hpr260 30/50 amp wont pierce

[BRrooster]

I am having a problem piercing with the machine I am running. I would like to use the lower amperage tips to get a good quality cut on light gauge steel, but they wont pierce. It arcs and it seems that the arc wanders around under the nozzle . Ive tried using another ground clamp direct to an "in ground" bar, and have used a grinder to get through the work piece mill scale.
Doesn't make any difference.. What else can I try?

thanks
Bruce

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[BRrooster]

I was cutting 16g today and the settings in the data base would not get my machine to cut. It would pierce 90% of the time when I used the settings for 14g. But the cut quality was not great. If I sped up the cutting speed, the torch would crash. The material was warping as it was being cut. The machine I work on is about 5 years old and is used on 2 shifts a day. We had a coolant hose that calved on us a couple of weeks ago and had a new set put in. Our table is 8ft by 25 ft. I am not the primary operator , he is on vacation for a couple of weeks. We've had the piercing problem as long as I can remember though.
50 Amp cutting is a big problem; basically does not work. The manual supplied has 30A and 80A and up but no data for 50A settings. We plasma cut a lot of smaller profile pcs , with holes . 80A on 3/16 pl
and less leaves a "notch" on the edge of the part when the cut is turned off. Some of the parts fall as the cut finishes. And of course the slugs or inside of the holes also fall out, leaving the arc to , as I call it,
find something to arc to, and leave a notch also.
All in all, Id rather run the old burning table and punch the holes, but the old iron workers don't get used very much these days. Also the punch press operators were all basically layed off.
PS I was burning 4in plate today, and had not issues piercing that.
cheers
Bruce