Try it! Handheld Plasma Cutting

Feel the power of cutting steel and turn an idea into hard reality as you cut shapes out of flat sheet metal. 

About this Class

Participants will use a handheld plasma cutter to create a design in a two-foot square sheet of 16-gauge steel (roughly 3/32nds). Bring a design to work with with enough detail that you can draw it with a sharpie or soapstone and trace with a somewhat awkward implement while wearing gloves.

Plasma cutting uses a highly focused electric arc and compressed air creating an electrical channel of super-heated, electrically ionized gas (i.e. plasma) to cut through the work piece. The electrical arc ionizes some of the gas, thereby creating an electrically conductive channel of plasma and closing an electrical circuit. Electricity from the cutter torch travels down this plasma with highly focused and sufficient heat to melt through the work piece. The compressed gas blows the molten metal away, thereby cutting through the work piece.

Details

• Experience level - Beginning
• The $30 materials fee included in the cost of the class covers the steel, cutter tip replacements, consumables, and personal protective equipment.
• Work space is limited on the plasma table. The three class participants will take turns using two cutters.
• Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants of natural fiber, and closed-toe shoes (preferably leather or cotton). No stretch fabrics.
  

Prerequisites

None

Class Policies

• Ages 14 and up are welcome.

• View BARN’s current COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

• BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.

• For those who might need physical assistance, learn more about our Companion Program.

Instructor

Henry Sharpe is an amateur welder and active in BARN’s Metal and Woodworking Studios. (henrysharpe@gmail.com)