Design Custom Attachments

Make your own pulse arc welding attachment

The Orion has been designed with the bench jeweler in mind. Most jewelers have favorite tools and methods for completing their projects. The Orion has made it easy to turn those tools into welding attachments by providing Do it Yourself (DIY) welding accessory kits. Get the tips and hints needed to get the most out of your new attachment.

Please note there are guidelines that must be followed to protect the Orion welder from damage and to maintain the warranty when making a high power “tack” welding attachment.

Making a Custom Pulse Arc Attachment

Pulse arc attachments are simple to make.

1. The Recommended wire size is 18 AWG (never larger than 10 AWG).

2. Make wire approximately 3 ft long (or longer).

3. Use a banana plug attachment to connect to the Orion (DIY pulse arc attachment kit).

4. Use a small ring terminal to connect the wire to the tool.

5. Clean the ring terminal / tool connection point on the attachment.

6. Use a lock washer to secure the bolt, nut and ring terminal.

7. We recommend shrink wrap for aesthetic reasons.

See figures below.

Understanding the Tack Attachment

Tack / Fusion attachments can be designed to transfer a larger amount of power to the weld location. For this reason, care must be taken to understand this welding process. The following guidelines will ensure that the Orion’s maximum specifications are not exceeded.

Resistance welding, often called tack or fusion welding in the jewelry industry, takes place using a very different process from that of TIG / Pulse Arc welding. In resistance welding a large electrical current is passed through two work pieces to join them. At the contact point between the two materials there is a resistance to the flow of the electrical current. As electrical current is passed through this contact point resistive heating takes place. When enough current passes through the work pieces the temperature (especially at the interface between the two pieces) can become hot enough to melt the metal in a spot. The terms resistance welder and spot welder are descriptive of this process.

If the amount of power and electrical current going into the weld is limited it will create a temporary or weak weld called a “tack” weld. Tack welding is very useful in jewelry manufacturing or repair, allowing users the ability to temporarily position a part before permanent welding takes place. This mode opens a multitude of creative possibilities. It will also help eliminate the need for complicated binding or the clamping of parts before permanent welding or soldering.

Permanent resistance welding is also useful in jewelry making. The Orion can weld ear posts and wires, tie tacks, catches, domed or dapped parts, joints pins, bolo backs and much more. Because the heart of the Orion is an industrial capacitive resistance welder, everything from one-time custom pieces to production welding is possible.

The contact point of the Tack / Fusion attachment is very important in resistance welding. Typically a copper contact should be used. However, other metal contacts can be used (e.g. gold, silver, and even steel). In tack welding, both a positive and negative attachment or electrode are used. The pressure at the weld location determines the weld heat. When making a Tack/Fusion weld remember that the weld strength will be opposite of the pressure that is applied. As a rule of thumb: The more pressure that is applied the weaker (more temporary) the weld; the less pressure applied the stronger (more permanent) the weld. This is because the larger the pressure the less heat created, the lighter the pressure the more heat created. By the same concept, heat will also be created at the contact point between the tool and the work-piece. Users will want as little heat as possible at the tool – work-piece contact. This can be accomplished by using more clamping pressure on the tool or clamp used to hold the work piece then using only moderate pressure at the desired weld location.

This information is meant to give you a condensed version of the science involved. The process is simple and becomes automatic after just a few fine-tuning welds.

The Tack / Fusion attachment is simple to make, however, maximum wire size and minimum wire length must be followed to prevent exceeding the specifications of the Orion welder’s power supply.

Tack / Fusion Attachment Steps

1. Maximum wire size of 10 AWG wire (never use wire larger than 10 AWG (e.g. 8 AWG), smaller wire (e.g. 12 AWG) can be used but less power will be transferred to the weld).

2. Make wire approximately 3 ft long (or longer, NEVER shorter than 3 ft for 10AWG wire).

3. Use a spade type connector to connect to the Orion (DIY Tack / Fusion attachment kit).

4. Use a small ring terminal to make the wire to tool connection.

5. Clean the ring terminal / tool connection point on the attachment.

6. Use a lock washer to secure the bolt, nut and ring terminal.

7. We recommend shrink wrap for aesthetic reasons.

Step 1: Drill a small hole into the handle of your preferred tool and locate your Orion DIY welding accessory kit.

Step 2: Attach the DIY hardware to your tool as shown.

Step 3: Apply heat to the shrink wrap with a heat gun or hair dryer and your tool is finished!