Cutting sheet steel

Ernest Christley wrote in message .com...
I have an inlaw that has access to a portable plasma torch. I'm going
to get the sheet laid out and get up with him. I had actually forgotten
all about this particular resource until someone here mentioned it.
However, I'm still of the mind to hold back at least one piece so that I
can give that friction cutting method a try. Just 'cause I LIKE to see
sparks flying.

Might be a good idea to cut one piece with the plasma torch,
another with a saw, clean and polish the edges of both, then bend them
to see what the crack resistance is like. Plasma heat is big-time hot
and might drive lots of carbon (from slag) into the edge of the steel
and make it brittle. If so, it would be wise to cut a little oversize
and grind to final size.
I spent many hours cutting all sorts of metals with a plasma
torch some years ago. What a great time-saver. Of course, these were
feed-mill parts, not airplane parts, and nobody cared what happened to
the edges of mild steel.
I understand that the plasma flame is hotter than the surface of
the sun, which is something like 10,000°F. The interior of the sun, of
course, is much hotter than that.


Dan