Tig torch to plasma cut?

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I dont know where I heard this at, but at one time or another, someone brought up the idea of using a tig torch to plasma cut with.  They said it would work, or that it did work.  But, does anyone actually know if this is correct?CHris
Reply:You cannot plasma cut with a tig torch.  However, on thinner metals, you can turn your amperage up and melt a piece in two.  The cut will not be really straight, and may need some cleanup or straightening with a grinder, but in a bind, it will do.
Reply:Back around 1979, my junior college welding class took a field trip to an outfit in the Silicon Valley that was making stainless steel chambers for coating silicon disks.  Plasma cutting was still fairly exotic and rare for smaller shops, so this company did a lot of cutting on around 1/8" thick material with a TIG torch.  They used a small diameter gas cup and increased the flow rate.  This process would basically melt and blow through to form the cut.  The dross will tend to hang on one side of the cut, so you can plan your travel direction, you can leave one side clean and the scrap side with the dross.Many years later I used this process myself to cut the top out of a beer keg to make a homebrew kettle.  It really works, not nearly as nice as the new air plasma cutters, but much better than fighting through it with a sawzall or abrasive disks.
Reply:What i meant was, can you use just the tig torch, like a tig welding body on a plasma cutter machine.Chris
Reply:Originally Posted by wirewelder23What i meant was, can you use just the tig torch, like a tig welding body on a plasma cutter machine.Chris
Reply:Stop cutting corners and purchase or rent a Miller Plasma Cutter.