Subject: Re: Plasma cutter advice

From: [email-masked] (John & Cynthia/ MidLife Crisis Ent.)
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 1996 20:51:51 +0200

>John-
>SNIP
>> comment (this was discussed a couple of months ago here) is the cost of the
>> tips and electordes ($20 a set and I tend to go thur sets pretty fast).
>> Comments about the effect of undry air, vs bottled gas.
>
>I have a fiend that gave me some parts numbers to some different
>consumables for the PAK 50. They are supposed to last twice as
>long,I've got them at the shop- I'll post them to you tonight. Dry air
>will do more to extend the life of your consumables than anything.
>Bill Roberts
Bill,
        Did you find the parts numbers and post them?  I havn't seen
anything on the forge or the atr metal lists....  I would be interested.
Also, what do you use for a drier?  When I bought the unit, they "through
in" a twin cylinder dryer, that is about 6" long and each cylinder is about
1" diam.  The air goes through a packed filter unit in the first stage and
the 2nd stage has "pot scrubber" like steel wool curls in it and it has a
constant, low air flow out of a valve on the bottom of the cylinder.  The
retail price was about $100.00 for it if purchased.  I also have a drier by
the compressor and a drier/regulator in the shop right at the plasma cutter
air source.  If yo have any ideas, they would be appreciated.

                        Thanks,

                                John

John Dach and Cynthia Thomas
Maiden Metals
a div. of
MidLife Crisis Enterprises          We are all swimming in the same bowl
PO BX 44                                      of soup.
Philo, CA  95466
707-895-2635(phone/fax)

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From: Bill Roberts <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 20:06:46 -0400

John

John -
 I must apologize, I looked for the parts #'s that day, I had put them 
some place that I wouldn't lose them. So much for that--- but I'm 
printing out this letter as a reminder and I'll make another attempt 
to find the info. I need some new consumables myself. 

As far as the type of dryer I'm using, I have a trap in line and a 
type of dryer that uses a paper insert (that resembles a roll of 
toilet paper) on the back of the Pak 50. 
I'll try to get back to you in the next coupla' days on the parts 
numbers.
Bill Roberts
Custom Design Metal Arts
3740 NE 40th Pl. Ste. C
Ocala, FL. 34479
[email-masked]
http://wuarchive.wustl.edu/edu/arts/metal/incoming/portflio/broberts

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From: Bill Roberts <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 1996 18:52:15 -0400

> John Dach and Cynthia Thomas

John and anyone else interested-
The parts numbers for the Thermal Dynamics PAK 50(and other TD's I 
guess) are Standard tip 9-6500  Drag tip 9-6501  Electrode 9-6506  
and gas distributor 9-6507. Mind you these are not the parts that came 
with my PAK 50 but are suggested(by Jerry Grice in Tallahassee) parts 
for longer life. Jerry was given this info by a gentleman that makes 
his living by plasma(Rick Jay).

Also, I found this on air requirements:
Oil or moisture in the air supply will substantially reduce torch 
parts life and cutting performance. Contaminants in the air may cause 
the torch electrode to wear prematurely. Moisture in the air may cause 
double arcing and rapid torch tip wear. Torch failure(important$) may 
be caused by oil and moisture in the air.
To test the quailty of air, place a welding filter lens in front of 
the torch and turn on the plasma GAS ONLY. Any oil or moisture in the 
air will be visable on the lens.
If the source of air is a compressor, a filtering system is required 
to clean the air. The filter must be capable of filtering to at least 
5 microns. It must be mounted at the power supply to insure that 
debris from the supply hoses don't enter the torch. 

For highly automated applications, a refrigerated drier may be used to 
chill the air to remove all traces of moisture.

John, I hope this helps and sorry it took so long.

Bill Roberts
Custom Design Metal Arts
3740 NE 40th Pl. Ste. C
Ocala, FL. 34479
[email-masked]