Handy tip , you can also do this with the arc from a tig torch if you hold the arc back at the right distance you don't melt the metal but can get it to glow, takes a bit of practice but works a treat.
Bloody good idea- I gave up oxy years ago, its just too expensive here in Australiabut missed it for bending steel- the press and hammer can do a lot- but just doesnt give the degree of ease that heating it does- that will be my next time attempt with the plasma cutter instead... 😁
Great option to have! If you need to hold something small and fragile like that, rather than use regular pliers use a pair of vice grips maybe with a bit of bike inner tube to soften the jaws (vice grips give heaps more control over the amount of force) then hold the vice grips in your bench vice. Frees up your hands and gives a lot more control for cutting/grinding - plus if you're like me trying to do that with regular pliers you'll drop it three times and it'll bounce under a cupboard to be lost forever.
Pete, you sometimes come up with great ideas, now you just have to connect argon gas instead of compressed air to a pressure reducer and then you can plasma weld 😜👩🏭 Greetings, Marko
This is really smart, I am going to try this technique to see if I can straighten some welding distortion I did to my trailer. It seemed maybe only axy acetylene would do it but it would be amazing if I could use my plasma cutter!!
Not that I'm keen to bugger up a wrench but wow , I love it when a tool can be modified to go beyond design and original purpose. Too many expensive specialty tools just lay in the drawer most of the time, useless and lonely.
I don’t know about your plasma cutter, but my instructions say the cutter should always be in contact with metal and running the torch without contacting metal will shorten the life of the machine.
