Had a plasma cutter acting weird for 6 hours before I found the issue

Was cutting some 1/4 plate and the arc kept sputtering. Spent 4 hours checking gas lines and tips before I realized the ground clamp was just loose on the bench. Anyone else ever waste a whole afternoon on something this stupid?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_young16d ago

Six hours? Man, that's brutal. "Before I found the issue" is an understatement. I can't believe you spent that long without checking the ground clamp first. I've been there with a stuck gas valve on a torch setup, but nothing close to four hours of troubleshooting. Your patience is way higher than mine, I would have tossed the thing across the shop after hour two.

wesley_martin15d ago

Ha, yeah I've been there too. My personal record is like two and a half hours of staring at a clapped out wire feed welder that wouldn't arc. Then I realized I'd accidentally left the polarity switch on DCEN instead of DCEP and felt like a COMPLETE moron. I think my brain just goes into a tunnel where I'd rather tear the whole thing apart than admit I skipped the SIMPLE check. It's honestly a miracle I haven't thrown a welder through a window yet.

daniel_walker15d ago

Six hours is a different level of stubborn. I'd be throwing tools by hour three, no question. Nothing makes me feel dumber than finding the ground clamp loose after an hour of head scratching. That DCEN/DCEP mistake hits close to home too, did the exact same thing on a Lincoln welder last spring.