Fusing and Welding

I took in a broken hollow rope chain bracelet for repair this week. The bracelet had caught on a desk...

Technical Briefs deals with technical concerns of interest to a wide audience, addressing topics as diverse as vanguard technology and...

When making custom jewelry with any alloy, certain components within the piece are often hand made to enhance the final...

This article will run over multiple issues of Bench Magazine. I plan to start with the basics of welding and...

Plique-a-jour, in French, means "applied to carved spaces" or "membrane where daylight passes through". The 'plique-a-jour' enameled jewelry is endowed...

First the stone's diameter is measured at the pavillion and a dent is made in the metal for the pilot...

Joining is a very important production technique in the field of jewelry production. Therefore it is useful to know, what...

True damascus steel is made by a casting process utilizing very high carbon steel. The material is held at or...

This article offers some laser welding tips that might make your life as a laser welder a bit easier. Read...

This article includes descriptions of dangerous activities. These descriptions are not to be deemed instruction, any inference to the contrary...

When first starting to work with the laser welders, operators should experiment with five or six different alloys commonly used....

I want to take what I have written in my previous articles 
and start tying it into jewelry welding applications....

When I ran a trade shop, time was money, and I often found myself sizing 50 to 60 rings in...

Sterling silver alloys typically contain about 7.5 percent copper, an addition that not only provides strength to the otherwise pure...

For this project, the No. 1 tip was used with the ABI Pulse Arc Welder. Five tips come with the...

Back when I was going to school, if I had known I would be writing an article about laser welding...

When precious metal is heated to temperatures approaching its melting point there is a short span during which the outer...

The purpose of this paper is to acquaint the reader with the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing aluminum as a...

AJM Magazine asked me to perform a comparative analysis of three welding systems performance in several different precious metal welding...

Platinum is a very durable metal, so prongs will last a long time. However, it is sometimes necessary to re-tip...

With the popularity of tennis bracelets over the last 20 years, replacing broken tongues has become a common repair in...

It's an "everyday" kind of repair job. The customer brings in a bangle bracelet that has a broken safety slide....

In laser welding of Sterling Silver ' lower silver bearing alloys (coin silver) we have about seven choices in laser...

In the jewelry industry, it's rare to have an alloy without drawbacks, particularly when the alloy is not yellow. When...

This Charles and Colvard created moissanite (hereafter referred to as moissanite) and two-tone karat gold in-line bracelet requires shortening by...

This simple pendant design will be made with 950 palladium wire. Tack-welding technology will be used to temporarily hold the...

White gold presents unique challenges. Who among us has not struggled with white gold at one time or another? Some...

This article covers methods and techniques for hand fabrication, soldering and assembly for a custom designed 950 palladium and cultured...

Designers and manufacturers have embraced 950 palladium alloys for a variety of jewelry manufacturing products. At the recent JA Jewelry...

Repairs and alterations of jewelry that has been in families for generations is an ongoing request at retail service departments....

I first discovered Allan Adler's Silversmithing Shop about 23 years ago when I arrived in Southern California to begin my...

Often jewelers are called upon to hand fabricate a crown to fit a stone. This is necessary when either the...

This project shows a challenging repair and reconstruction of earrings with a broken Omega clip and heat sensitive gemstones.

Connections are an important part of jewelry manufacturing. We make them with suppliers, with retailers, even with the people who...

The "other white metal" is making its presence known and it wont be long before light, bright and white 950...

This sterling silver chocker chain is handmade from 16 gauge round wire. It has multiple interlocking links. The customer leads...

When Glenn Manning of Manning Jewelry in Foley, Alabama, bought his first laser welder almost a decade ago, he thought...

This 14-karat yellow gold heavy bracelet chain has a broken tongue at its critical springy location. An ideal method for...

In my last article I wrote about the various adjustable parameters, and the effects of changing those parameters. In this...

It seems like a lot of laser repairs involve emeralds. I recall the Indiana Jones movies where "Indy" comes face...

In previous articles we have looked into the "art" of prong repair using the laser (Full Prong Replacement and Tipping...

Richard Reinhardt's best-known pieces today are silver bracelets, constructed in concave or convex forms that curve smoothly and logically in...

These materials are for a platinum pendant and they include wire made of a platinum iridium alloy. This article covers...

For this demonstration of Setting a Pear Shape Emerald in a Full Bezel I will be setting a large emerald...

Last issue we installed a new full prong on an opal and emerald pendant. This issue was supposed to be...

To demonstrate how pulse-arc welding performs on sterling silver, this bracelet was cast, finished and assembled without the use of...

In this article I will be referring to terms that I have defined in previous articles. If you wish to...

According to Frank McAllister, the quantity of individual pieces of jewelry made from 950 palladium has surpassed the same for...

14-karat yellow gold cultured freshwater pearl and diamond earrings will be repaired as a demonstration of the new Mini Pulse...

This ring is manufactured using Hoover and Strongs 14-karat white gold alloyed with palladium. It was cast using standard casting...

For nearly 30 years, Ambery-Smith has been using architecture as an inspiration for her work. Her name has become synonymous...

Sizing and torch welding a platinum ring with diamonds channel set down the shank could be risky to the diamonds....

Short video showing examples of what can be achieved, repairing jewellery items with a manual laser welder - the StarWeld...

Palladium, long used as a luxurious jewelry metal, has recently experienced renewed interest largely due to its purity, natural white...

This cultured pearl and diamond 14K yellow gold ring is in for sizing. When the take-in person inspected the ring,...

Practicing specific procedures for pre-finishing and polishing of 950 palladium will make a stunning difference in the final presentation of...

One observation on the career of John Prip (more often called Jack) is the way in which the man and...

Installing or repairing hinge rivets can be difficult with a torch. Flooding a hinge with solder and permanently joining a...

With the Nd:Yag Micro Laser Welders, being used by the jewelry, and other industrial manufacturing / repair industries, there is...

Laser technology is still so new to 
our industry and there is still so much 
to discover. Fortunately, I believe...

Well designed 950 palladium jewelry plays to the strengths of this unique metal -- the aesthetics of its light, bright,...

Striking differences between elements such as color, tone, texture, reflection, refraction, pattern and shape create contrast. Contrast not only enhances...

The expressions which have come to identify the pre- and post-World War II generations - Me decade, suburban frontiersmen, spoiled...

The Flat Topped Solitaire Setting is a popular style setting that is slightly more complicated to set than the standard...

It is not uncommon for moving parts to wear out. This is to be expected because of increased friction as...

I received this opal from a woman who had cut it years ago. Her customer was aware it had a...

One of the most frequent repair jobs involving the laser is prong repair. This is the first in a series...

This article covers techniques for making this custom designed 14-karat white and 22-karat yellow gold granulated pendant for a customers...

Retailers have been converting bridal inventories from white gold to palladium as manufacturers expand the selection of new palladium jewelry...

This article covers techniques for making an 18-karat double domed yellow gold pendant. The front side will have a bezel...

Featured are the materials for turquoise, platinum and 22-karat gold granulation earrings. The turquoise is 10.25 millimeters round and will...

David and Diana Howard, owners of My Jeweler, Inc. in Albuquerque , NM recently worked with a local church to...

The reintroduction of white, bright and light palladium for use in the jewelry industry has quickly introduced an expanding assortment...

The traditional Mokume process yields very beautiful results but is extremely labor intensive. Along with the high price of labor...

Design ideas often begin one way, then evolve into something different. Such was the case with Robin Waynee's two-sided palladium...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

Custom jewelry projects for tack-, fusion-, and pulse-arc-welding sometimes call for special welding tool lead attachments. Bench jewelers often make...

This article examines manufacturing procedures used to hand fabricate 950 palladium earrings. These custom earrings designed by Lainie Mann feature...

Designing stock pieces for my jewelry store has never been more fun than it is now that I have a...

Tacking settings in location on remounts using tack-welding technology offers the bench jeweler many advantages over traditional assembly methods... Tack-welding...

Fixturing is a technique of using tack- and/or pulse-arc welding technology to temporarily position parts prior to soldering, pulse-arc or...

These fashion drop earrings contain oval diamonds weighing 1.78 carats. The customer is concerned about loss because of the open...

This article provides a step by step procedure on how to do laser welding prong repairs on a ring.  Laser...

Laser welders, it seems, have as many applications as there are imaginations and types of jewelry. This laser welding project...

This 14-karat yellow gold, emerald and diamond ring has a broken prong requiring prong replacement. Steece Hermanson will replace the...

Setting and shank assemblies are routine work in many retail manufacturing jewelry shops. Heres a method for expediting this process...

The assembly of this three stone pendant pendant appears simple but when using traditional methods to position and join the...

This article is a step by step procedure in Laser Welding Solid Back on Opal Ring. The customer wanted a...

This custom job of 14 karat yellow gold earrings with diamonds and pink tourmaline is made easy using tack-welding technology....

As a technical adviser to bench jewelers I often troubleshoot tack-, fusion- and pulse-arc-welding applications. One of the more frequently...

The following is one method of adjusting parameters after altering the pulse shape. This article is not intended to promote...

This article covers routine repair and assembly projects accomplished using Mini Pulse Arc III. Tack-, fusion- and pulse-arc equipment settings...

www.BenchJewelersNetwork.com How To Size a Silver Ring with the PUK Welder. For more videos, and articles on jewelry repair and...

Granulation, a process dating back a lot longer than I can remember, is clearly one of jewelry histories most prominent...

This article by Steve Satow describes the procedure for repairing an emerald and diamond bracelet using laser technology. Top view...

This karat gold pendant design calls for several solder joints in close proximity. To facilitate the assembly, I tack and/or...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

This ring is in for repair and reconstruction. When it was originally made, 6-prong settings were used to mount the...

For two years now, the manufacturer Lampert has been cooperating with the Laboratory for Welding Technology and Thermal Treatment at...

This gemstone-encrusted shield is named in honor of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and warfare who was worshiped as...

This illustration is of a 14-karat white gold ring for three cultured freshwater pearls and two small accent diamonds. After...

This article page is from a section "Favorite Tips" from BENCH Magazine 2002 submitted by readers and BENCH Magazine Staff...

It is becoming common practice to do more and more platinum fabrication with a laser welder. For this project, you...

Since their introduction to the jewelry industry, laser welders have been lauded for their speed, accuracy, and convenience of use....

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

In my last article about welding nickel white gold, (Ni WG),I said I would weld the same Ni WG shank...

This necklace contains Charles ' Colvard created moissanite. It has been mistakenly pulled and a few links have broken. Repairing...

These 950 Palladium earrings were designed by Tom McLaughlin of Lennons Jewelers, Syracuse, NY. The top portion of the design...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

About five years ago, Robert Fairbank, John Reynolds and I created a "living entity" called Goldsmiths 3 in Concord, Massachusetts....

The customer has selected the pair of earrings shown the rough sketch. The top portion is cast, the bottom piece...

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...

This band was designed and rendered using Gemvision Matrix jewelry design software. The 22-karat granulation beads measure approxiametely 1.0 millimeter...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

This project features a stock pair of earrings that are customized for cultured pearls. The request was to design earrings...

When heated to high heat soldering temperatures, some 950 palladium alloys will develop a bluish-purple surface discoloration. It is easily...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

As a traditional symbol of good luck, this piece is inspired by the horseshoe. It is dedicated to the power...

Proper holding and firm contact between parts during tack-, fusion- and pulse-arc-welding is essential. Aside from pieces not meeting properly,...

Welcometo Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece ofjewelry...

Welcome to Stacey Rhodes Jewelry Designs, where we will detail all of the steps involved in adding a new piece...

Rio Grande carries the Orion Jewelry Welder - an affordable laser welding alternative for all jewelers. These welders provide three...

A ring fabricated with 950 Pd using an industrial TIG machine to fuse the joints. Demonstrates integrity of this type...

Introduction to Creative Side's new large scale welding and metal forming studio.

This mount was fabricated using 950TruPd. Note that the raised areas cause from hammering the taper in the shank were...