Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)



DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.



Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)



DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.

Darksider's Realm

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Darksider's Realm

A message board & forum for automotive builders, fabricators and customizers who think outside the box.


2 posters

    PLASMA CUTTER...

    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
    Admin


    Posts : 1018
    Join date : 2009-04-21
    Age : 78
    Location : Marietta, Ohio

    PLASMA CUTTER... Empty PLASMA CUTTER...

    Post  Darkside Dave Fri Apr 30, 2010 9:56 pm


    HERE'S ONE FOR YA',
    Almost two years ago I bought a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 39 plasma cutter. I tried it a couple of times and it didn't work too well. I took it to a local authorized distributor who sent it to their shop about a hundred miles away. Three months later I got it back. They said there was nothing wrong with it and charged me $65.00. I disagreed but what could I do. I struggled with it and learned to use it in spite of it's problems. I didn't like paying the $65.00 for what was supposed to have a four year parts and labor warranty. I later found some loose connections and that seemed to fix it. Last week I was using it and it just stopped in the middle of a cut and would not work at all. I took it apart and checked a lot of the components like air pressure switches and solenoid valve., as well as the switches in the torch. I finally called Thermal Dynamics and they set me up with another shop about110 miles from here. I talked to those guys and they set it up to send me a board for it. I changed the board and it worked for about 15 seconds and blew the 20 amp ckt. breaker in my shop panel as well as shooting some fire off the board. I called them again and now I have to take it to that shop. Up until now I though Thermal Dynamics was a good brand because I have used their welding machines and I really liked them. I'm not so sure now. I guess I'll be down and out for another week or two now when I really need the thing. Now I'm thinking of selling it. If it doesn't work out this time I'm done with these folks. I can't afford them. Maybe it's just me...
    charger
    charger


    Posts : 148
    Join date : 2009-06-15
    Age : 49
    Location : manitoba

    PLASMA CUTTER... Empty Re: PLASMA CUTTER...

    Post  charger Sat May 01, 2010 8:56 am

    never had a thermal dynamic welder or plasma but i always thought they were the cadilac of plasma cutters! guess not! i like my lincolns! we had a old lincoln on the farm and you just couldn`t beat it, where i work we have a lincoln and a esab, i cringe when i have to use the esab, the lincoln lays a beautifull weld every time.
    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
    Admin


    Posts : 1018
    Join date : 2009-04-21
    Age : 78
    Location : Marietta, Ohio

    PLASMA CUTTER... Empty AMEN !!!

    Post  Darkside Dave Sat May 01, 2010 9:43 am

    charger wrote:never had a thermal dynamic welder or plasma but i always thought they were the cadilac of plasma cutters! guess not! i like my lincolns! we had a old lincoln on the farm and you just couldn`t beat it, where i work we have a lincoln and a esab, i cringe when i have to use the esab, the lincoln lays a beautifull weld every time.


    NO SHIT !!!

    When I bought this thing two years ago I thought the same as you. I bought a Lincoln MIG 255 and a Lincoln TIG 225 and this piece of shit. I'm not impressed with the plasma cutter but I love the Lincolns. They are still and by far the most American made welders you can get. Miller and Hobart went to bed with the Chinese long ago. I used to really like Miller but I don't feel so good about them anymore either. Now I am stuck with this thing and that really sucks. These things ain't cheap. Problem is, once you have one and use it, you get addicted in a hurry. For body work mods it can't be beat. You can do clean cuts in any direction or pattern and not set the place on fire. As it looks now I can expect at least two weeks down time when I really need this thing the most. I got this thing for about $1,100.00. I was trying to save some money. I could have gotten a Lincoln for around 2K. They are 160 miles up the road from me and they have great customer service and tech support that comes from Cleveland, not India. You can actually understand what they are saying when you talk to them. I have restored several really old Lincoln machines from absolute junkers and they have not been actively supported by Lincoln in over 20 years but I called their tech support and they have taken lots of time to talk with me and e-mail me a lot of PDF files of manuals and engineering drawings as well as tell me where to find used and new aftermarket parts. Check out this link to see some of the stuff I have done.

    You just cant beat Lincoln so far as I am concerned. if you go to:


    you can see my Lincolns. I also have a little Lincoln 170 SP that I use for light metal work. Paid $500.00 for it used and I love it.

    Later Man...
    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
    Admin


    Posts : 1018
    Join date : 2009-04-21
    Age : 78
    Location : Marietta, Ohio

    PLASMA CUTTER... Empty PC Gone...

    Post  Darkside Dave Tue May 04, 2010 8:06 am


    Drove up to Canton, Ohio yesterday to take the Plasma Cutter to a real shop. I talked with the owner/head tech guy and he agreed with me as to what caused the problem. Replacing the main board is not enough. The Rectifier section needs replaced too. Hopefully it'll be done by next week.

    I wanted to talk to the guy in person so it was a matter of taking the time to go up. $25.00 round trip in the car VS. $35.00 UPS and a three day delay.

    Oh well, I did get to stop by the Pull-A-Part yard.

    Later Folks...

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