Plasma Cutter Settings

[Arbo]

I am going to be cutting some 1/8" copper sheet with a Hypertherm Powermax 1000, running air. Does anybody have an idea of a good starting point on the settings. This is a first time for copper, and I can't afford to experiment much. That stuff aint cheap!

[Hobart Expert Rock]

ARBO.............WELL I'VE NEVER USED ONE OF THESE..... I WOULD GET TO A SCRAP YARD AND SEE IF I COULD FIND SOME SAME THICKNESS COPPER..........THEN PARCTICE ON THAT..... AS A STARTING POSITION I WOULD SAY 1/2 WAY WITH 60-7- LBS OF AIR.........???????????..... WHAT DOES MANUFACTURER SAY..... NO ONE IS TALKING AND I'M GUESSING..............ROCK.........
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[morpheus]

don't tell the secret service since I think they frown on cutting up US currency but you might "practice" on some pennies ... just a thought. maybe a bad one but it's a thought

- jack

[Franz]

Jack, don't want to shake you up, but ya need to whip on the old trifocular potical assist devices and take a close look at a penny.
The goobermunt has cheated us again, and they ain't copper any more.
Whatever they are, they no longer make a decent washer for
Ramset nails.

[morpheus]

Originally posted by Franz
Jack, don't want to shake you up, but ya need to whip on the old trifocular potical assist devices and take a close look at a penny.
The goobermunt has cheated us again, and they ain't copper any more.
Whatever they are, they no longer make a decent washer for
Ramset nails.

well I'll be ... I guess I'll have to find another source for that copper roof I was hoping of making ...

- jack

[Arbo]

Well...for those that care, a PAC works great on copper. I started at about 40A, and that just wasn't enough heat to get through. I jacked it to 50 and it made a great cut. Cleaned up the edges with a file, and it's ready to go.

As far as the pennies go, I remember that being a question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. I knew they weren't copper anymore, but I wasn't sure what. A Yahoo search turned up the following information.

1982 - The rising price of copper finally took its toll on the Lincoln cent in 1982. The composition in 1982 was changed to an alloy of 99.2 percent zinc and 0.8 percent copper, plated by pure copper - making the total composition 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper. The year was marked by more than the composition. There were small and large date cents of both the old and new composition from both Philadelphia and Denver, creating what was literally a collection of seven 1982 cents.
The following year brought the first significant copper-plated zinc cent rarity in the form of the 1983 doubled die reverse, which had boldly doubled reverse lettering. The following year saw the production of a boldly doubled obverse, a rare back-to-back set of modern errors.

The trend of periodic doubled dies has continued to the present day, providing collectors of Lincoln Memorial cents with plenty of opportunities to find valuable coins in the course of regular transactions. The 1995 doubled die cents are still being found as collectors and speculators purchase unopened Mint bags in the hopes of finding additional examples.

[Guest]

Arbo, I see you added your 2 ¢

I was told that a plasma cutter isn't critical on the voltage setting, so run it wide open. I haven't seen where any different setting makes any difference on the slag...it still pops off. My main fear is to start a critical cut and not have enough power, thereby messing it up.