Moving over to Plasma,

You know as a old time welder, I saw the trend for moving over to the use of a plasma cutter, then relying on the old, oxygen acetylene.

Working at a Naval Ship Repair facility then, I can remember the first time I saw a plasma cutter at the shop. It looked like a large briefcase, when I was told what it could do, and be used for, it was at the time hard to believe.

The shop had a class on the plasma cutter, but I never thought I would even use it for anything, everything at the time was covered by oxygen acetylene, or some other process.

Anyway, it appeared at the shop one day, due to the repair planning that was to come, on an ocean faring large tug.

How I got to use the plasma cutter, was due to my assignment for the fabrication, and installment of the ships 2 large water tanks, which were to be changed over to stainless steel. From the scraping out of old, and the install of the new.

There was a need to install 3” to 6” pipe couplings in the tanks, and that was my first experience with a plasma cutter, penetrations in the tank walls for installment of the stainless couplings. Before I did that as an old schooled welder, I had my questions, I asked, why don’t we just carbon arc out the penetrations like we always did, seeing the shop foreman’s look on his face, he didn’t need to say more.

It took some getting used to, but if you were a good oxygen acetylene torch cutter, plasma cutting was just like the same. Later I found out that compared to oxygen acetylene, if there was paint, slang, scale or thick rust on the other side, the cutting flow would be deflected in another direction, but that was the nature of the process, deal with it.

Anyway, cutting stainless steel, is easier cutting with plasma, and other nonferrous metals.

The install of the large water tanks were completed, and the apprentice welder assigned to me for his practical welding in the field application, learned that being held upside down, by his legs, and welding overhead, justified the saying, “Welders Do It in All Positions”. Lol

So, 30 years has passed from welding on naval ships, and my first experience with a plasma cutter.

My 19 years old welder apprentice welding that day, now works at Andersen AFB in the engineering section as a journeyman welder leader, and is an E-8 in the Air force Guard there. I witnessed him turning into a young man, getting married and having his two sons, as well as him owning his own home.

And, as to my usage of a plasma cutter, it’s in the picture, and that little briefcase size package can cut ¾” steel at 60 percent duty cycle, off a 220 volt home plug, for a cost of a whopping $250. Lol

The navy plasma cutter that day, cost the navy $5000, so many years ago, my, where did the years all go?