[WerkSpace]

Bill, I've often thought about how to save on the cost of consumables. The only part that wears out in the nozzle is the orifice, so why not weld the copper orifice closed and re-drill it? As for the cathodes, I'm sure that other plasma cutter cathodes can be used, it is just a matter of the proper thread and cathode shape. Perhaps, with a bit of machining, a similar cathode could be made for much cheaper. In the end, the only wear part on the cathode is the very tip, so I am wondering if there is a way to refurbish these as well. Some experimentation is required for sure, but I can see this as being a viable option, especially for people who live in remote areas where acquiring consumables could be difficult. In the end, the system is simple in design and could most probably work with several different variations in design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyrUamytawM

Here is another copycat version of the MultiPlaz. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aJfXl7frdQ It needs some refinement.

Hi werkspace, the price for the cathodes and nozzles you posted in your post is fantastic....our local supplier and agent for the 'Plaz quoted me a "special" price of A$13.00 for each of the items.

I find this very disapointing, as I can get regular Plasma cutting electrodes for $20 for a packet of 20 on Ebay, even though the design is different, the cathode for the plasma cutter also has the Hafnium insert in the end.

I've ordered a few from Ebay to see if I can make my own Multiplaz type cathodes by making the blanks from copper and removing the Hafnium inserts from the Plasma cutter electrodes and pressing them in.....have to wait till they come and then I'll give it a go.

Even the copper nozzles are a dissapoinment at our local supplier at $13 each, so I'm going to measure them up and see if I can make my own....... just a bit of straight turning.

I have a large fly press, about 9 tons capacity, commonly known as a "Widow Maker", so a die might be the better way to produce the copper nozzles in one or two hits, annealing between hits.

A billet of copper, about 20mm diam and 10mm long would only cost about 20 cents at most, the rest is all arm work swinging the handle of the press....if I weigh the nozzle I could just put a piece of copper into the die the same weight and thump it down into the die.

Another method would be to use the heat of the 'Plaz to melt the copper into a steel mold and just "die cast" them.

In a split mold I could even make the blanks for the cathodes complete with threads....the ideas are coming thick and fast.

In my opinion the supply of the consumeables will make or break the 'Plaz.
Ian.

[Billbong]

Hi Ian,

Im up in Bendigo. Sounds like you are having fun with your 'plaz. How does it go on a typical mig joint of, say, 50x50 rhs in a mitre corner with another 50x50 welded on the top. Like a table leg? Thats something I just made so thats the first thing that came to mind, lol.

Mick

Hi Mick, hmmmm 50 X 50 is a piece of cake......you only have to be a bit carefull when you do the thin wall stuff, like 1mm or so.

Any mitre joints, my favourites, are easy with the Plaz, same as if you were tigging them....no veeing out reqd as in stick or mig etc......the parent metal is the filler with a bit more added to the top of the joint to bring it up level.

I recently added a 50 X 50 X6mm wall tube receiver to the tow hitch on my Rav4....it came with the tow bar already on the car, but the tongue for the towball was missing.

The 4X4 local supplier wanted $100 + for a piece of steel bar with a slight bend in it, but as I already had a Haymon Reece insert with towball I decided to modify it.

I bought the piece of 50 X 50 X6 internal square tube and welded it onto the flat seat where the tongue normally got bolted.

The rounded corners formed a deep gulley between the flat and the sides of the tube, but I just laid a couple of pieces of welding rod with flux removed in the gulley and the weld pool formed a nice fillet all along the joint, both sides and ends

I've got the hang now of all the requirements of the weld zone, and can say with confidence that I'll never have to use the other gear again.

Anybody who likes using the Tig and/or gas method of welding would relate to the 'Plaz immediately.......especially the lack of having to stock gas in different types and no tungstens ever.

Once I get control of the consumeables the pressure will be off.

I'll try and down load some photos I put on my Ipad and you can see the results of various welds I have done.
Ian.

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

Thanks for that. Its sounds as though its a good alround machine.

Mick

[Billbong]

Hi Mick, I would go carefull describing it as an all round machine...it can be and it does have it's quirky habits.

Personally, and not being a welder who uses the equipment for business, I would probably say once you get the hang of the differences between the "regular" welding , cutting and heating methods and the 'Plaz, then you can feel more comfortable with it.

It's $2,000 worth of very different technology, a right angle turn in the road so to say, and for those who find difficulty adapting to anything that requires a learning curve, the best bet in evaluating it is to have a hands on demo with a definite plan for useage and decide if you want to have that equipment as your only source of welding.

It would be ridiculous to consider selling off a collection of regular welding gear if you cannot make it work 100% for all occasions......and even more ridiculouse to keep the normal gear too .......I'm at the 100% mark now, but it's taken me a year to learn the process and make the decision to have that and only that as my prime welding, cutting and heating source.....it's a personal thing.

I've been challenged by many others on it's usefullness, but you'll never never know unlesss you give it a go.
Ian.

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

Thats a very good point. A big investment if you cant take full advantage of it but a justifiable one if you can. Im glad you are having sucess.

Mick

[Billbong]

LOL, you can't put a price on toys.

There used to be a joke about "back in the days of stream driven radio"....old valve radios etc, well now we've got the steam driven welder...LOL.....never underestimate the power of steam.
Ian.

[WerkSpace]

You actually have to try the MultiPlaz welder before you will fully understand what it is about.

My friend Garnet introduced this welder to me and I would not have believed it, until I actually tried it. I can honestly say, that I am impressed with what it can do. It is a new technology and it has its strengths and weaknesses, just like any other welder that I own. In my mind, it was a wise investment and I am glad that I bought it. Each person is going to either like it or not, but that's ok.

People who TIG weld enjoy the precision but some people think that it is too slow.

People who MIG weld enjoy the speed and easy handling but some people might doubt the penetration or feel that it is too fast to be precise.

Gas welders enjoy the portability but some people think that gas cylinders are too expensive and dangerous.

Each type of welder has its pros and cons. I collect them all and use them for different purposes. I like each and every welder that I own. If something wasn't working out for me, I'd sell it in a heart beat. So, take the technology of each piece of equipment and get the most out of it, that you can. At the end of the day, it either works for you, or against you. Use the best tools for the job at hand.

LOL, you can't put a price on toys.

There used to be a joke about "back in the days of stream driven radio"....old valve radios etc, well now we've got the steam driven welder...LOL.....never underestimate the power of steam.
Ian.

[Billbong]

Hi all, can anyone tell me what are the sizes for attachments, as in file size, photo size.....can't find the info for adding attachments anywhere.......I know how to add attachments, just need to know how big without getting them rejected.
Ian.

[weldin mike 27]

Hey,

The site tells you when you try to upload a photo thats too big. Tells ya the number, not sure off hand at the top of the rejection screen. Just set your camera to the smallest pic size and should be alk good.

Mick

[Otto Nobedder]

I can upload 640 X 480, about 200KB, two to a post.

Steve S.

[Billbong]

Hi, thanks, I'll have to go into Photoshop and resize them.....all my existing are 1 and 2 MB file sizes.


LOL......I just realised your posting name.....Otto Nobedder....ought to know better.....cool.
Ian.

[Otto Nobedder]

The first time I joined a forum, when it asked me for a name to sign on under, I started to just put in my e-mail address, as I'd seen some others do. I looked at it, and said to myself, "You ought to know better than that..." I thought for a few more minutes, and realized "Otto Nobedder" was a fitting choice.

It turns out not to be original, though. It was the name of a comic/cartoon type character in military training pamphlets in the '30s, if I remember right, and a few other similar characters. I googled it once, out of curiousity.

Steve S

[larry lee]

I am happy to see the interest in the Multiplaz (water/alcohol plasma) technology . I am even happier to see the rational discussion of its advantages and disadvantages on this website. I read all of the postings on the other sites about the Multiplaz-3500 unit (all 30+ pages of them) before I started our evaluation at work, and I can see why the moderators closed them. I don’t think that it was fear of competition, but rather that the threads had deteriorated into nothing but name calling by people who had never even seen a real unit, much less tried one.

The reason that I told Jody that I would be willing to post our evaluation results (Multiplaz-3500 Evaluation, Parts 01 to 06 so far) on his website is because his website and its members seemed to be the only ones with a decent amount of civility towards something new. Skepticism is fine, as long as you are at least willing to be convinced. Our evaluation is almost done with the cutting torch and then we will turn to the welding torch. That evaluation will probably take another month or so. I will post our results as we get them.

As mentioned already, the Multiplaz technology is different, and it has its advantages and its disadvantages. It is not for everyone nor for every application. And, just like any other welding technique, it takes some time to learn how to best use it. Over the coming years I expect that the implementation of the technology and the design of the torches will evolve, just as TIG and MIG and air plasma cutting have done.

larry lee

[Otto Nobedder]

Thanks, larry lee, for the kind words.

We love our little community, and I think we are likely unique in welding forums. Nowhere else have I seen the greenest beginner able to ask questions of 30+ year veterans and get nothing but polite, well thought out answers, and those of us with many years at it aslo ask and share with one another.

Should any topic here devolve into name-calling, there are several of us who would immediately bring it to Jody's attention, so the offending topic (and likely the offender) will be removed.

I continue to be impressed at the level of intelligence present, as well. I'm one of those "30 year" hands, and this is the first place I come for anything I can't immediately find an answer to.

Steve S.

[Billbong]

Hi, just a couple of welding jobs I did a couple of months back.

The first couple of photos are of a pair of brackets to attach my TV aerial to a post on my patio.

I used a bit of rusty old steel that I had in the scrap box, as at the time I was looking for something to put the 'Plaz through it's paces, and the aspect of not cleaning rust was something I wanted to try.

The steel plate is a piece about 50mm wide and 4mm thick.

Normally using conventional welding methods, like stick or Mig I get a lot of drama from daggy welds in the 90 deg corners, so the results which I'm very happy with are for you to judge.

Oh darn, the file size is physically too big and only shows a part of the photo....gotta go into Photoshop and make it smaller....grrrrrr.

OK, they're attached.
Ian

[WerkSpace]

Here's an example of the very first time that I used the MultiPlaz welder.
No filler rod, just a simple fusion weld on some old rusty metal.
The result was full penetration and a very strong weld.
This plasma welding felt similar to oxy-acetylene welding.
However, the fuel was water, alcohol and electricity.

[WerkSpace]

The Multiplaz works by creating an arc between the internal cathode and the nozzle. This causes the evaporator tube to heat up and the water to boil. Steam becomes plasma as it is forced to pass thru the arc while exiting the nozzle. Voltage is controlled by adjusting the distance between the cathode and nozzle. Current is controlled at the inverter settings. The system is relatively simple in design and it produces a lot of heat. The plasma gas acts as a shield gas when an arc is established between the nozzle and the work piece. The MultiPlaz is unlike any welder that I have ever used before. If you ever get the chance, try one before making any assumptions on performance. It is very unique as far as welders go.

[Billbong]

Hi all, one of the jobs I did some months ago was to butt weld an end onto a draw bar for my milling machine.

The end, which was 7/16 UNF thread had stretched and also partly stripped the threads, so I cut 50mm off of the end of the draw bar, bought a hi tensile steel hex bolt and cut it in half and butt welded the new thread end to the bar.

The ability to just tack the new part in 2 places to the bar end and then fully weld it all round without any distortion before cleaning it up was achieved quite easily.

There was no vee preperation to the butt joint, the two ends just being butted flush together.

Allignment of the two parts was on a flat surface with a piece of plate to maintain the side in line.

No clamping was used, just a piece of plate resting on top to hold the parts from moving whilst tacking.

When the weld was finished I kept the weld zone at red heat for a minute and let it cool slowly in some kitty litter and removed it after a couple of hours.

As the draw bar is going to be under a constant load holding Int 40 tooling in the mill spindle, I tested the strength by leaving it in the mill spindle while it was tightend hard for a few days.

I have some photos but they need to be downsized, so next post, photos of before and after.
Ian.

[Billbong]

Here are the two photos of the draw bar.
The first photo shows the new bolt, the old cut off piece and the welded bar.

The second photo shows the finished and file dressed bar ready to use.
Ian.

[WerkSpace]

I've done the same job with oxy/acetylene. As a matter of fact, none of us were able to tell an original draw bar from a repaired one. The MultiPlaz torch behaves very much like an oxy/acetylene torch but it works with water, alcohol and electricity as a fuel instead of the more expensive oxygen and acetylene compressed gases. It also gives off far less fumes, so it is excellent for working in an enclosed environment. If you ever get the chance, try it and see. You just might agree with what I see. (Of course, this is only my opinion.)

[Billbong]

Hi Werkspace, I quite agree with the enclosed space ability, during the Winter I frequently do welding, with the Multiplaz, inside the workshop with the door down.

On one job that had a lot of contaminants like paint and oily residue, I had to use a fan to blow the fumes away with the door open, which was not a problem because there was no Argon to lose etc.

Here's a tip I found from practice, when you want to weld two pieces of thick steel, say 12mm thick with a butt weld, first preheat all along the jonit to a fairly high temperature, torch held back to prevent the spiky arc cutting in, then hit it with the Mode 2 setting to do the weld......you will find that the weld pool almost forms instantly and deep also you can turn the current sertting down as you move along the seam.

The preheat makes the weld zone very acceptable to an easy weld pool maintenance, especially on thick material.....on thin material it's not necessary.
Ian.

[Brazen]

Very interesting thread. I subscribed so I can "stay tuned" to updates.

Very cool forum, too, btw.... As an aviation buff, I enjoyed the pics, links and discussion of the ultralights, experimentals, etc....

Brazen

[Brazen]

Very interesting thread. I subscribed so I can "stay tuned" to updates.

Very cool forum, too, btw.... As an aviation buff, I enjoyed the pics, links and discussion of the ultralights, experimentals, etc....

Brazen

[WerkSpace]

I found these videos on the internet. (I don't sell this product.)
I own a MultiPlaz welder and I'm still happy with its unique usefulness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mlibXn8X30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxrrZ8Wdz8U
This welder is very clean burning, using water/alcohol and electricity as fuel.
It creates its own shield gas and is hotter than oxy-acetylene. (Excellent fusion welds.)

In mode I, it behaves very similar to an oxy-acetylene torch. (without expensive gases.)

In mode II, it behaves very similar to a TIG torch, (without using tungsten tips or argon.)
The torch develops an arc (within a plasma gas shield from the water/alcohol mixture.)

I highly recommend this product, but must insist that you try it, before you buy it.
There are many different types of welders on the market. Choose what works best for you.

[Odyknuck]

Very Interesting product. Thanks for all the info and your experience with it. Don't see me investing into one anytime soon however you just never know LOL. I recently bought an Everlast 250EX and a Supercut 50 , so along with my Lincoln 175SP I am good for about any welding I need to do. Now I just need to learn how to TIG!