Does it do any good to try and clean plasma tips?

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I am working on a small project and got my plasma cutter out to cut some 1/4" plate.  All of my cuts are at an angle.  At first I thought I may have been slanting the gun a little so I made sure on my next cut to hold it straight.  The cut still comes out at an angle.  It's smooth as expected, just at an angle.  The tip looks good from looking at it but I'm not that familiar with them.  Doesn't look like it is melted or anything.  Was curious if you can use your torch tip cleaners and try to clean them out every once in a while?  Seems like I had just put that tip on there at the end of my last project.  I'm using a Thermal Dynamics 42 with drag tips.
Reply:Pic of tip. Attached Images
Reply:A little fine scotch bight would not hurt anything. It mostly helps on the tip of the start cartridge when it starts acting up. I would try to keep a bit of standoff  on the tips. Seems like not a lot meat on stand off part of the tips. Never used a 42, so not really sure of the exact design on the drag tips.. Hopefully you have real dry air. Kills consumable life with only a bit of moisture.Esab/Lorch ET-220iEsab 160i caddyThermal LM-200 Lincoln feedersThermal Pee-Wee 85sThermal 60i- 3phase /RPC powered (Beast)Thermal Drag-gun 35CINE 1500 Klutch 140i
Reply:The instructions usually say that if the hole in the tip is out of round (egg-shaped) or if the electrode has a pit more than 1/16" deep, they should be replaced. If they are not making good contact, cleaning them will usually get it working again as long as they aren't too worn.The angled cuts you are having are a fact of life with plasma. Usually one side will be angled more than the other depending on the direction the torch moves. Moving too fast or too slow will worsen the angle.I can't offer any more specific help with your machine since I have a Hypertherm, but the basic principles are the same.JohnA few weldersA lot of hammersA whole lot of C-clamps
Reply:What silicon-based said.  The tips are considered "consumables" and they do wear out with normal use.  You need to replace them if the cuts start to become deformed.   I've never cleaned my tips with the exception of a bronze wire brush across the top of them after about every other cut.  That's just to clean out the carbon that forms around the tip.  After "X" amount of hours (cumulative minutes actually) on the tips, I replace them.Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Hummm, your nozzle hole looks pretty round in the picture, but that could still be the issue.  The swirling gases will erode the hole in a "keyhole" shape, and as it does that, the stream of plasma coming out will get more and more angled.  You could try to rotate the nozzle 180 degrees when you reassemble the torch (if you know which was it was aligned when it came out) to get a little more time out of it, or just try a new nozzle.
Reply:I suppose you could use worn out tips if you want your cut to be crap, If you want a nice clean cut then you need to replace the tips when they get worn, its upto you really
Reply:When I start to get a poor cut I just replace the consumables and, if they aren't too bad, I keep them for demo work.Millermatic 200Hobart Handler 120Victor O/A & Ramco BandsawLincoln 225 ACSnapOn AD HoodMiller XMT304/22AHypertherm Powermax 1650 G3Lincoln Idealarc DC600 w/Extreme 12 VSMiller Digital Elite "Joker"
Reply:Nope, can't clean em to make them work.That's why Jim always brings up consumable life spans.Just for a reference, all of the sheet metal cuts on this feed bin were done with 1 set of consumables.Take a wild guess which type of plasma I haveBuy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:I redrill them oversized, file the end flat and use them for things where I don't care about cut quality.Yes, I'm a cheap bastard.  It's better than burning up a brand new tip when demo'ing or cutting scrapDynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:I've got a cnc plasma table so cut quality is a big thing. Will use old worn out tips for just severing stuff and good tips for quality cuts.I've never tried drilling out a worn out tip but you'd have to get the hole quite central so everything lines up. Also it then becomes a bigger nozzle so you'd have to up your amps too. Supposed it wouldn't hurt to try, toss em if it doesn't work.Don't ever let your hafnium wear out completely in the electrode. I've heard that it can cause a lot of damage if the arc comes directly off the copper in the electrode. Thought I'd better mention that seeing as you're trying to get max life out of everything.
Reply:I found some replacement tips in the case that I forgot I had and that fixed the problem.  I think my issue with the tips ending prematurely is the moisture in my air.  At one time I had planned on rigging up something to dry the air but forgot about it since I haven't used the plasma cutter in a while.  Back on the hunt for an air dryer now.  I'll pick one up off Craigslist or Ebay eventually.  As it stands right now, the only thing I have is a automatic drain on the tank which isn't even remotely enough.
Reply:Cut edge angularity with plasma cutters is caused by the following:-Damaged nozzle orifice. The orifice shapes the arc....so if the orifice is not perfectly round, neither is the arc. A tiny nick or gouge and cut edge angularity will vary wildly.-Incorrect plasma air pressure. Too high will cause poor angularity, will cause misfiring and will wear the electrode rapidly. Too low will quaickly damage the nozle orifice.-Incorrect height. Cutting too high or too low off the plate dramatically affects angularity. If you are using shielded consumables....make sure you are using the ones designed for hand cutting.....then drag directly on the plate and you will be at the correct height. For machine torch cutting....use the machine shields and keep your torch to work distance (standoff) at the specs from your plasma operators manual.-Many manufacturers "drag tips" are unshielded (nozzle is exposed) and will not last long drag cuting at amperages over about 30. Shielded consumables (Hypertherm and a few others) work best at controlling height and angularity.-Older technology torches will produce pretty severe bevels. Many of the low cost import plasma's use copies of 30 year old torch technology.....don't expect consistent angularity!-Cleaning consumables. If the orifice is undamaged....it is a good idea to occasionally clean the inside of the nozzle and the face (business end) of the electrode....this will improve starting as well as cut quality....clean with fine scotchbrite.-The orifice in a plasma nozzle is precision machined......some of the better designs actually have a step in them. Using a tip cleaner or a drill will cause a larger orifice that is not so precise. The energy density of the arc will be lower....cut speeds will be slower and the kerf width and angularity will be worse. If you don't care so much about cut quality....this can certainly be done....but be sure to figure out how much time it takes away from other tasks in your shop. Often putting in a new nozzle that costs $2.50 to $4.00 is much more cost effective!-A worn or missing o-ring on the torch, old, leaky torch leads, a damaged torch head and/or a flow restriction can cause poor angularity.-Moisture, oil, particulates in air cause rapid consumable wear (sometimes in a few minutes) which will cause bad angularity.Jim Colt   Hypertherm
Reply:Jim, Got any tips for checking the o-rings?  Mine don't have any obvious nicks or cuts, but they've been in there a *long* time.  I guess it's cheap enough to just replace them on some schedule.  Everything seems to be working fine, so I haven't bothered replacing them.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:Best bet is to just change the torch body oring periodically. They are about 20 cents a piece.Jim Originally Posted by AndyAJim, Got any tips for checking the o-rings?  Mine don't have any obvious nicks or cuts, but they've been in there a *long* time.  I guess it's cheap enough to just replace them on some schedule.  Everything seems to be working fine, so I haven't bothered replacing them.