumables in the box... Came from Ideal Power in Watertown SD back in 2006 ... Looks like they have folded up also.
 
Two pieces of solid copper wire 180* apart and a hose clamp worked for me before.

I was thinking along the lines of taking a hose clamp and tightening it around the tip leaving the clamp edge about 1/8" below the tip. Then taking a grinder and cutting an X in the band deep enough to remove the material to the tip... That would take a little trimming to leave something strong enough to drag though and the metal would be stainless instead of the copper... I give your method a try :)
 
I'm not sure if it's really HF or not... Thanks for the tip on the torches... The ones I was looking at were all in the 700.00 range and just would not make sense to take a chance on them... This PT is worth the risk it will not work :)
If it works I'd like to know. The machine works fine but the torch is lacking. I think it is HF start, as soon as you press the trigger it's making fire. This is the only plasma cutter I've ever owned, I'm way behind the curve on this.
 
I just took a closer look at the machine and found a sticker that listed all the nozzles and electrodes for the machine... On the bottom it has a picture of what they called a wire standoff. It was a front view drawing and from what I could tell it was two legs at 180 with a half circle joining them at the top. On the top of the ceramic cup there is a grove that a 50 thousands wire could clip into.. On this torch there is not much else to clamp to as the nozzle I thought I could hose clamp on is buried up inside the nozzle nut.

I also counted up the consumables I have on hand... 30 nozzles, 15 electrodes, 3 nozzle nuts and 2 ceramic cups, all new. I also see some destroyed cups lodged inside a few nozzle nuts I can salvage. Inside the box was the last invoice listing the prices the former owner paid. Nozzles - 23.10 Electrodes - 39.40 and Nozzle Nuts - 12.40 All told I have over 1400.00 in consumables at 2006 prices...


As to the use of the PT-31 torch... This machine does not have any disconnects for the torch cord. There is a strain relief/ capture nut on the cord but the connections are up inside the machine and can't be removed from the exterior.. It would not be just a simple plug and play to install the new torch.

I also measured the nozzle and found that the nozzle tip, where the small hole is, is .081 thick. I was wondering if I could cut an x notch in the tip to create the stand off but that is not thick enough to create the .125 depth I need. :(

Anyone ever tried to tig a few bumps on a plasma nozzle ? :D
 
I just took a closer look at the machine and found a sticker that listed all the nozzles and electrodes for the machine... On the bottom it has a picture of what they called a wire standoff. It was a front view drawing and from what I could tell it was two legs at 180 with a half circle joining them at the top. On the top of the ceramic cup there is a grove that a 50 thousands wire could clip into.. On this torch there is not much else to clamp to as the nozzle I thought I could hose clamp on is buried up inside the nozzle nut.

Does it look like this?

111.jpg
 
I found a picture of a guide that would work on my type of torch...

Z1t5uzkcpIx_.jpg

Granger sells them but there are absolutely no dimensions and the legs look really long, nowhere near the recommended .125 stand off distance.
 
That pic is from the link I posted in post #3. It is the right length. I bought one and tried it on my machine on some scrap 1/4" steel. Been too busy to play with it since.

I ordered one from ebay... going to take a while to get here.... I figured if it was wrong I could at least have something close enough to modify...
 
I just took a closer look at the machine and found a sticker that listed all the nozzles and electrodes for the machine... On the bottom it has a picture of what they called a wire standoff. It was a front view drawing and from what I could tell it was two legs at 180 with a half circle joining them at the top. On the top of the ceramic cup there is a grove that a 50 thousands wire could clip into.. On this torch there is not much else to clamp to as the nozzle I thought I could hose clamp on is buried up inside the nozzle nut.

I also counted up the consumables I have on hand... 30 nozzles, 15 electrodes, 3 nozzle nuts and 2 ceramic cups, all new. I also see some destroyed cups lodged inside a few nozzle nuts I can salvage. Inside the box was the last invoice listing the prices the former owner paid. Nozzles - 23.10 Electrodes - 39.40 and Nozzle Nuts - 12.40 All told I have over 1400.00 in consumables at 2006 prices...


As to the use of the PT-31 torch... This machine does not have any disconnects for the torch cord. There is a strain relief/ capture nut on the cord but the connections are up inside the machine and can't be removed from the exterior.. It would not be just a simple plug and play to install the new torch.

I also measured the nozzle and found that the nozzle tip, where the small hole is, is .081 thick. I was wondering if I could cut an x notch in the tip to create the stand off but that is not thick enough to create the .125 depth I need. :(

Anyone ever tried to tig a few bumps on a plasma nozzle ? :D

Pretty much none of the torches have the EU plug, you take each wire and air connection off separately. I did qty (3) machines, and none had the connector, you have to open the machine up (not hard to doo)

FWIW the last one I did, the torch was available with the EU plug, I should have made my lifer easier, and purchased that one, along with the panel mount connector ($30).

As far as consumables you have on hand..."cut your losses".

Cross cuts and TIG bumps is NOT the right solution, you need to electrically isolate the cup from the plate.
 
I also counted up the consumables I have on hand... 30 nozzles, 15 electrodes, 3 nozzle nuts and 2 ceramic cups, all new. I also see some destroyed cups lodged inside a few nozzle nuts I can salvage. Inside the box was the last invoice listing the prices the former owner paid. Nozzles - 23.10 Electrodes - 39.40 and Nozzle Nuts - 12.40 All told I have over 1400.00 in consumables at 2006 prices...

Unless todays price on expendables is WAY cheaper I would use the expendables you have as a selling point and buy a used newer machine, hypertherm would be my choice.
 
What torch did you use, and where do you get the connector?

Snap on ya-5550, copy of a trafimet pt-60 (from ebay)

As the original lead was in good shape and 25' long, I just bought the torch, IIRC $85.

Allot of messing around later, I cobbled it to fit.

The same vendor on ebay offered it complete with lead and "euro connector" for $150,
but the lead was only 16' long.

I can't find it right this minute, but the mating panel mount connector was $30.
Here is a linky to both ends in a kit:
OEM FY0023 Central Adaptor Cennector S45 Torch S75 S105 A51 A81 A101 | eBay
 








 
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