Plasma cutting
How hard is plasma cutting to learn?
Quick answer
Plasma cutting is easy to learn — drag-the-tip cutting works in minutes. Expect same-day usable beads.
The learning curve
Drag the tip along a guide at steady speed and you're cutting in five minutes. Piercing thick plate and managing consumables is where experience shows.
Fastest way to improve
- Weld on scrap of the same thickness you'll actually work
- One variable at a time: amps, then speed, then torch angle
- Chisel, brush and LOOK at every bead — the wreck tells you what to fix
- Short daily sessions beat monthly marathons